Grand National Links

Grand National Links is one of the courses that launched the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in 1993, and it remains one of the strongest arguments for the system's original vision. Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed the layout around a 600-acre lake in Opelika, routing holes along the water's edge and through the rolling terrain that rises from the shoreline. The lake is not a decorative feature. It is the central strategic element of the design, influencing club selection, aim points, and risk-reward calculations on nearly half the holes.

The course plays 7,311 yards from the championship tees with a rating of 76.2 and slope of 141. These are demanding numbers that place the Links in the category of courses requiring thoughtful course management rather than brute force. The lake holes present the most obvious challenges: tee shots that flirt with the water's edge to set up better approach angles, approaches that carry over inlets to reach greens positioned on peninsulas, and the constant visual presence of water that can influence decision-making even when it is not directly in play.

Jones Sr. was 87 years old when the Grand National courses opened, and the design carries the signatures of his mature period: large greens with pronounced contouring, bunkering that frames the preferred line of play, and a routing that builds progressively in difficulty toward the closing stretch. The green complexes are among the most interesting on the Trail, with surfaces that tilt and break in ways that reward reading the approach from the fairway. Pin positions on the lake-side portions of the greens create risk-reward dynamics that persist from the first visit through the twentieth.

Grand National is a 54-hole complex, with the Links course joined by the Lake course and the Short Course, an 18-hole par-3 layout. The volume of golf available at a single site makes it the natural base for golfers who want to minimize driving and maximize playing time. The Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort and Spa sits on the property, providing on-site access to all three courses, and the combination of resort accommodation with 54 holes of golf at $55 to $95 per round creates a self-contained destination within the broader Trail system.

The proximity to Auburn University adds a dimension that pure golf destinations lack. Auburn's campus is less than 15 minutes from the Grand National complex, and the college-town atmosphere provides dining, shopping, and entertainment options that extend the day beyond the golf course. On fall weekends, the area takes on the energy of SEC football, which is either an attraction or a scheduling consideration depending on the traveler's priorities.

Booking is available through GolfNow and rtjgolf.com, or through Central Reservations at (800) 949-4444. The practice facility serves all three courses and includes a driving range, putting green, and short game area.