Grand National on the RTJ Trail

[William King]

(BTW, I teach down the street at Roswell, retired from coaching this year.  We're still winning the football game every year. )

Rub it in.....  

Just looked at your age, and you're too old!  However, I work with Tim McFarlin and a bunch of other people you would know.

Sounds like my biology teacher. I was there from 76-77; did not really get serious about school till college
 

 

[Andy Doyle]

William:

I live in-town, close to Emory and Decatur.  I'm a club member at Stone Mountain to keep my handicap, but only play there a couple times a year.  The rest of the time I scrounge around the munis and daily fee courses that are resonably accessible.

I consider Charlie Yates home, as I play there most frequently - it's inexpensive, quick to play, and the greens are great.  I usually wind up playing there alone, though, because most of my buddies want to play "real" courses.

We have played Brown's Mill the most, but less so in recent years because of conditioning issues.  We'll go to Heritage when we don't want to go far & don't mind spending $75, and we'll go to the Frog or to Cherokee Run when we've got all day to play (and drive).  We've also "discovered" Mike Young's Wolf Creek, which I really enjoy playing.  I need to get back out there, because my last round at Wolf Creek was a soggy, humid mess - a very hot and humid day in August at the end of all that rain we had this summer.

Lately, I've been getting in most of my rounds in bunches on short golf trips, 3-4 days.  I go to Orlando every March with a group of guys - we kick off the golf season with 8 rounds in 5 days.  Got together with a group of old friends in Knoxville last fall, and a friend & neighbor hosts a long golf weekend down at Reynold's Plantation.

I'm feeling quite itinerant - I would really like to have a regular place to play, but that's difficult when you live inside the Perimeter.  The munis are crowded and not in such great shape, and the private courses are prohibitively expensive.  There are tons of good possibilities outside the Perimeter, but membership doesn't make any sense - with the drive involved I wouldn't utilize it nearly enough.

Living in-town is great for my family and work - not so good for my golf.  

Andy

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I like the two Auburn area courses as well. I played them several times about 10 years ago and loved the golf experience as well the courses. It sounds like a return trip is in order. Mike aka Bogie, I will be sure to trash talk the 18th green as I walk off with a birdie.

[Mike Hendren]

John,

You've got about as much chance birdieing the 18th as Tennessee does beating LSU in football.  Oh, never mind!

Mike

[Bill_McBride]

So who has checked their calendar and is ready to commit to a weekend in late April?  I for one am in.  Sounds like Hendred and Bernhardt could be persuaded.  The trash talk could continue!  

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Bill I think I will be in the fall around when we go to the Plains. Jaka B might even be there.

[Bill_McBride]

So I guess you wouldn't be on the golf course on Saturday, right?

[William King]

I consider Charlie Yates home, as I play there most frequently - it's inexpensive, quick to play, and the greens are great.  I usually wind up playing there alone, though, because most of my buddies want to play "real" courses.

Gets my vote for best short course in town!

We have played Brown's Mill the most, but less so in recent years because of conditioning issues.  

Sad to hear, BM used to be the best conditioned City course, have you been to N Fulton lately? Went there a lot this summer and the greens were the best I've seen in years

We'll go to Heritage when we don't want to go far & don't mind spending $75, and we'll go to the Frog or to Cherokee Run when we've got all day to play (and drive).  We've also "discovered" Mike Young's Wolf Creek, which I really enjoy playing.  

Never played Heritage (too cheap, I guess ), but I do like the other two tracks, especially since it is not hard to get a deal at those places. As for Wolf Creek, I haven't been down there in a year or so, but I do remember great conditioning and a good time. And that #18 is a bear of a finishing hole!

 There are tons of good possibilities outside the Perimeter, but membership doesn't make any sense - with the drive involved I wouldn't utilize it nearly enough.

Well if you are close to 75, and you feel like coming out to Acworth, we have a regular Sat morning game @ Cobblestone. It is a great track. We set up 3-4 times on Tue for the following Sat on a 1st come 1st served basis. Just let me know

[Matt_Cohn]

We played NCAA's on the Lake Course in 2000. That's where Charles Howell shot 23-under par, or something like that, to set the all time NCAA record. I love the golf course - it's really beautiful and the challenges are fair and sensible. If you're hitting it well, you can shoot a very good score because the greens are all tiered, but flat within the tiers - in other words, if you can get it within 20 feet of the hole, you'll often have a very makeable putt.

One note about the place is that to me the par-3 course was by far the hardest course to shoot par on. I couldn't believe how many 3, 4, and 5-irons I hit there! If you shoot even on the short course, you can shoot under par on the long ones!

[Andy Doyle]

I consider Charlie Yates home, as I play there most frequently - it's inexpensive, quick to play, and the greens are great.  I usually wind up playing there alone, though, because most of my buddies want to play "real" courses.

Gets my vote for best short course in town!

>>>Yeah, but don't let the word get out!

We have played Brown's Mill the most, but less so in recent years because of conditioning issues.  

Sad to hear, BM used to be the best conditioned City course, have you been to N Fulton lately? Went there a lot this summer and the greens were the best I've seen in years

>>>I actually played 100 holes there one day early last summer (2-3 balls per hole) in a charity event.  It was a blast & left with a great appreciation for that course.  If only the city had about $2 million to really fix it up - it could be a real jewel.

We'll go to Heritage when we don't want to go far & don't mind spending $75, and we'll go to the Frog or to Cherokee Run when we've got all day to play (and drive).  We've also "discovered" Mike Young's Wolf Creek, which I really enjoy playing.  

Never played Heritage (too cheap, I guess ), but I do like the other two tracks, especially since it is not hard to get a deal at those places. As for Wolf Creek, I haven't been down there in a year or so, but I do remember great conditioning and a good time. And that #18 is a bear of a finishing hole!

>>> You should try Heritage - look for a Red Flag special on Last Minute Tee Times.  It's a unique and difficult golf course.  It has the biggest greens contours I've played in the Atlanta area - a real experience.  I think it's a hate it or love it course.

 There are tons of good possibilities outside the Perimeter, but membership doesn't make any sense - with the drive involved I wouldn't utilize it nearly enough.

Well if you are close to 75, and you feel like coming out to Acworth, we have a regular Sat morning game @ Cobblestone. It is a great track. We set up 3-4 times on Tue for the following Sat on a 1st come 1st served basis. Just let me know

I have played Cobblestone once - and really enjoyed it.  I need to get back up there and play.  Ironically, I found it because of a magazine "Top 100 You Can Play" list, which led me to a brief craze for collecting "Top 100" courses, which led me to reading more about golf courses and design, which led me to this site .... and here I am on a Friday night on an internet golf site.

Andy

[Doug Wright]

Bill McBride/Bogey/Andy et al,

My good golfing friend is interested in taking his 50th birthday outing to the RTJ Trail in early May. I've looked at the reviews on this site and Grand National appears to be head and shoulders above the other Trail courses. So that's one day spoken for.

Where on the Trail besides Auburn should we head for, say, two other days of golf? Looks like Cambrian Ridge is next best, with two good nines and a so-so third nine, but would appreciate any comments.

Thanks,

[John Goodman]

Doug,

I have played the Birmingham courses (incl. Ross Bridge, the new one), Huntsville, Silver Lakes, Prattville and Cambrian Ridge, but not Dothan, Mobile or the two new ones at Muscle Shoals.  If it's two more Trail days, I'd probably pick (of the ones I've played) Cambrian Ridge and a round on the Senator or Judge in Prattville (though I agree with an earlier comment here that the Prattville courses can be fairly penal).  Cambrian Ridge is for my money the second best of the Trail offerings; I pair it with Prattville principally because of their relative proximity (about an hour).

If you're going public but are not limiting yourself to the Trail, I'd drive up 280 from Auburn and play Farm Links (near Sylacauga, AL; Hurdzan-Fry), spend the night in Birmingham then play Limestone Springs (Oneonta AL; Pate) the next day.  

I'd be happy to take you and your buddy out to Greystone in Birmingham - I think they are two fun courses but so far on this board only Barney has ever taken me up the offer.    

John G.

[William King]

Doug,

I will be close to Dothan in March and hope to have time for a round at the course there. If so I will report back. Otherwise, John's idea looks nice.

[John Foley]

Perfect timing, I just saw this and am in the middle of planning a fall trip for a group of 8. We've done Orlando, Hilton Head and a few other locals and someone has suggest RTJ and looks like thats the destination.

Right now trying to decide on either the short trip or the long trip. Your comments would be appreciated

Short Trip

Grand National - Cambian Ridge - Capitol Hill

or

Grand National - Capitol Hill - Ross Bridge - Oxmoor Valley - Silver Lake

We most likely we will fly in & out of Atlanta as everyone (mainly NE'ers) can get a non stop there. Drive down & back or if we head to Birmingham over after the Silver Lake stop.

One question is there a worthwhile course close to Atlanta heading towrds Auburn on 85? We may choose to stop and play there.

[William King]

John,

Orchard Hills and Summer Grove spring immediately to mind, both in the Newnan area.

[A.G._Crockett]

John,

Orchard Hills and Summer Grove spring immediately to mind, both in the Newnan area.

These are good recommendations; Summer Grove is very unusual and very enjoyable, characterized by crowned greens with huge chipping collars.  Very affordable as well.

[JNC Lyon]

I checked out Summergrove on Google Maps.

Is there only one course there, or more??  If there are more, which should I play?  It looked like one had a big lake with some interesting holes.  Is this the right course?

[William King]

Only 18 holes @ Summer Grove; 27 @ Orchard Hills

[JNC Lyon]

William King:

On Google Maps, there appears to be a course across the street from Summergrove.  what course is this??  Summergrove is the course with the big lake, right? Thanks.

[William King]

I believe that is Canongate's White Oak course. Canongate is a private group of 15 clubs, mostly on the southside of town.

[JNC Lyon]

Thanks.  I am hoping to get in a quick nine at Summergrove this coming weekend with my father.  we are on the way down to the panhandle.  With inlaws South of town, this course seemed to be the best option.  Sounds like we will enjoy both the course and the price.

[Keith Williams]

JNC,

SummerGrove will definitely be a good bet for your play options SW of ATL; it is in fact one of the best public offerings in Metro Atlanta.  The other course you see in the aerials is, as William stated, Canongate on White Oak (36 holes).

Keith

[Andy Doyle]

Doug:

I've only played Grand National, but a buddy of mine recently played Silver Lakes and gave it high marks.  Cambrian Ridge is the one I hear most often after Grand National.

If you have any connections at Auburn (alumni association, etc.) I have heard good things about the university course.  Again, I've not played it but a buddy highly recommends it.  

If you fly into Atlanta and want to play immediately, go to Mike Young's Wolf Creek:

http://www.wolfcreekgc.com/

It's about 10 minutes from the Atlanta airport in the right direction for heading to Auburn.

Andy

[John Goodman]

Perfect timing, I just saw this and am in the middle of planning a fall trip for a group of 8. We've done Orlando, Hilton Head and a few other locals and someone has suggest RTJ and looks like thats the destination.

Right now trying to decide on either the short trip or the long trip. Your comments would be appreciated

Short Trip

Grand National - Cambian Ridge - Capitol Hill

or

Grand National - Capitol Hill - Ross Bridge - Oxmoor Valley - Silver Lake

We most likely we will fly in & out of Atlanta as everyone (mainly NE'ers) can get a non stop there. Drive down & back or if we head to Birmingham over after the Silver Lake stop.

One question is there a worthwhile course close to Atlanta heading towrds Auburn on 85? We may choose to stop and play there.

I think if those are your two itineraries, I'd choose the Short one.  Silver Lakes (3 nines) is pretty good - like much of the Trail, built on rather hilly terrain, and requiring pretty vigorous swinging of the club.  I think it better than many of the Trail courses (including the Birmingham ones) in that there is a greater variety to the holes.  Oxmoor Valley (and the Ross Bridge course too) suffers from the terrain - too may holes are perched on the sides or tops of hills, making the game too penal and ultimately monotonous, in my view.  I've played Ross Bridge twice and liked it better the second time than the first; it is unwalkable (like most of the Trail), but nonetheless still requires hill climbing between cartpath and green on numerous holes.  I've found a real sameness to the par 3s as well.  It also has a huge water feature between the 9th and 18th greens (their side-by-side placement itself offensive to my eye) that is just too much.  Both Ross Bridge and Oxmoor Valley suffer from slow pace of play as well.  Ross Bridge was oversold around here as being the equal of any of the privates (which is ridiculously untrue), so I came to it with perhaps excessive expectations.  It's really not that good - the ground strikes me as a little too severe for interesting golf - and certainly not worth the $100 green fee.

If it's to be the Trail, then, I'd go with your Short itinerary.  If you're looking for more Bama golf than that, I'd explore some additional, nonTrail options.  Of course there's always something to be said for seeing new golf courses, so if you pick the long route I don't think you'll be making a mistake - I bet you'll have fun on all the courses you list.  But I think you can find more enjoyable golf down here than what's listed on your Long list.

[John Foley]

John & William,

Thanks for the notes, this will help w/ our planning tremendously!!

John F