A Bama
Bon Voyage! Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club • Gulf Shores, Ala.
Roll Tide, roll putts & rollin’ along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
S
weet Home Alabama is more than just a song or a movie although they both certainly evoke the spirit of the beautiful state. It’s also a mantra for the hard-working, friendly folks that travelers encounter along the way. From the bagboys and beverage cart girls on the worldclass golf courses to the servers and chefs in the award-winning restaurants, visitors are made to feel right at home, ensuring that time spent in Alabama is as sweet as the tea. As home to the original golf trail, modern and historic golf resorts, and long stretches of sugarwhite beaches on the Gulf of Mexico, Sweet Home Alabama is a golfing destination unlike any other. Both the incomparable Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and the Arnold Palmer-designed Craft Farms Resort in Gulf Shores put Alabama on
52 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
the radar of traveling golf groups more than two decades ago. Since then, the addition of awardwinning hotels, spas, and luxurious resorts; exciting craft breweries with medal-quality beers; world-renowned bass fishing events and red snapper rodeos; and a thriving culinary scene, ranging from fresh Gulf seafood and a unique BBQ Trail to James Beard-recognized chefs and restaurants, have greatly enhanced the state’s reputation. Just a few of the golf resorts that make Alabama so special. The Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa in Birmingham boasts an RTJ Golf Trail golf course, luxurious spa and delectable dining. Pursell Farms is just 45 minutes south of Birmingham, which is a unique golf resort with lodging options ranging from a brand-new boutique inn, four-bedroom golf cot-
tages and an eight-bedroom lodge, along with the award-winning Farmlinks golf course. Another is the century-and-a-half-old Grand Hotel Golf Resort and Spa on Mobile Bay, considered the ‘queen of Southern resorts’. And one can’t forget to include Kiva Dunes in Gulf Shores, Alabama’s only Gulf-front golf resort offering a Jerry Patedesigned course, clubhouse, and fairway condominiums, as well as beach homes to rent. Here’s a snapshot of some of the golfing locales in the state to allow you to create a custom golf vacation to Sweet Home Alabama. Huntsville is a great place to start your Alabama golf journey, as the most northern location of the golf trail and home to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. But there are also two more trails to enjoy while in the Rocket City. Wet your whis-
