RTJ Trail, Alabama: Weekend Golf Guide

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is the most ambitious public golf project in American history, and that description is not promotional language. In 1992, the Retirement Systems of Alabama funded the construction of 468 holes across eleven sites stretching from the Tennessee border to the Gulf Coast. Roger Rulewich, Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s longtime design associate, oversaw the routing of every course. The result is a network of championship layouts available to the public at green fees that remain, decades later, genuinely underpriced for the quality delivered.

A complete tour of the Trail requires a week or more.

This itinerary narrows the focus to the Birmingham corridor, where three sites sit within an hour's drive and collectively represent the strongest concentration of golf on the Trail.

Day 1: Arrive and Play Oxmoor Valley

Oxmoor Valley is the RTJ Trail site closest to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), approximately twenty minutes south of the terminal. The complex contains three courses, and the Ridge Course is the one to prioritize. The routing climbs through heavily wooded terrain with elevation changes that are dramatic by Alabama standards, dropping into valleys and ascending to ridgetop tees where views extend across the surrounding hills. Rulewich used the topography to create forced carries, elevated greens, and tee shots that demand commitment.

The Valley Course, the second eighteen, plays through flatter terrain with water features on several holes and a more traditional parkland character. If time and energy permit a late-afternoon nine after the Ridge round, the Valley's front nine provides a complement without the physical demands of the Ridge.

The Short Course, an eighteen-hole par-3 layout, is also on site and worth consideration if arrival timing does not permit a full round. The holes range from 100 to over 200 yards, and the green complexes are as demanding as anything on the championship courses.

Check into lodging in the Hoover or Riverchase area, which positions the next day's course within a fifteen-minute drive.

Day 2: Ross Bridge

Ross Bridge opened in 2005 as the newest addition to the RTJ Trail and immediately established itself as the signature course in the Birmingham area. The layout stretches to 8,191 yards from the championship tees, making it one of the longest courses in the country, though forward tees bring it back to a playable range. The course weaves through a residential community surrounding a man-made lake, and the closing holes along the water provide a finishing sequence that rivals anything on the Trail.

Conditioning at Ross Bridge sits a step above most Trail courses, reflecting the slightly higher green fee and the resort relationship with the adjacent Renaissance Hotel. The greens are large, fast, and contoured in ways that create four or five distinct pin positions per hole. The par-3 fourth, played over water to a deep green, and the par-5 ninth, which wraps around the lake, are the standout moments.

Day 3: Grand National, Then Depart

Grand National sits in Opelika, roughly ninety minutes east of Birmingham along Interstate 85. The drive is the longest in this itinerary, but the destination justifies it. The layout occupies a peninsula extending into Lake Saugahatchee, with water visible on nearly every hole and a stretch of lakeside holes on the back nine that creates an atmosphere more commonly associated with coastal golf than inland Alabama.

The Links Course at Grand National is consistently cited as the finest individual eighteen on the entire Trail.

The Lake Course, the second eighteen at the complex, is also strong, with a more wooded character and several holes routing through the surrounding hillside. If the schedule permits only one round, the Links Course is the clear choice.

An early departure from Birmingham and a 7:30 a.m. tee time allow completion by noon, with a comfortable drive back to BHM for a late afternoon flight.

Budget Overview

The RTJ Trail's pricing is its most remarkable feature. The quality-to-cost ratio has no parallel in American public golf.

Trail Cards, available through the RTJ Trail website, offer discounted rates and should be considered for any trip involving three or more rounds.

When to Go

Alabama's golf season runs year-round, with the best conditions from late March through May and mid-September through November. Spring brings azaleas and dogwoods across the Trail properties, with temperatures in the 70s and manageable humidity. Fall offers similar temperatures with clearer skies and early foliage color.

Summer is hot and humid, with afternoon temperatures routinely exceeding 90 degrees and thunderstorms that build quickly. Winter is mild by Northern standards, with playable days even in January, though course conditioning varies.