Mobile, Alabama - The Perfect Golf Destination

A year-round golf climate. Two stops on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. A dynamic downtown just minutes from the famous beaches of the Gulf Coast. A city that ranks among the top-10 metropolitan areas for golf by Golf Digest.

The Perfect Golf Destination?

Unfortunately, Mobile, Alabama still gets overlooked as a golf getaway. There isn’t that knockout, must-play design that brings golfers in droves for long weekends to feed other area courses. But what it lacks in star power it makes up for in quality and affordability. Courses that would cost triple digits on the outskirts of other big-city markets cost under $75 here, even in high season.

The Magnolia Grove Complex

The headliner has to be the RTJ’s Magnolia Grove complex, which offers 36 holes and an excellent 18-hole short course. The Crossings, home of the Bell Micro LPGA Classic in May, just underwent an extensive $5-million remodeling to make the course more friendly for regulars; yet it still maintains a challenge for the pros. More than 5,000 trees were removed and the green complexes were altered and mostly softened. New water features, like the pond fronting the par-3 at No. 14, add more drama.

“It’s a lot more playable than most of the other trail courses,” says director of golf Paul Martino.

The Falls course, highlighted by a waterfall fronting the green on the par-5 10th hole, is currently closed for a similar renovation project that should be finished by this fall.

The Lakewood Golf Club

The Lakewood Golf Club, another 36-hole RTJ stop, resides across Mobile Bay in idyllic Fairhope. Lakewood’s Dogwoods and Azaleas courses are the only layouts in the RTJ family not built by the trail’s owner, the Retirement Systems of Alabama. The trail bought the historic courses, which once hosted a Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf event, in 1999.

Even after pouring $12.7 million into the complex earlier this decade, the RSA continues to reinvest in improvements. Members of the club and guests of the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort & Spa can enjoy the new lakeside beach club and pool. The spa at the luxurious Grand Hotel rates as one of the best in the Marriott chain. The par-5 14th hole at Azaleas is the site’s most thrilling with an island green perched in a four-acre lake.

Timber Creek and Rock Creek

Two nearby courses, Timber Creek and Rock Creek, are distinctly different than Lakewood. Their heaving terrain looks more like North Carolina than the low-lying coast. Both are designed by local resident Earl Stone, a player-friendly architect.

Mounding that helps keep the ball in play defines Rock Creek, although there are several terrifying shots along the way. The second hole tumbles downhill off the tee before requiring a long approach over wetlands to a green backstopped by a 12-foot-high wall of wood bulkhead.

Timber Creek offers three playable nines. The most reckless land highlights the Magnolia nine. The 592-yard par-5 fourth hole slithers back and forth through the hardwoods. The par-4 seventh on The Pines demands a heroic approach over a pond.

Mardi Gras and the Battle House

There’s plenty of fun away from the course as well. Few realize that Mobile is home of the original Mardi Gras celebration. The downtown continues to revive its Southern charm after years of economic distress.

Staying at the magnificently refurbished Battle House offers the best opportunity to experience the pulse of the city. A $200-million renovation has the historic hotel healthy again. The original eight-story hotel, which closed in 1974 before its rebirth in 2007, now connects to the state-of-the-art RSA Battle House Tower, the tallest building in Alabama. The high dining at the Trellis Room, a fascinating rooftop outdoor pool complex with tennis and a European spa complete the luxury setting. The more affordable Riverview Plaza, which is nearby, also offers golf packages on the RTJ trail.

Eclectic Dining in Alabama

Mobile’s dining scene is as eclectic as it is tasty. Wintzell's, a landmark on Dauphin Street since 1938, has expanded to 10 other locations, all serving up those signature succulent oyster trays. The homespun philosophies of original owner Oliver Wintzell decorate the walls of the original restaurant downtown. Some sound like fortune cooking sayings, others drunken prophecies. Here's a good one for all you golf-happy males whose wives are shopping while you're playing - "A joint checking account is never overdrawn by the wife - it is under-deposited by the husband."

Just down the street, the Spot of Tea is a great breakfast haunt in a cool old building that was once a church. Tucked in a neighborhood, Callaghan’s Irish Social Club serves up bacon cheeseburgers to die for and a killer vibe, especially when the live music spills onto the sidewalks for the patrons seated outside.

Mobile’s menu just expanded for the better last December when the Shed BBQ and Blues Joint on Old Shell Road opened, bringing knock-out smoked ribs and brisket from its original location in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Whether it is golf, grub or good times you crave, Mobile, Alabama will satisfy your desires and leave you full.

For more information on visit Mobile: MobileBay.org