Jimmy, Samantha and Me

Sorry to disappoint some of you, but this is not a sordid tale of a ménage les triose. On the contrary this is an account of my friend Jimmy and me spending a weekend playing some of the golf courses on the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama. Samantha is the affectionate name for my GPS of which we are indebted for guiding us around the highways and byways of the Crimson Tide State. .

Robert Trent Jones designed golf courses are typically long, undulating, and punishing while maintaining an understated elegance and natural beauty. 430+ yard par 4s and 3-tiered greens are just some of the common elements of an RTJ course.

Atlanta had enjoyed 8 straight days of glorious March weather with the temperature climbing to 80 degrees when we set out on our trip on early Friday morning. The weather forecast for Alabama was not very promising. The weather channel was forecasting severe thunderstorms all day with a 60% chance of rain and a little improvement for Saturday.

We left the friendly confines of Metro Atlanta accompanied by lightly overcast skies, but ominous black clouds lay ahead as we tentatively made our way west to Alabama. It was spitting with rain when we arrived at our first course, Silver Lakes in Aniston/Gadsden, but we decided to proceed with our tee time of 9.30am.

In April 2011, the golf course was ravaged by the tornado which tore through Alabama, and most of its mature trees were ripped away. The course was re-opened in September 2011 taking on the persona of a parkland course with wide open, undulating fairways. There are three sets of nine holes individually named the Mindbreaker, Heartbreaker and Backbreaker course. The Starter sent us on the Heartbreaker, but following completion of six holes; the siren was activated indicating that lightning was approaching from over the Appalachian foothills.

We reluctantly headed for the clubhouse, and five minutes later torrential rain engulfed the golf course. Staff members assured us that the storm would blow over in a couple of hours, and we decided to take an early lunch. The rain eased a little, but the fairways were saturated and we opted to take a rain check and headed for Oxmoor Valley, Birmingham approximately 88 miles away.

Tee times were pre-arranged for the Ridge Course and Short Course at Oxmoor Valley for the following day, but we had no objection playing it on Friday afternoon providing the weather improved. Ironically the rain subsided ten miles from Gadsden and Oxmoor Valley was bathed in sunshine when we arrived at the course.

We kicked off at 3.20pm which meant darkness descended before we could play the 18th hole. Needless to say we were grateful to play any golf in light of our inauspicious beginning earlier in the day.

We stayed the night at a Comfort Inn on the outskirts of Birmingham. The hotel was a little frayed around edges and in need of a makeover, but it was modestly priced and relatively clean. Following a recommendation from one of the golf course attendants, dinner was partaken at The Dreamland Barbecue which originated in neighboring Tuscaloosa. Their specialty are slab ribs served with slices of white bread. I much prefer baby back ribs but it’s always an experience to sample the local delicacies.

We rolled up for our tee time at 7.30am on Saturday morning on the 18 hole “par 3” short course; delighted to learn that we were the first golfers on the course and not paired with anyone else. The short course offers severe elevation changes and almost every hole plays downhill which makes for exciting shot making.

 It was a clear blue sky overhead, the sun was beginning to make its presence felt and the early morning dew was shimmering across the fairways. The flags on the greens were barely moving, and coupled with the magnificent landscape of the course, it proved to be a serene and tranquil setting for two and half hours of golf. It was a bargain at $22 with cart included.

A sterner test lay ahead on the Championship Ridge Course but buoyed by our early round, we teed off again at 10.30, but this time paired with a father and son from Montana. The Ridge course comprises a series of rolling hills, meandering tree lines, lush fairways, and occasionally three-tiered greens to test the amateur golfer’s psyche.

The signature hole of this course could possibly be the par 3 eighth which is downhill and all carry over water. Believe me it’s an exhilarating feeling when your tee shot remains dry and finds the green. Some of the holes are quite intimidating; none more so than the par-4 6th. The dogleg left hole measures 447 yards from the tips and requires a massive carry over a ravine. The fairway slopes left toward the ravine and it is impossible to tell from the tee where the fairway comes out to save an errant ball. If you manage to avoid the ravine, one of those dastardly three tiered greens is eagerly waiting to test your resolve.

The Ridge course is not for the faint-hearted, and we trooped off the 18th green bowed but not broken. Our new friends from Montana invited us to visit them for a spot of fly fishing, but they forgot to give us their number. Anyway we pressed onto our next destination Opelika, approximately 122 miles to the south where we had reserved a room at a Microtel. Opelika doesn’t exactly boast a night life but the hotel receptionist recommended a Creole restaurant appropriately name Jimmy’s.

Jimmy’s was not what we expected. I envisioned a step up from the Popeye fast food chain, but it turned out to be a “fru fru” (look it up it’s in the dictionary) establishment and a wee bit pretentious for our purposes.

 Sunday morning  and a tee time for 8.00am was reserved at the Grand National course a couple of miles away from our hotel. Oddly enough we teamed up with another father and son combo, but on this occasion from Alabaster, Alabama. Visually, this was my favorite course. The complex comprises 54 holes, 32 of which drape around 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee. We played the Links course which provided majestic vistas for nearly four hours. The par-four 18th is considered to be the strongest finishing hole on the Trail. The drive must carry a corner of the lake, while the approach is played to a shallow pedestal green shored up by boulders. At least it wasn’t a confounded three-tier green. Nevertheless it proved too much for my shattered confidence.

Neither of us had brought our ‘A’ game, and in some ways playing the courses was a humbling experience. The number of shots rattled up so quickly that we elected to abandon recording our scores and merely enjoy the magnificent surroundings while savoring the few good shots that make hackers want to return.

The staff at all three courses were friendly, courteous and helpful except for one obnoxious starter. There’s always one isn’t there? I would thoroughly recommend the Trail to anyone that enjoys the game of golf and has a penchant for masochism.

 

 

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