HOW TO SELL GOLF IN ALABAMA
THE SOUTHERN TRAIL Golf In Alabama
BY STEVE HARTRIDGE Think of golf in the US and the destinations that will likely first spring to mind are those sunshine-kissed states of Florida, South Carolina and perhaps California. But for a state with golf courses of
equal if not better quality, and sunshine and glorious scenery to match, consider Alabama, a destination that will leave a much shallower dent in your clients’ pockets while at the same time offering them an authentic taste of the US South. There are many excellent golf courses
across the state, in locations that stretch from close to the border of Tennessee in the north to the sugar-white sands of the Gulf Shores in the south. But Alabama’s star attraction – and a main trump card for international visitors – is 26 courses spread over 11 sites, collectively called the Robert Trent Jones Trail (RTJ). Twenty years old this year, the RTJ Trail
is one of the most ambitious golf-course building projects ever undertaken. It was the brainchild of the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA), or more specifically its chairman and self-confessed golf nut, Dr David Bronner, who persuaded Alabamans to plough a significant slice of funds set aside for pension payments into a chain of golf courses designed to take visitors from top to bottom of the state. For Bronner, it was a ‘Field of Dreams’
thing. “People thought I was crazy to invest millions of dollars of the state’s retirement funds into golf courses, but I
General information TIME ZONE: GMY –6 hours CURRENCY: US Dollar ($1.5 to £1)
CLIMATE: With warm winters on the Gulf Coast, cool summers in North Alabama and mild seasonal changes in-between, Alabama has perfect golfing weather year-round. Summer highs reach around 90C in Birmingham and Montgomery in the centre of the state.
GETTING THERE: Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport, served by daily direct flights out of London by British Airways, and by ‘indirect’ services from several US carriers, is just a two-hour drive away from two of the trail sites.
44 February 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
was sure that if I built it, they would come from all over the world,” he said. And come they have – spending over $10 billion in tourism revenue in 2011 alone. The RTJ Trail courses vary enormously
in style and scenery – from The Judge, near Montgomery, with its steeply undulating fairways and stunning views across the Alabama River to the two courses at Lakewood, near Mobile, flat but with 200-year-old oaks and touched by the breezes from Mobile Bay. But the one constant is outstanding quality and great value for money, with the average green fee around $60 for championship- standard courses. Visitors driving the RTJ trail can stay in
eight top Marriott and Renaissance hotels. No resort on the trail is more than 90 minutes from the next, and many are a lot closer. The driving, mostly down highway 65, is easy, with trail locations marked by green highway signs Golfers looking for a day or two away
from the courses or more out of their Alabama trip than birdies and bogeys have plenty of options. Montgomery, the state capital, is soaked
in both the Black Civil Right struggle of the 1950s and 1960s and, from an earlier time, US Civil War (1860-65) history. Martin Luther-King started the Civil Rights Movement in the city and visitors can stand in the pulpit of the only church where he preached as a full-time minister. They can also see King’s family home –
which was bombed by the Klu Klux Klan – and tour the Civil Rights Memorial. The Capitol Building has been restored
to its Civil War-era beauty (the telegraph that started the Civil War was sent from Montgomery) and you can also see the fountain where slaves were once auctioned to plantation owners. At night, the new Alley Entertainment
Area is a New Orleans-style alley with bars, restaurants and shops – you can also have your shoes shined while being sung gospel songs. In Birmingham, Alabama’s largest city,
evening entertainment includes jazz and blues clubs, fine dining and more civil Rights-era attractions. A ‘must visit’ is the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum which pays homage to the history of the motorcycle, with over 600 (of 1200 in the collection) vintage and modern bikes randomly displayed on walls and two-tiered platforms. It also displays several racecars including the largest collection of Lotus cars in the world. On Alabama’s southern tip great beaches are on offer at the small coastal town of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach while across from Mobile Bay, at Point Clear, the Grand Hotel, a RTJ Trail hotel, dates back to the Civil War and is now once again dispensing its southern hospitality after being damaged and closed by Hurricane Katrina. Enjoy sunsets over Mobile Bay while tucking
into naked oysters, crawfish poppers and seafood jambalaya. Wherever your clients stop off along
the RTJ Trail you are guaranteed a different slice of Alabama: think balconies overlooking the Tennessee River, bagpipers at sunset and a Civil War-era cannon firing daily across Mobile Bay.
Where To Book It NORTH AMERICA TRAVEL SERVICE 0113 246 1466
www.northamericatravelservice.co.uk The 15-day/14 night Simply Southern Music and Golf fly/drive package begins in New Orleans and ends in Memphis. In-between, the route takes in the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort Golf Club & Spa, the Hilton Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort, Montgommery, Hoover’s Ross Bridge Golf Resort, Birmingham, Florence and its surrounding Robert Trent Jones courses, and Nashville. From £1879pp based on twin occupancy. •
Main picture, the lake at Opelika with Mobile on the Gulf Coast below
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72