Our golf trip to Alabama featuring the renowned Robert Trent Jones golf Trail offers was exceptional and unforgettable experience for our Group of passionate golf enthusiast. The journey thoughtfully begins at the Lakewood Golf Course, where the timeless, classic design and impeccably maintained fairways create a welcoming and inspiring atmosphere that sets a strong and positive tone for the days ahead. Playing the Falls Course at Magnolia Grove introduces a captivating blend of natural beauty combined with challenging water hazards, ensuring that every shot remains interesting and demanding throughout the round.

The Crossings Course at Magnolia Grove perfectly complements the Falls Course with its strategically placed bunkers and gently undulating greens, requiring both precision and carefully considered strategy from every golfer. At the Grand National Course, players appreciate the dramatic elevation changes along with stunning panoramic vistas, which together create a memorable round that masterfully blends technical challenge with serene scenic enjoyment.

Ross Bridge Golf Course truly stands out as a highlight on this memorable trip. Celebrated for its dramatic terrain and impeccable course conditioning, it offers some of the finest golf play along the entire trail, combining a variety of technical shots with breathtaking natural backdrops that captivate every player. Finally, the Oxmoor Golf Course, known for its traditional layout and smooth playability, provides a satisfying and fitting conclusion to this expertly curated golf itinerary.

Overall, playing these distinct and well-maintained courses along the Robert Trent Jones Trail delivers a diverse, engaging, and thoroughly fulfilling golf experience. The thoughtful mix of course designs, the consistently high quality of maintenance, and the undeniable charm of Alabama’s stunning landscapes make this golf trip truly unforgettable for every visitor.

Of course! A golf trip to Alabama hitting those specific courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is an absolute bucket-list journey for any serious golfer. Having experienced it, let me tell you, it's every bit as good as you've heard, and then some. It's an epic road trip of pure golf, incredible value, and Southern hospitality.

tmigolf.com/the-fairway-philosopher/robert-trent-jones-golf-trail-alabama — **Lakewood Golf Course**

known for its classic layout and mature tree lines, providing a traditional golf atmosphere. The course demands accuracy and strategic shot-making, rewarding thoughtful play through its well-protected greens and varied hole designs.

The Lakewood Golf Club (Point Clear)

The Vibe: Located at the historic Grand Hotel, this feels different from the other RTJ sites. It's classic, old-world Southern charm. Massive oak trees draped in Spanish moss line the fairways. It's less of a modern RTJ "monster" and more of a traditional, parkland layout that has been updated by the RTJ team.
The Golf: We played the Dogwood course. It’s a beautiful, challenging, but fair test of golf. It’s a perfect way to start the trip – challenging enough to get your attention but not so brutal that it beats you up on day one.
The Experience: Absolutely pristine. Staying at the Grand Hotel and playing here feels like stepping back in time. The service is impeccable. It's a resort experience through and through.

Robert Trent Jones golf trail — **Falls Course at Magnolia Grove**

Features rolling terrain and water hazards that come into play on several holes, requiring golfers to balance risk and reward. The fairways are generous but the greens are subtle and undulating, making putting a key part of scoring.

Magnolia Grove (Mobile) - Falls & Crossings Courses

This 54-hole facility is a classic RTJ Trail hub.

Falls Course: This was our favorite of the two. The name comes from the elevation changes and the water features that define it. The routing takes you through pine forests and over wetlands, with several elevated tees providing stunning views. The greens are massive and multi-tiered, demanding precise iron play. The 18th hole, a long par-5 with a lake guarding the green, is a fantastic finishing hole.
- Difficulty: High. It's a stern test.
Crossings Course: A bit more open than the Falls, with a slightly more links-style feel in places. It crisscrosses several railroad tracks and has plenty of water and marshland to navigate. It's still a championship-level test but felt a touch more forgiving than the Falls. A great course in its own right and a perfect complement to its sister course.
The Experience: Magnolia Grove is a pure golf factory in the best way possible. The practice facilities are enormous and the whole operation runs like a well-oiled machine. It's where you realize the scale and efficiency of the entire Trail.

After our coastal golf, we drove about four hours north to the Birmingham area, which is home to two of the Trail's most talked-about sites. We based ourselves at the spectacular Renaissance Ross Bridge hotel.

Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa (Hoover)

The Vibe: Epic. Grandiose. Unforgettable. Ross Bridge is the crown jewel resort of the Trail. The course is a single, 18-hole masterpiece that sprawls across a massive property. The hotel itself is stunning, resembling a Scottish castle, and overlooks the course.
The Golf: Ross Bridge is a BEAST. From the back tees, it's one of the longest courses in the world (>8,100yards). Don't worry, the forward tees make it very playable. It’s a beautiful parkland design with enormous scale. Every hole feels big and memorable. The signature is the finish, with the 18th green framed by a spectacular waterfall cascading down from the hotel patio.
The Experience: This was the pinnacle of the trip for us. Playing the course and then having a drink on the hotel terrace, listening to the bagpiper play at sunset as the sun goes down over the 18th green... it's a core golf memory. A 10/10 experience.

Oxmoor Valley Golf Course (Birmingham)

Just a short drive from Ross Bridge, Oxmoor Valley offers two very different courses.

Ridge Course: This was an absolute thrill ride. The course is built along a high ridge, featuring some of the most dramatic elevation changes on the entire Trail. You'll hit tee shots that seem to hang in the air forever before dropping to fairways hundreds of feet below. The views are incredible. It's a challenging course that requires creative shot-making. Unforgettable and incredibly fun.
Valley Course: This course runs along the floor of the valley, sculpted around the Shannon-Oxmoor Lake. It's a more traditional parkland layout compared to the Ridge's rollercoaster, but still a very strong and enjoyable test of golf.
The Experience: The contrast between the Ridge and Valley courses in one location is fantastic. It showcases the architectural variety of the Trail perfectly.

For our final stop, we drove about two hours east to the Auburn-Opelika area.

Grand National Golf Club (Opelika) - Lake Course

The Vibe: Pure lakeside beauty. Many consider the Lake Course at Grand National to be the single best course on the entire Trail, and it’s hard to argue.
The Golf: Robert Trent Jones Sr. himself called this the "single greatest site for a golf course" he had ever seen. 12 of the 18 holes play along the shores of the 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee. The stretch of par-3s is arguably the best in public golf, including the stunning island green 15th. The finishing hole, a par-4 requiring a heroic approach over a corner of the lake, is an all-time classic.
The Experience: Breathtaking. It’s a beautiful and strategic masterpiece. You could play this course every day and never get tired of it. It was the perfect, jaw-dropping finale to our Alabama golf odyssey.

The Overall Experience: A Golfer's Paradise

Let's start with the big picture: The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a masterpiece of public works and golf architecture. The vision was to create championship-level golf that was accessible and affordable to everyone, and they succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

The experience was spectacular. Here's why:

Consistency & Quality: Every single facility is top-notch. From the clubhouse to the practice range (which are all fantastic) to the course conditions, the standard is consistently high. The greens are pure, and the fairways are immaculate.
Variety: While all designed by the same architect (or his team), the courses you listed offer incredible variety. You'll play along coastal marshes, over dramatic elevation changes, and alongside massive, beautiful lakes. No two courses feel the same.
Value: This is perhaps the most shocking part. You are playing world-class, tour-worthy golf courses for a fraction of the price you'd pay at a private resort like Pebble Beach or Bandon Dunes. It is, without a doubt, the best value in American golf.
The "Grand" Scale: RTJ Sr. was known for big, bold designs, and you feel that everywhere. The greens are huge, the bunkers are sprawling, and the layouts are dramatic. It's golf on a heroic scale.

Final Verdict on the Robert Trent Jones golf trail

The golf trip was an unequivocal 10/10. It exceeded our every expectation. The quality of the architecture, the pristine course conditions, and the sheer value for money are unmatched in the United States.

If you are considering this trip, stop considering and start booking. You will come back with a new appreciation for public golf and a collection of memories from some of the most dramatic and enjoyable courses you will ever play

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Alabama