Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail

Robert Trent Jones is a famous golf course designer. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama is one of the largest golf construction projects attempted. The 11 golf clubs stretch from the Lakewood Golf Club in the south, to the Shoals in the north. In total, the trail extends 384 miles.

Lakewood Golf Club

Starting in the south, Lakewood Golf Club is a private club with two courses comprising 36 holes. This course has undergone extensive renovations and can be considered the most recent addition to the trail. It has considerable water features, and is lined with 200-year old oak trees.

Magnolia Grove

Just beyond Lakewood, you can find Magnolia Grove. This boasts three courses, the Crossings, Falls and an 18-hole par 3 known as the Short Course. The Short Course is regarded as one of the best par 3s in America while the longer ones are championship courses.

Highland Oaks

Highland Oaks is special for its 9-hole courses. It has four golf courses in total, with three championship courses and a short par-3 course which is most notable for its putting greens and bunkers.

Cambrian Ridge

The Cambrian Ridge also focuses on 9-hole courses. Take a look at The Sherling Trail, which may well be the best nine on the trail. The ninth hole features an uphill hole with a deep ravine, and shares a double green with Canyon's nine.

Capital Hill

Capital Hill, as the name suggests, does have a certain theme. With three courses appropriately named: The Senator, The Legislator and The Judge. These are three 18-hole championship courses, with The Senator having a Scottish style links layout.

Grand National Club

If looking for a longer par 3 course, the Grand National Club will be worth a look. It has an 18-hole par 3 course, in addition to two 18-hole championship courses. The links course is the cornerstone course, and has perhaps the hardest finishing hole on the trail. Spanning across a lake on the left, the tee shot requires a shot across the left side to make the fairway.

Ross Bridge

Ross Bridge has just the one 18-hole links course, the fewest number of holes for any club on the trail. It is designed for tournament play and has considerable elevation changes, combined with water and natural hazards, to provide a test.

Oxmoor Valley

For scenic forests, and numerous creeks, you might consider trying Oxmoor Valley. It boasts 56 holes, across three 18-hole courses. The short course provides elevation changes, and many downhill holes.

Silver Lakes

Silver Lakes provides four 9-hole golf courses. With some especially scenic golf, the Heart-breaker nine is considered to be the most challenging nine on the trail from the pro tees.

Hampton Cove

Hampton Cove has three golf courses on offer. The most unique of these is the River Course, the only Robert Trent course without a single bunker!

The Shoals

This brings us to the furthest northern course on the trail - The Shoals. It has two 18-hole courses, and Fighting Joe is an especially long one. As the first on the trail to break 8,000 yards, it is long trek.

These 11 golf clubs provide a number of fantastic championship and short courses for the average golfer to try their hand. Be careful on the harder ones, they are not ideal for the beginner, but the shorter courses can be suitable. One thing is certain; you will not be lost for choice, for the trail has a total of 26 golf courses on its 11 sites! Check out the Trent Jones Trail website for further details. 

The Best Golf Courses beyond the United States

I have included a few of Golf Digest's fascinating golf course rankings on this blog, and here is another. These are the top 10 golf courses beyond the United States:

1. Royal County Down G.C. Newcastle, N. Ireland
2. St. Andrews Links (Old) St. Andrews, Scotland
3. Muirfield Gullane, Scotland
4. Royal Portrush G.C. (Dunluce): Portrush, N. Ireland
5. Turnberry Resort (Ailsa) Turnberry, Scotland
6. Royal Dornoch G.C. (Championship) Dornoch, Scotland
7. Ballybunion G.C. (Old) Ballybunion, Ireland
8. Carnoustie G. Links (Championship) Carnoustie, Scotland
9. New South Wales G.C. Sydney, Australia
10. Sunningdale G.C. (Old) Sunningdale, England

As such, Royal County Down G.C. in Newcastle N.Ireland is ranked the best course beyond the United States. This is one of the older golf courses set in the backdrop of the Mourne Mountains that dates back to the 19th century, is just over 7,000 yards in length and has some great holes.

There are also plenty more UK courses which dominate the list, and most are links golf courses with plenty of sand. Of these, Scotland has the most in the top 100 with 17 courses in total. Only one from beyond the British Isles is included in the top 10, and that is New South Wales golf course in Australia.

The 1,410 feet Tee-Shot

Yup, that's right, this par-3 hole includes a tee at the top of a mountain with a 1,410 feet elevated tee-shot. Check out the video below for further details. 

Or you can visit the Legend Golf & Safari Resort where the hole is located. Here you can gain a glimpse of the mountain which dominates the course's skyline.

Golf Vacation Destinations: Pinehurst Resort

Pinehurst Resort, in North Carolina, is a golf resort which boasts up to eight golf courses. Prominent golf course architects such as Rees Jones, Ross, and Fazio have all played a hand in the design of the Pinehurst golf courses. As such, the resort certainly does not lack variety. The no 2 is the championship golf course that has staged a few Majors. Other courses, such as the first which dates back to 1898, are also more historic and have classic designs.

You can take your pick from the variety of golf courses. However, Pinehurst is not just about golf, with tennis courts, lawn sports, wine festivals, and the Pinehurst Beach Club which is a 200 acre private freshwater lake. Spa and fitness suite are also available, along with dining options such as the 1895 Grille. As such, Pinehurst has a variety of packages including golf, spa, and other recreational options linked with its accommodation options.

The Pinehurst No.2 sign. The first line, "I sincerely believe this course to be the fairest test of championship golf I have ever designed."

T-Rex at St Andrew's Old Course

Yes, strange though it may sound, a T-Rex has been spotted at St Andrew's Old Course! Golfers fled in panic as the T-Rex stormed up to the famous Swilcan Bridge, and then the R&A club house. However, one golfer that survived to tell the tale did manage to take a fantastic photograph of the T-Rex at St Andrews. And here it is:

The T-Rex at St Andrews!

This dinosaur photograph can be added to your desktop as desktop wallpaper. Check out this website for further details.

Bridgewater Golf Course, Lakeland, Florida

The Bridgewater golf course is an exciting new Florida course, in Lakeland, that was opened in 2007. Designed by Steve Symers, it is a links style golf course with 18 superb holes.

When Symers designed this course, he wanted to create a long golf course, which would provide a test for longer hitting players. Certainly, the course comes with some formidable par 5s. The longest hole is 583 yards off the black tee, while hole 3 has a lengthy maximum of 267-yards. Overall, the course measures 7,200 yards. The green complexes are also large, at approximately 10,000 square feet.

The course has a risk-reward approach, particularly around some of the greens. Heart-break ridge has become an example of this, and is considered the signature hole. It has an elevated green, which is surrounded by water on the left, and a deep bunker on the right. Likewise, it is almost a 500-yard par 4.

It offers a strategic challenge also. The risk-reward nature of the course creates various shot-options and routes to the hole. In many respects, this was as Symers intended.

The course has a good location, and as Symers put it, will actually turn into a nature conservancy as well. The course does indeed have a fair amount of wildlife to mix in with the golf.

It has 5 tees for players of all levels. These range from the shortest white tees, to the longest black championship tees. Players can pick the tee they feel best suits them, and play from there.

Rates at the course vary. The regular maximum rate is $60 dollars, before 2 pm. Off peak, after 2 p.m. the rate drops to $30. However, for a Florida resident it is only $25 dollars of peak. Better still, a Bridgewater player's card gives further reductions down to $15 dollars for an off peak round. A 10 round pass is also available.

The course is also next to a good club-house, which is well stocked. It includes a pro shop, plus a snack area and lounge and an impressive expansive patio. Equally, the practise facilities are upscale with target greens, short game with sand bunker and putting green.

Since opening, the course has been widely acclaimed. Golf Week Magazine has given it its seal of approval, rating it as one of the top 100 golf courses you can play.

Certainly this course should not be missed. It offers a good location, with moderate rates and a lengthy course with interesting design features.

Two, Three and Four-Piece Golf Balls

There are three types of golf balls which you can use on the golf course. These are the two, three and four piece golf balls. These golf balls have different aerodynamic properties due to their different designs.

To begin with, there is the two-piece golf ball which most will be familiar with. This is the most standard golf ball as they are the cheapest. These balls provide greater backspin, and therefore will travel further than the alternatives.

However, on the PGA Tour three-piece golf balls are favored. These golf balls are softer than two-piece golf balls, and have a core surrounded by a mantle. As such, even though they may not go so far they provide greater maneuverability than your average two-piece balls. So, they can be more accurate than two-piece golf balls. 

Four-piece golf balls are an enhancement on three-piece balls. They have more advanced designs with liquid cores, and so are usually the most highly valued golf balls. These balls are more likely to drop and stop on the green than a two-piece golf ball which could stop somewhat further from the hole.

So, it’s worth noting whether a golf ball is a two, three or four-piece golf ball. Check the golf ball details on their boxes which should highlight whether it is two, three or four-piece ball. Although, the majority are two piece golf balls with an emphasis on greater ball spin and distance that could ensure an extra few yards are covered on the course. 

The Gunpowder Golf Shot

Check out this gunpowder golf shot video!

What is the difference between Pitching and Chipping?

There are in fact a number of differences between pitching and chipping. These relate to set up, loft, club selection and distance of shot.

The overall set ups are not the same. The chip shot requires the feet to be closer together, and the ball placed towards the heel of the right foot. Likewise, the pitch shot actually has the ball placed more centrally and a wider stance. The club is also gripped lighter with the pitch.

Also required with a pitch, is a more open stance. Usually this should be at an angle, while the chip shot stance has to remain square to the target line.

After this, the chip requires a smaller swing than the pitch shot. With a pitch shot, the swing also involves using your wrists and a lighter grip. With a chip, this is not so much the case.

Club selection for the chip shots can be more flexible. You can use irons to chip with, as well as the wedges. With pitching, the loft required for the shot only makes the wedge clubs suitable for the shot.

Because of this, the actual shots are not that similar. The chip will have far less loft, and will roll along the ground a good distance before stopping. In contrast, a pitch is entirely air-born, with far greater loft and very little roll on the ground. As such, the chip shot is shorter in distance than the pitch shot, which can be used beyond 50 yards.

The greater roll of the chip makes it ideal for a short shot onto the green from within 25 yards. Usually, when it touches the green, the ball will roll on the green towards the flag like a putt. Likewise, its more limited loft means it escapes the wind more easily than with a pitch shot.

Without a great deal of loft, however, it is no good if an obstacle is in the way like a bunker. Here, the loft of the pitch shot will clear it, and touch down on the green behind. This makes the pitch more useful for getting over other close obstacles also, like bushes.

The pitch is also good for escaping long grass. The steep swing and loft of the wedges will cut through the grass and scoop the ball back onto the fairway. Here, you can open up the club face also, which will increase the loft of the shot a little.

Overall, the pitch shot is more difficult to do accurately. With the wind blowing, getting the ball close the green can best be done with a chip shot. Even without, pitch shots can be less accurate. For this reason, it's always better to chip when possible.

The Top Golf Courses in Southern California

California is home to sun, surfers and golf courses! It has its fair share, and the best golf courses in southern California are undoubtedly something special. While it is tricky to pick a best from such a diverse group of courses, there are a few that stand out.

While the famous Pebble Beach may be northern California's gem, Pelican Hills is often said to be the southern equivalent. Located in Newport Beach, Pelican Hill is a public resort course on the sea. It has wonderful views, and is a links style course.

A classic old-style course, Indian Wells country club gives you course with some spectacular twists. Located near the rocky mountains, it has some interesting features such as plunging hills on fairways. While it may not be the longest course, at 6, 478 yards it will certainly provide an entertaining round.

The Oak Quarry golf club has a unique golf course. A course built into a rock quarry, which is visually stunning with rock framing holes. For an inland course, it's a remarkable feet of golf design. The 14th golf hole is particularly impressive, with a 400ft-limestone wall towering over the hole. It is regarded as one of the best holes in California.

For a top value course, you might not find any better than in southern California than Barona Creek. For $50 dollars, you can get a round at a course that stretches out over rolling terrain, and has some of the fastest greens you might well come across.

The Torry Pines Municipal golf Course, is one of the most highly regarded in the southern California state. It is a public course, and has excellent coastline views along its 7,607 yards. It has featured in a number of golf magazines' top golf course rankings, making the top 10 on a few occasions.

Torry Pines Golf Course

If you must push for a number one golf course in southern California, then perhaps Mountain Course at La Quinta. Located next to the Santa Rose peaks, it is a resort course that can make for a good vacation point. The mountain vistas link to the fairways, making accuracy very important. For what it is worth, the course has been said by some to be the best golf course in California not just the south. Strong acclaims, when competing with courses like Pebble beach.

So, southern California may well have some of the best courses you will find not only in California, but also anywhere. The courses described here are amongst the most notable in the region, and the Mountain Course is perhaps the best on offer.

Fantasy Golf

There are a number of fantasy golf games that you can register with online. These fantasy golf games are pretty similar in that you select a group of golfers with a fixed budget, and then when the golf season begins the golfers accumulate points in relation to their PGA Tour championship finishes. Each fantasy golf game then ranks the fantasy golf teams, and those with the highest point totals will be in the prize positions.

A good example of a fantasy golf game is that of the original golf fantasy league. At their website you can register and add a team for the 2012 golf season. Or alternatively, check out the PGA Tour fantasy golf game.

Golf Vacation Destinations: Pebble Beach

The 6th Green at Pebble Beach

The golf course of Pebble Beach was first opened in 1919, and today is one of the finest golf courses in the United States. As such, it has hosted a number of top golf championships including the US Open five times, with great players such as Nicklaus, Watson, Kite, and Woods all winning at Pebble Beach.

Overall, the golf course of Pebble Beach has a pretty unique setting. Located in southern California Pebble Beach plays alongside the Pacific Ocean. The course layout brings a good number of the holes out towards the rocky coastline, with holes such as the third, fourth, and fifth running along the coast. As such, coastal wind can always be a factor in a round at Pebble Beach.

The course includes a number of tricky holes. As such, naming a signature hole is not especially obvious at Pebble Beach. However, the 8th hole is considered to be one of the hardest on the course. Although the hole has a generously wide fairway, the ocean can become something of an unwelcome companion along the entire right side of the hole with the potential for balls to fall in the sea. The hole also includes a landing area elevated on a cliff above the green, which gives a good view of the small landing target.

Other notable holes of the golf course include the short, but much loved no 7. This hole plays out from an elevated tee where players strike towards the Pacific Ocean, which surrounds the green and hole generally. Distance can be deceptive on this hole, for missing the green can come at some cost.

The Pebble Beach course also had some minor changes to further enhance it for the 2010 U.S. Open. Essentially, changes have been made to the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 10th, and 12th holes by adding new bunkers to each fairway. Along with this, a couple of hundred yards were also added which has extended the course length to 7, 014 yards in total. Overall, the course modifications should make a great golf course all the better!

2011 Golf Season Round-Up

This will be the final post of the year on Amateur Golfer. As such, here is a round-up of who won the Majors in 2011, as well as the amateur golf championships the Walker Cup and U.S. Amateur Championship.

• Augusta Masters  - Schwartzel
• UK Open – Clarke
• US Open – McIlroy
• PGA Championship – Bradley
• The Walker Cup – Great Britain and Ireland
• US Amateur Championships – Hills

As such, South Africa, NI and the United States have all celebrated Major golf championship victories in 2011. NI had two Major victories which was fantastic. In the amateur game Great Britain and Ireland were victorious in the Walker Cup with a 14 to 12 victory that was another highlight. Great Britain’s team therefore regained the Walker Cup after three American victories in the last three Walker Cups. 

55 posts have also been added to Amateur Golfer in 2011. As such, also consider browsing the archives of this blog. Or alternatively, check out the author’s Helium articles via the links included on this blog.

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas this week, so why not decorate your Christmas tree with golf Christmas ornaments?  For example, you can decorate your tree with golf ball Christmas ornaments, and there are various other golf baubles that you could add to your Christmas tree. Check out the Golf Décor website which has a range of golf Christmas ornaments, or input the Google keyword, golf Christmas tree decorations. And finally, merry Christmas!

Great Coastal Golf Courses

The Monterey Coastline of Pebble Beach

Golf courses beside the coast are usually among the more exciting. They can have some great ocean holes along their respective coastlines. As such, there are some great coastal golf courses.

Pebble Beach

The famed Pebble Beach course is one of the great coastal golf courses on the Monterey coastline of California. This golf course has some fantastic ocean holes such as the 7^th par 3, and the 18^th hole which plays alongside the ocean that is rated as one golf's best finishing holes. Pebble Beach is a venue of the PGA Tour and has hosted numerous U.S. Opens as well as other golf championships. It’s also a resort course so should be great for a golf vacation!

Cypress Point

Another of the great golf courses on the Monterey coastline is that of Cypress Point, a great alternative to the Pebble Beach course that is ranked second in Golf Magazine’s course rankings. This is a 6,525 yard golf course that has some classic holes that play alongside the Pacific. Among them is the great 16^th hole, a 222 yard par three on headlands sixty feet above the sea that requires a tee shot over the sea to reach the green.

The Ocean Course

The Ocean Course is the highlight of the Kiawah Island golf resort on the eastern coastline. This championship golf course has formerly hosted the Ryder Cup. For further details on this course this previous Amateur Golfer post is worth noting.

The Mid Ocean Course

The Mid Ocean Course is scenic coastal golf course which is the best in Bermuda. The famed golf course is one of the older American courses that dates back to 1921, and has remained a great destination for golf. The course includes some great holes such as the 18^th which borders the sea. The 5^th long par 4 hole is another of the course’s highlights.

These are four great coastal golf courses and resorts at Kiawah Island, Pebble Beach and Bermuda. These courses have plenty of highlights and great coastal settings.

Golf Holidays in the Iberian Peninsula

When it comes to golf vacations the Iberian Peninsula is one of the hottest destinations. Spain and Portugal have a number of great golf vacation resorts on the coast and further inland that have a variety of golf holiday packages. Both for golf and more general vacations Spain and Portugal have plenty of highlights.

Among the notable golf resort in Spain is that of the Marbella Club Golf & Spa Resort on the Costa del Sol. This golf resort includes an 18-hole par 73 course that is located on the Mediterranean coast. It also includes a shorter 9-hole course. Further inland there is also the PGA Catalunya, a 7,200 yard course near Barcelona which has 36 holes of championship golf, and has also been ranked among the top 10 golf courses in Europe.

In Portugal there are also some great destinations for golfing vacations. The golf coast of Lisbon has numerous golf courses and some noteworthy resorts such as the Cascais golf resort.  Lisbon was also one of the IAGTO golf destinations of the year in 2007.

Among the best golf resorts of the Algarve region include Parque Da Floresta Golf & Leisure Resort in the Western Algarve. This includes the Parque Da Floresta course, a 6,295 yard par 71, which is set in rolling hills and is well placed to nearby beaches along the Algarve’s coastline. It also has various golf holiday packages.

So, you can be sure to find some great resorts in Spain and Portugal. The Marbella, Cascais, PGA Catalunya and Parque Da Floresta golf courses and resorts are just three of the noteworthy golfing destinations there. When the summer comes these resorts are meccas for golf vacations. 

End of the Golf Poll

The matchplay & strokeplay golf poll has now closed. While there were not a great number of votes in this poll, 66% voted for strokeplay as the best golf scoring format. As such, strokeplay wins the poll with two thirds of the vote!

Cold Golf Balls

When playing in the winter do not expect the ball to travel so far as in the summer. Not only will it rain more during the winter, therefore reducing ball roll, but colder weather will also reduce the distance of the ball further. As a former PGA technical director has stated in his book Dear Frank, “at 40 degrees, the ball will travel about 10 to 12 1/2 yards less than at 90 degrees," Thomas wrote.

As such, you can expect a 10 – 20 yard drop in distance.  Factor in damp courses and less ball roll and that can reduce yardages by an extra few yards as well. So, you may want to use slightly longer clubs during the winter than you might for the same tee shots in the summer.

There are also some cold weather golf balls that you might want to note such as the ColdFusion Cold Weather Golf Ball. This golf ball is a winter golf ball that is supposed to travel further during the winter season. For further details on the ColdFusion golf ball check out their website.

The Matchplay & Strokeplay Poll

At the moment Amateur Golfer's poll remains level at one one. There have not been many votes as of yet, so it would be good to have some more to ensure a winner at least. Please vote in the golf poll.

Golf Vacation Destinations: Kiawah Island

Kiawah Island is one of the hottest golf vacation destinations in North America. This resort is located off the coast of South Carolina, close to Charleston. This barrier island has five award winning championship golf courses to play at: The Ocean Course, Osprey Point, Cougar Point and Turtle Point. This will also be the venue for the 2012 PGA Tour golf championship.

Of its golf courses, the Ocean Course is probably the most famous. This is the golf course that has already hosted the ’91 Ryder Cup, and it will also be the venue for the 2012 PGA Tour championship. This is a golf course that is located on the coastline, and has lots of seaside holes along the coast. With its miles of sand dunes the course is reminiscent of seaside link golf courses in the United Kingdom. The course is some 7,356 yards long from the championship golf tees, and has one of the highest course ratings. So, it’s probably not an ideal course if you just started playing, but nonetheless there are still four other golf courses at Kiawah Island which are alternatives.