 COURSE REVIEW
Attraction of RTJ Trail's Magnolia Grove Golf Course comes from its difficultyBy Jason Scott, MOBILE, Ala. (Dec. 10, 2003) -- Golfers are gluttons for punishment. I'm sure you've heard it said before. How many of you have hit a great shot, only to watch it bounce wildly off a sprinkler head, or some poorly placed acorn, sending our ball careening into the woods? Or how about the random bad luck of hitting a shot so perfect, it hits the flagstick and bounds away into a waiting water hazard?
Such is the game of golf. It can test your very sanity. That said, it might explain why the golf courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail have become such a hit. Golfers don't mind getting kicked in the groin by tough courses. They keep coming back for more, hoping that someday, someway they'll break 80 or 90 or 100, whatever their goal may be. Golf on the trail is like basketball with a 12-foot hoop or soccer with four-foot-high net. It's tough. And on days when the weather isn't cooperating, it's downright mean.
Hey, that's what we live for, right? That one chance to execute the improbable shot. Roger Rulewich, Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s senior associate and chief Trail architect, said building difficult courses was the idea from the get-go. Dr. David Bronner, the CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, is the brain behind the massive project, using the assets of the retirement fund to build the trail's 378 holes in an attempt to diversify the fund's portfolio and help the state's tourism industry all at once.
Magnolia Grove isn't U.S. Open-quality, but it is certainly tough enough to test the pros, male and female. The Crossings course hosted the Nike Tour (now the Nationwide) championship in 1998, and the LPGA Tournament of Champions has been a regular since 1999. Thanks to its location in Mobile near the Gulf of Mexico on Mobile Bay, Magnolia Grove could be a southern golfer's starting point on the trail, or a northerner's finishing point. But in reality, it is a bit isolated from the rest of the trail. It is 127 miles from the nearest trail stop, Cambrian Ridge in Greenville, which is by far the longest drive between trail venues. To make up for the extra gas money you might spend to get there, greens fees at Magnolia Grove are among the lowest on the trail. Priced between $35 and $55, Magnolia Grove has been awarded by several different publications as some of the best bargain golf in the world. Here's why. The Falls Course
The tee balls are less demanding here, but five of the course's 14 approach shots on par-4s and par-5s must clear some type of wetland or water to stay alive. A relative tame number of bunkers (52 in all) guard the course, but most of them (31) front the greens. Needless to say, your iron game will dictate how you score. The Crossings Course
As is the advice on most trail courses, play up a set of tees (the blues are 6,550 yards and the whites are 6,063) to ensure you hit some greens in regulation. Forty six bunkers are a mild nuisance considering seven tee balls require a carry to stay in play. The 18th, a 456-yard uphill par-4, is nicknamed the "Terminator," thanks to eight bunkers, which are visually intimidating on the tee.
The Short CourseSeven of the eight trail stops feature short courses (only Capital Hill in Prattville does not), but the best is found at Magnolia Grove. The 3,140-yard short course is widely recognized as one of the nation's best 18-hole executive courses, competing with the likes of the Threetops course at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Mich., home to the TylenolŪ Par-3 Shootout every July. The short course is every bit as tough as the championship courses, with the same treacherous carries off the tee to wavy greens. From the tips, only three holes are shorter than 155 yards. You'll hit the same club on the back-to-back fifth (137 yards) and sixth (135 yards) holes. Even the tiny 110-yard wedge shot on No. 15 isn't a gimme. Other information
OrientationFrom Downtown Mobile: I-10 West to I-65 North. Travel North to Exit 5B. Travel west on Moffett Road approximately 6 miles to Magnolia Grove Blvd. Left to Golf Course. Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans. |
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"The
directive (to build hard courses) really came from Dr. Bronner,"
Rulewich said. "It was his intention to not only build a lot of
these courses but to make them extremely challenging. He had the
idea that this was a thing that would interest people, building
difficult courses. In fact he told us initially that every one of
these courses had to be suitable to play the 
The
Crossings course receives all the tournament play, but the Falls is actually
longer (7,239) and considered the top course on site. The track is named
for its glorious waterfall near the No. 10 green. This 570-yard dog-leg
left is easily the best hole on the property. The green alone is memorable,
falling eight feet from its high point in the middle to its lowest point,
making for some roller coaster putts.
The
7,151-yard Crossings course, which double "crosses" railroad tracks (hence
the name), has a lower slope and rating than its sister course (74.6 rating/134
slope to 75.1/137), but actually plays tougher. Its terrain has more hills,
with several pulpit greens elevated well above the fairways. If blind shots
to unseen greens are your nemesis, the Crossings will eat you alive.
For information on lodging, where to eat and what to do while you're not golfing in Mobile,
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