I'm starting my Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail vacation in Birmingham at Ross Bridge Resort, then heading south to Lakewood Golf Club on Mobile Bay. Is it worth the price to play both courses at Lakewood or should I go to nearby Magnolia Grove to play its Crossings and Falls courses?
Yes, we would recommend playing one of the courses at Magnolia Grove in lieu of playing both at Lakewood. Here's why:
First, you'll get a nice change of scenery and topography. Second, you're going to Alabama to play the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, right? Well, neither Robert Trent Jones nor any of his design associates did any of the work at Lakewood, as it wasn't originally part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
Yes, the original layout there, called the Old Course, was designed in 1947 by the great Perry Maxwell (who did Oklahoma's Southern Hills, site of three US Opens and Four PGA Championships), but rather than keeping the grand Old Course intact, Lakewood mixed and matched it with two additional nines, by Joe Lee in 1966 (to form the Dogwood Course) and Ron Garl in 1986 (to form the Azalea Course). continued...
By: Craig Better of GolfVacationInsider.com
