what funds the robert trent jones golf trail

What is the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail?

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a collection of championship caliber golf courses, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., distributed across the state of Alabama, as part of investments by the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

Who is Robert Trent Jones Sr?

When you're looking for someone to design 18 golf courses, start at the top. Enter legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., arguably the premier golf course architect in the world.

What is the largest golf course construction project ever attempted?

This opens in a new window. Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is the largest golf course construction project ever attempted. In the late 1980's, two important things were on the mind of Dr. David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

Is Alabama’s RTJ Golf Trail worth the money?

Alabama’s RTJ Golf Trail has been acclaimed since it opened 25 years ago, and deservedly so. There are better courses in the Yellowhammer State, but few would deny the Trail was an inspired (if slightly wacky) idea, has made a considerable contribution to the wealth and identity of the state, and really is a magnificent achievement.

Who owns the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail?

the Retirement Systems of AlabamaThe Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a collection of championship caliber golf courses, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., distributed across the state of Alabama, as part of investments by the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

How much does it cost to play the Robert Trent Jones Trail?

Green fees on the Trail are very affordable: Most courses may be played for around $65 plus tax. The Lakewood Golf Club in Point Clear, associated with the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, and Ross Bridge in Birmingham are a little more, from $120 to $130 plus tax.

Who designed the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail?

David BronnerDavid Bronner, a businessman and former assistant dean at Alabama's law school, envisioned a golf trail throughout Alabama. He convinced renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to leave retirement and build 26 golf courses on 11 sites, and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail was born.

Is RTJ only in Alabama?

It's Hosted Nearly 12 Million Rounds Of Golf Annually, more than 500,000 golfers play on the 468 holes that are part of the Trail. In an average year, people visit the trail from all 50 states and an average of 20 foreign countries, totaling almost 12 million rounds of golf played to date.

How many courses make up the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail?

26 spectacularyou to our sweet home, and to our pride and joy, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The Trail encompasses 11 locations that proudly offer 26 spectacular courses. From north to south, east to west, you can quickly and easily access the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

How long does the RTJ Trail card last?

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail boasts 468 Championship Greens on 26 exquisite courses throughout the beautiful state of Alabama. 2022 Trail Cards are available for $49.95 and are valid through December 31, 2022.

When was RTJ Prattville built?

In 2002, RSA purchased the Prattville Marriott Hotel/Conference Center on the site from the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama who built it in 2000. The golf resort was ranked Number 1 out of Marriott's 25 golf resorts in the U.S. and Canada in 2010 and Marriott's Top North American Golf Destination in 2011.

What golf courses did Robert Trent Jones Jr design?

With Robert Trent Jones II CompanyAdobe Creek Petaluma, California (1989)Alcanada Golf (18 holes) 2013, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain (2003)Arizona National Golf Club (Tucson, Arizona) (1996)Arrowhead, Colorado (1974)Ayala Greenfield Estates, Laguna, Philippines (2000)More items...

Which Robert Trent Jones course is best?

Best Robert Trent Jones Golf CoursesAdare Manor Golf Club. An upcoming Ryder Cup host venue, Robert Trent Jones Snr originally laid out the design for the course in 1996. ... Augusta National. ... Spyglass Hill. ... Ballybunion. ... Horseshoe Bay. ... Palmetto Dunes.

Where do you fly into for Robert Trent Jones Trail?

Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)

Where does the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail start?

Magnolia Grove, MobileStart point: RTJ Golf Trail at Magnolia Grove, Mobile, Ala. End point: RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National, Auburn, Ala. At just 263 miles from start to finish, you can easily do this trip on just one tank of gas.

How many golf courses are in Alabama?

There are 124 golf courses in or near Alabama. The best 18 holes golf course in/near Alabama is Rock Creek Golf Club and the most reviewed golf course in/near Alabama is Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Cambrian Ridge.

Who was the golfer who taught Jones?

During design and construction of the courses, Jones relied heavily on his young associate Roger Rulewich, who graduated from Yale in 1958 with a degree in civil engineering. Rulewich learned everything he knew about golf from Jones, and the holes he built were clearly inspired by his mentor.

How many miles of golf is on the Ross Bridge?

There probably are people—mad golf addicts—that have played all 26 courses in one trip. Such a voyage would mean roughly 85 miles of golf, and over 700 miles of driving, however, so it’s probably best to do it in chunks.

How much does it cost to play Ross Bridge?

The most you’ll pay for a round on the Trail is the $142 (including cart) it costs to play Ross Bridge—considered the Trail’s flagship facility—before 10:30 am during Fall and Winter. But the typical price for 18 holes with cart on the majority of Trail courses is less than $90.

Who is Robert Vaughn?

History of the RTJ Trail. Bronner hired Robert Vaughn, a former Director of Golf at Tanglewood Golf Club in Clemmons, N.C. to expand the idea and put together a design team. Vaughn also set up Sunbelt Golf Corporation to manage the courses, and worked hard on selling the idea to municipalities, corporations, and private developers in order ...

How many holes are there in Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail?

The Trail started with 378 holes at eight sites throughout the state, but has grown to 468 holes at eleven sites.

Where is the LPGA Tour?

LPGA Tour. Two of the courses currently host events on the LPGA Tour: The Senator course at Capitol Hill near Montgomery, which hosts the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, and The Crossings course at Magnolia Grove near Mobile, home to the Airbus LPGA Classic .

What is Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail?

As one Director of Golf put it, "The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is an incredible golfing experience for everyone. The courses will challenge the best golfers in the world, yet at the same time allow an enjoyable outing for the casual to beginning golfer.".

Who was the director of golf at Tanglewood?

Bronner set out immediately to find the right group to put his plan in motion. He brought in Bobby Vaughan, the former director of golf at Tanglewood in Clemmons, N.C., to put together the team for this massive project. Vaughan formed SunBelt Golf Corporation which would develop, construct, operate and manage all 18 golf courses.

Who designed 18 golf courses?

When you're looking for someone to design 18 golf courses, start at the top. Enter legendary architect Robert Trent Jones , Sr., arguably the premier golf course architect in the world.

Who wrote the first golf trail?

I’d come to Montgomery to learn about the Trail’s origins, to hopefully get behind the marketing boilerplate and to ask, specifically, how in 1989 Robert Trent Jones — well into his eighties with almost no current work and no connection to Alabama — came to author the first and most emulated golf trail in the world.

How much was the RSA pension when Bronner took over?

When Bronner took over the RSA in 1973 the pension was worth $500 million and only 25-percent funded.

What state opened the Judge's hole in 1992?

Via mass advertising, the now famous shot of The Judge’s opening hole at Capitol Hill. In 1992 the state of Alabama brought in less than $2 billion in tourism. That was the same year the first four courses on the Trail opened: Oxmoor Valley (Birmingham), Hampton Cove (Huntsville), Magnolia Grove (Mobile) and Grand National (Opelika).

What is the second irony of Alabama?

The second irony is this: Alabama’s moribund tourism industry was resurrected through the image of a Yankee. Robert Trent Jones was born in England, raised in Rochester, New York and spent nearly half of the 20 th century as the world’s best known and most marketable golf course architect.

Who is Bobby Vaughan?

Bobby Vaughan is a talkative and straightforward Virginian who met Bronner in 1986 while opening and then managing a private club in Montgomery.

Did Robert Trent Jones design the Robert Trent Jones Trail?

Even though Robert Trent Jones didn’t technically design the Robert Trent Jo nes Trail, traces of his historical style are evidenced throughout it via Rulewich, just on a much larger, more outrageous scale — particularly the bunkering and the green designs.

Do you savor golf courses so much you survive them?

You don’t savor them so much you survive them, and, yes, by reputation and intent, they are difficult. That directive came from Bronner, often clashing with the more gentlemanly instincts of Rulewich. But this was the late 1980s and early 1990s, after all, when the trend was to make golf courses audacious.

Answer

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail encompasses 26 courses on 11 sites throughout Alabama, USA.

More interesting reading and links of interest

All courses on the Trail were designed by RTJ Jr and were built simultaneously as a single project funded by the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

Who are the names of the golfers who played with Robert Trent Jones?

As dramatic and poignant as are the golf-related lives of Francis Ouimet and Walter Hagen, or of Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan , or of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, or of Tiger Woods, none means more in the history of golf in America and around the world than the saga of Robert Trent Jones Sr.". Bibliography:

How many projects did Robert Trent Jones complete in the 1960s?

Into the 1960s and Robert Trent Jones signed off on a hundred and twenty-seven projects during that particular decade, which represents an incredible average completion rate of one a month.

What is the name of the golf course that hosted the 1990 US Women's Open?

Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside) Host to the 1990 US Women’s Open, the Riverside forms one of two great golf courses at the 36-hole Atlanta Athletic Club. Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr, the layout was renovated by his son Rees in 2003.

How many courses did William Baldwin build?

During the period 1949 to 1959, Jones completed eighty-four courses.

When did Robert Trent Jones arrive in New York?

Robert Trent Jones arrived in New York harbor aboard the steamship Caronia from the port of Liverpool on Monday, 29th April 1912, exactly two weeks after the Titanic had sunk on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic.

Where did Robert Jones start his studies?

Robert’s benefactor also gave him a generous allowance to help with expenses before he began his studies in the autumn of 1928. Jones’s first design job arrived in 1931, close to home at Midvale Golf and Country Club in Perinton, to the east of Rochester, while he was still taking classes at Cornell.

Where were the golf courses in the 1980s?

Early in the decade, courses were created north of the International Boundary in Alberta and British Columbia, south of the Mexican border in Acapulco and on the island of Bermuda in the North Atlantic.

When is the balance of a golf package due?

The balance of the entire package is due no later than 30 days prior to day of arrival. This insures adequate time for us to forward all travel documents to the customer prior to their arrival date.

How long is a golf course rain check valid?

Rain checks are valid one year from date of issue.

Can Sunbelt Golf be shut down?

SunBelt Golf cannot guarantee weather conditions nor can SunBelt Golf be responsible for any shut down, in whole or part, of the operation of a lodging facilities, whether they are caused by weather or for any other reason.

Overview

LPGA Tour

PGA Tour

Courses and locations

External links