COURSE REVIEW—Grand National (Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail), Lakes/Links Courses, Opelika, AL

TYPE: Public

STYLE: Parkland

DATE PLAYED: 21 Sep10

TEES PLAYED: Orange (72.3/129/6574yards, Par 72(Links) and (71.3/126/6488yds, Par 72--Lakes); Three other sets of tees available ranging from 4843/4910 (teal)-7311/7149 yards (Purple).

OVERALL: Two jewels in the RTJ diamond necklace running along the Eastern Seaboard near the home of Auburn University. Superbly conditioned with bentgrass greens in stunning rolling hills and lakeside settings. Plenty of challenge from any of the tees, but reasonably fair and playable, although tending toward the dramatic with an abundance of hazards and large, tiered greens. Both 18 hole tracks are wonderful, but the Lakes course is so visually distracting that I actually enjoyed the calmer, but allegedly tougher Links course more.

STRENGTHS: Good strategic challenge from all tees, excellent conditioning, incredible playing environment, good service with “Southern Hospitality.” The greens alone are worth mention in a location where most courses have gone to Bermuda to battle the heat, these bentgrass treasures roll smooth and are in good shape, despite the heat. 36 holes is wonderful, as there’s rarely a wait, even during peak times. Value is excellent—at $55 a round, you’d easily pay double or triple that for comparable facilities elsewhere.

WEAKNESSES: The location of the driving range is at best, inconvenient. Worse was the pro shop selling me a bucket of balls and riding all the way to the range only to find it was closed for weekly “maintenance.” The course is walkable, but barely. There’s a whole lot more elevation change than you’d expect and several of the holes are quite spread out from green to the next tee. A few of the holes are frankly overdone—the near Island 15th on the Lakes being an example. It’s beautiful, but playable, it ain’t…for most. Same with 18 on the Links. OK—it’s a 428 yard Par 4, uphill, over water to a landing area framed by bunkers. At least the approach is over water again, to a narrow, pedestal green. Really? Stunning…but…at least higher handicaps can play along the ground to the right all the way, still…

VALUE: 10 (easily the best golf value in the area)

ENVIRONMENT: 10

AMENITIES: 9 (at a place like this, you have to pay for practice balls? No sand reloads along the way?)

OVERALL: 9 (4.5 golf balls).

WOULD I PLAY IT AGAIN? Absolutely. Every time I have to go to Montgomery, I fly into Atlanta and drive down I-85-always allowing a stop and time for at least 18.

TIP’S TAKEAWAYS: There is more than enough challenge in the course without struggling to reach greens or carry hazards, so don’t automatically walk back to the tips unless you’re ready to play one of the tours. Even if you hit every green, you’ll struggle to shoot par just because of the nature of the greens. The bunkers are wonderful and you can really generate some spin coming out of the smooth, firm, dense gypsum. RTJ seems to love positioning bunkers about 220-250 off the tee (or the equivalent carry distance for shorter hitters). A strong drive can carry them and will reward the bold with a short iron or wedge in. No matter how intimidating most tee shots look, the reality is that it’s awkward to lay up and it’ll be a long approach if you really play it safe. Bold is favored here on most holes (another reason to pick the right set of tees! If you overestimate your capabilities, RTJ will make it a long, long day for you).

Links: Driver at the 150 marker is the play here on #1, then it’s massively uphill, so add one club for humidity and sea level if you didn’t grow up here and another for the elevation to the two-tiered green. #2 could be had in two, but you can go through the fairway, so a 3-wood will keep you in play and still roll enough to attack the green. If you lay up, don’t get greedy and stay right as there’s a huge cross bunker hidden from some lines of play at about 100 yards out. #4 is a strategic gem…bite as much off the left as you can chew, but again, overestimation is fatal and safe makes for a really long approach. Cut off a bunch over the right bunker on #5 and you’ll have a short iron in to this heavily elevated green. Yes, you can carry it, it just looks like a long way and there’s plenty of room beyond the bunker. If you stay left to safety, you’ll probably go through the fairway and end up in the trees. #6 forces the same strategic challenge. You can carry the bunkers if you can carry 230+ off the tee and it’ll leave a very short layup or maybe a shot in two, but because of the downhill carry, if you lay up, you’ll really have to back down off the tee—maybe all the way to a long iron/hybrid to stay safe and take the bunkers out of play. There is more room beyond the 150 yard pole than it looks, just stay left. #7 is the toughest driving hole on the course. It’s narrow, but at least it’s long. Do not, under any conditions, go long on the approach. It’s a nasty, elevated, three-tiered green once you negotiate the landing hazards off the tee. #8 requires some finesse. You could try going for it, but it’s a blind tee shot. I found hybrid down the middle left an optimal wedge approach. #9 is a surprise. A short Par 3 that’s disconcerting because it’s so open behind it (nothing but a lake) and framed by trees. Don’t be misled, though—you absolutely have to be straight here—there are water hazards both right and left. There’s also usually wind coming off the water that you can’t feel on the tee. #10 is a 3-wood to set up wedge and #11 is the cardwrecker. Again, there’s water all the way to the greenside bunker, even though it’s not visible from the tee. Take PLENTY of club here. Best to take driver over the right edge of the bunker on #12, even though you’ll probably want to lay up short of the swamp. Left is really bad off the tee. #13 is another 3-wood, despite the length of the hole. It’s a long approach, but better that than flirting with all the landing area hazards. Grip it and rip it on #14, then bailout right on the approach if you can’t carry it. There’s more room on the left of the green than it looks, but it’s not for the faint of heart. No tricks on #15, it’s just uphill, so even a strong drive will probably make the layup the percentage shot. #17 is another where 3-wood is better off the tee and will take the fairway bunker out of play. You’ll get plenty of roll downhill, so don’t worry. The danger is flying the drive into the bunkers. #18 takes all you’ve got, but it can be done. There’s bailout right on the approach if you’re not sure, but a drive at the 150 pole will leave a long-to-mid iron approach, but I stuck it and made birdie, after several gulps and a big breath after surveying the hazards.

Lakes: #1 is a very awkward drive…either lay up right of the fairway bunkers at about 180 off the Orange tees, or carry the right edge of the bunker with hybrid/3-wood. However, too far will put you either through the fairway into the rough or all the way to the water if you get really carried away. Regardless, the green is narrow and heavily tiered, so being accurate with your approach is critical as there’s nothing behind the green and water in front. #2 looks intimidating off the tee, but take driver at the left edge of the fairway bunkers and it’ll roll to the middle. You want to be down as far as you can for the approach and the green is slightly elevated and plays into the prevailing wind, so an extra club isn’t a bad idea here or on #3 tee, as the same conditions exist. The easiest play off #4 tee is driver over the left fairway bunker and it’ll roll down to the middle, but it’s a long second uphill, so a layup is your best bet unless you have Bubba Watson length. #5 looks awkward as well, but longer hitters can carry the fairway bunker complex and be rewarded. If you lay up, remember it’s downhill, so back off from 3-wood and aim toward the far lefthand bunker. You’ll get more roll than you expect if you hit the fairway. #6 is a good one to downshift on—there’s water beyond the left edge of the fairway bunker and you generally won’t be able to carry the bunker (into the prevailing wind as well), so laying up with 3-wood and accept a longer approach down the length of the green (double green with #1). #7 is generally too long to get home in two for most at near sea level, but if you take an aggressive line over the right fairway bunker, you may have a shot. However, the smart play is a layup to your favorite wedge distance as the green is heavily defended, running away from the line of the approach to water at the back. #9 will accept driver down the right side and the more distance the better as the green is severely elevated and frankly, ridiculously tiered. This is one hole that needs to be redone and detracts from the experience. #10 is a grip it and rip it special and there’s plenty of room to the right to bounce your drive off and still end up in the fairway. Again, you’ll want to be as far down as you can as it feels like you’re playing to a plate on a mountaintop on your approach. The green is actually more generous than it looks from the fairway, as it also has a false front on the right side, but miss it left or long and good luck getting up and down. The strong downhill on #11 makes a left center 3-wood the play off the tee and the green is more heavily sloped than it appears. Bite off all you can handle on the tee shot on #12, but the safe play is driver/3-wood to the right of the fairway bunkers and play it as a three shotter, but if you pull off the aggressive play, you’ll have a chance in two, just beware the marshy waste area left and short of the green. #13 needs the big lumber…a draw starting on the right edge of the fairway is perfect and bring all you’ve got on the uphill approach. #14 gives you a chance to get a shot back if you can carry the bunkers. Short right is a good bailout for another mountaintop green, but don’t miss long right or it’s gone downhill into the forest. #15 is all there in front of you. With a green angled away from the tee to the right, don’t be short if you hit the banana. Thankfully, the drop area is next to the green by the cart path, with the full length of the green if the tee ball gave you a flinch. #16 is no more than 3-wood off the tee and hybrid/long iron will set you up well. Huge hitters might go straight at the flag here, but anyone not named Bubba Watson or Tiger better not try it. It’s all carry—297 at least from the orange. #17 plays uphill into the prevailing wind and a miss right isn’t tragic, as it may roll down the hill and out of the trees onto the green, or at least close. Left is obviously swimming! #18 takes driver down the middle, and if you’re lucky, you’ll crest the hill and roll down to short iron range in a hidden collection area. However, you’ll now be another 20 feet below green elevation, so it’s a mixed blessing. All the trouble is short on this green, so a little long left is the safe approach.

NON-GOLF OPTIONS: if you’re a fan of college football and not an Alabama fan, then catching a game at Auburn makes complete sense if your timing is right. If you have a historical bent, the home of the Tuskeegee Airmen and associated museum is 20 minutes down the road. You can bet on the dogs at Victoryland Greyhound park if you made off with some extra cash from the course, Montgomery, home of the Single A “Biscuits” baseball team is an hour away, as is all the Atlanta metroplex can offer an hour the other way.