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The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail was truly a trail-blazing concept when it was introduced in the late 1980s in Alabama. The brainchild of Dr. David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which is the state teachers and employees pension fund, the RTJ Trail was created to boost tourism, attract retirees to the state, spur economic growth and, hopefully, provide a nice return on the state’s investment.
The Trail has done all of those things to such a degree that it is envied far and wide as the ultimate tourism success story. Under Bronner’s direction, the pension fund – which owns the courses and now several hotels – has gone from $500 million in value to about $30 billion. The Trail has become popular with everyday players, and with elite golf organizations such as the LPGA Tour, which held two tournaments on RTJ Trail golf courses in 2007.
As for spurring economic growth, the Trail has resulted in companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Toyota moving to Alabama.
In fact, the RTJ Trail has been so successful that some nearby states have tried to copy the idea with their own strings of golf facilities created by a single designer or around a central theme – such as Louisiana’s Audubon Golf Trail and The Bear Trace in Tennessee.
With courses scattered across Alabama’s diverse landscape from the Appalachian Mountains to the north to the Gulf of Mexico to the south, the RTJ Trail is now ranked among the most popular golf destinations in the world. A prime reason for that is the fact that it has never cost a lot of money to play or stay along the Trail. But that’s beginning to change, for the better.
Sure, it’s still possible to play the Trail on a shoestring budget, but some new, more upscale lodgings – called the Resort Collection – also have been added allowing visitors to soak up Southern hospitality at some terrific resorts and spas. Among the four hotels in the entire state of Alabama that have earned four-diamond rankings, three are RTJ Trail Resort Collection facilities. So the trail now offers more options than ever before.
“The golf experience is the same for everybody,” said RTJ Trail spokesman Bill Lang, who is employed by the Retirement Systems of Alabama. “But the experience around it, you can have McDonald’s to go, or you can have a caviar facial and the best steak around.”
The Battle House in Mobile is one of the exciting additions to the Resort Collection, although it’s hardly new. Built in 1852, the Battle House served as the center of Mobile high society for more than 100 years before it was closed in the 1970s. It was returned to its former glory and reopened in 2007 as a Renaissance Hotel with 238 guest rooms and a complete spa. It is located about 20 minutes from the 54-hole Magnolia Grove golf facility.
Also new is the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa near Birmingham, a four-diamond resort reminiscent of a Scottish castle. With 259 rooms and a 12,000-square-foot full-service spa, the hotel is the centerpiece of the Ross Bridge course, which flows around the massive building. In 2006, the resort was ranked the No. 1 Renaissance hotel in the world according to guest satisfaction.
Another recent addition is the Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa in Florence, which features guest rooms with balconies overlooking the Tennessee River just a few minutes away from the 36-hole facility at The Shoals. Featuring a 6,000-square-foot European-style spa, the Marriott Shoals offers a variety of food and beverage options including fine dining and exceptional views of the river valley from its revolving, rooftop restaurant.
And a unique opportunity awaits in Point Clear, on the eastern edge of Mobile Bay, where the two courses at venerable Lakewood GC were redesigned in 2005 by the Retirement Systems of Alabama. The club, established in 1947, is still private, but the courses are open to guests staying at the nearby Grand Hotel Marriott Resort & Spa. The hotel itself dates to 1847, but it was completely renovated in 2006 and offers a 20,000-square-foot spa. Another highlight is high tea, served each day at 4 p.m. in the lobby.
But for a truly one-of-kind lodging experience along the Trail, consider the Presidential Cottage at Capitol Hill in Prattville. The 10,000-square-foot cottage has five suites, its own private helipad and is staffed with a personal butler and chef. The cost: $5,000 per night.
One of the most enticing aspects of the RTJ Trail always has been the manner in which travelers can create their own golf packages from a list of courses and accommodations. Much like a la carte items on a menu, players can pick and choose destinations, golf courses (green fees are listed for each facility by month) and hotels simply by calling the reservation desk at (800) 949-4444.
“The folks in the reservation section of the golf trail are great,” Lang said. “You can do it all there. If you want to come with eight guys and try to do it as cheaply as you can, there are options for that. If you want to fly in on your corporate jet, you can do that.”
The RTJ Trail was called the largest single golf course construction project in the world when work began on the first eight courses, offering 378 holes of golf. In the last couple of years the Trail has grown further to 432 holes at 10 different sites – in addition to the two courses at Lakewood GC – and they are all unique.
Silver Lakes, located near the Talledega National Forest in northeastern Alabama, offers three challenging nine-hole courses – called Mindbreaker, Heartbreaker and Backbreaker – and a nine-hole par-3 course measuring 1,946 yards from the back tees. Meanwhile, Capitol Hill, in the central Alabama city of Prattville, offers 54 holes of championship golf, with the Legislator, Senator and Judge courses. The latter two each measure more than 7,700 yards from the tips.
But for pure length it’s hard to beat the new Ross Bridge course, stretching to 8,191 yards from the back tees (and 5,312 yards from the forward markers), or the 8,092-yard Fighting Joe Course at The Shoals, in Florence, located in the northwest corner of the state.
Like some of those mentioned above, several stops along the Trail offer par-3 courses, and all have numerous tee options to accommodate any caliber of player. Trail facilities also are located near interstate highways for easy access.
As for further options, travelers may pick their favorite type of golf course challenge. At The Shoals, players can choose between the long and linksy Fighting Joe, or the more wooded and traditional Schoolmaster Course. At Hampton Cove in Huntsville, the Highlands Course is a Scottish-themed links considered one of the finest courses on the Trail, while the River Course is unique as the only layout in the system without a single sand bunker.
Regardless of the courses played or the price of the accommodations, the greatest attraction of all might be Jones himself. Considered one of the greatest golf course architects of the 20th century, Jones died in 2000 at the age of 93, but not before calling the RTJ Trail his greatest legacy – tall words for a man who designed more than 500 golf courses during his lifetime.
The courses built after Jones’ passing were created by his longtime senior design associate Roger Rulewich, who worked alongside Jones on the eight initial properties in the early 1990s.
For further information on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, log on to www.rtjgolf.com.
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