The Lake at Grand National Golf Course

Always have a fun time playing. Staff is always on top of your needs as you play. Love the Red Clay Beer available.

Played the day before to get to know the course so this round was more fun in terms of somewhat knowing the course. Great course for both men and women with a great pro shop and staff. The course is set on a beautiful lake setting and is a challenging layout. The course was in great condition and the greens rolled beautifully. This is worth the trip from the Atlanta area where I from and is only a 2 hour drive. The Marriott that is part of the complex offers great dining and lodging options. We had a great time on a truly memorable course and are already planning a return trip!

Played this course a few years ago on a Saturday morning the day before heading to Augusta for Masters Sunday. Was a little hung over from a night out on Auburns campus the night before and had the very first tee time at 700am. It was just me and my buddy and they had a full tee sheet so we got paired with two others. Fortunately they didn't get up in time so they sent us out by ourselves at 700 with fresh dew on the ground. It was a really peaceful round with no noise and noone else on the course. Loved the layout, the course, the greens, etc. It felt like it was a shot makers course and you had to use the right club and hit your spots. We got done at around 915 and the guy washing clubs thought we were getting ready to play until we told him we were done. He said it's usually at least 11 before he washes any clubs, so he had to get his rags and water ready. Haha. Would love to play it again as well as the other courses on site.

What a perfect use of the land to sculpt this jewel conditions were perfect greens were smooth and fast played for 40$ after 3pm a deal that can not be beat can't wait to try some other courses on the rtj trail

I love RTJ short courses. There is no better place to work on you iron and short game. The one at Grand National in Auburn is in great condition. They have done a lot of recent work removing trees to allow the course to breathe. This has helped tremendously and not taken away from the course at all. The staff here is always great. If you have the opportunity the RTJ trail is quality golf for a fair price.

The course overall was in great shape. Over the prior few days the area has received a lot of rain so everything was wet and soggy and cart path only.
The course has amazing views and every hole looks beautiful from the tee boxes.
I had a great time playing the lake course even though it was cart path only and I had to walk a ton to get to my ball and had to carry 4 or 5 clubs with me because there are VERY FEW yardage markers on the course. Such a nice course in great condition should have GPS on the carts along with helpful tips and hints for each hole. Many holes you do NOT want to hit driver from the tee, but never having played the course before today, I did not know that and lost several balls as I thought I ht a good tee shot only to lose my ball in water or some other hazard which is not visible from the tee box.
I would highly recommend people playing the course for the first time (like myself), to purchase one of the yardage books in the pro shop. It would have been a real stroke saver!!
All the greens are multi level greens. The fairway bunkers come into play on almost every hole. Very challenging, but fair course with beautiful views. Great value for the level of course you get for the price you pay.

The course is called the links course, but there is very little linksy about the course. No wind at all. No pot bunkers. The only things links about the course are the humps mounds and uneven fairways on a few holes.
There is a lot of elevation changes around the course. There are lots of fairway bunkers and large bunkers all around the holes (again, no run-up area in front of the greens like links courses typically have. Almost all the greens are elevated. If you are short or long on your approach shots, be prepared for some challenging chips back up to the elevated greens.
The course is really in great shape. Overnight the course received a ton of rain so the course was cart path only and VERY humid and hot. One drawback about the course is that several of the tee boxes are aprox 50 yards or more away from the cart path.
The carts nor the restaurant have a cooler in order to keep water and drinks cold and we only saw a beverage cart one time during the entire 18 holes. It was HOT, Humid and in need of water.
Tee boxes, fairways, bunkers and greens were nice and well conditions. The greens have TONS of slopes, undulations and tier levels. Make sure you are aware of the pin position on the green or you will be fighting the three putts all day long.
The course is beautiful with almost every hole a beautiful view and layout. The conditions (other than being very wet from the rain the night before) the course was in AWESOME condition.
The 18th hole is a beautiful, tough and challenging finishing hole. The approach is all carry over water and rocks to a very large, challenging green which is comprised of five distinct tiers.
Tip: Buy a yardage guide in the pro shop. There are many blind approaches and hazards that require extreme accuracy to carry/avoid and you will be glad you have some real numbers to work with since there are no sprinklers with yardage markers and the carts do not have a GPS to give your a reference. Almost every tee shot is a blind shot where you can not see the green from the tee boxes.

Loved the course! Had a great time with my son! Staff and Marshall very helpful. The only drawback is the course needs either GPS on the carts or better fairway markers. Hard to tell the distance. But this is a must play course!

Greens were one week post aeration. Not ideal, but better than I expected for that time frame. Just a little hairy and still some sand. Front nine was worse than the front.

Tremendous layout. Great blend of dogleg-left and right holes. Holes 1 and 16 - both short par 4s - are among my favorite on the Trail. Water is in play on 10 of the 18 holes, including every par 3. Good iron play is required to get the ball on the proper level of the green, as most are multi-level complexes. Otherwise, you will be dodging three-putts all day.

Bunkers are in better shape than other RTJ facilities. That may be a result of the PGA Tour event - The Barbasol Championship - played one month ago. If you go play here after watching the tournament on TV, beware that although holes 9 and 18 remain the same, the nines are flipped.

I would not recommend walking this course as the nines are extremely spread out.

Course was beautiful and conditions where good. Greens slow but in the Bermuda summer transition. Staff was very unfriendly in the pro shop. Starter was just going through the motions and not helpful for directions to range. No Amenities. No tees, no ice chests and no towels in carts. For a place with this name very disappointed and cheap feeling. Will definitely look for other options when I am back in the area!!

Great views, great greens, $3 miller lites Doesn't get any better. Solid layout. Fun to play.

Needs hybrid tee rating for purple/orange for a choice between 7200 yds and 6400 yds.

Green complexes great with 2 or 3 distinct areas.

This review is for the Links course, though I still scratch my head as to why they named it that. There is nothing even remotely linksy about it, so don't be disappointed if you arrive and are expecting windswept, treeless fairways full of hillocks and hummocks! That said, this is a first-class companion course to the Lake, which hosts the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship in July. Both courses are ranked in Golfweek's top 10 public courses in Alabama. Expect a lot of elevation change. This is one of the few Trail courses that I use a wide variety of clubs off the tees of the four- and five-pars. Today I counted 8 drivers, two 3-Woods, two 4-irons and two 5-irons. That spells good variety and some large fairway bunkers to navigate off the tee. The course has really come in with our recent weather and is in great shape. Fairways were nice and cushiony. The Lake has TifEagle Bermuda greens. The Links employs Bent and they were fantastic. The extreme summer heat has not set in yet and they were mown perfectly and provided really good consistency throughout. Bunkers have a little more sand in them than you may be used to, but played fairly. Greens are very large, so spend a little extra time on the practice green lagging putts. If you've read any of my other reviews on a Trail courses, you will note that I love some of the unique natural things that are incorporated into many of the courses across the state. Hampton Cove has the mule barn. Magnolia Crossings has the covered bridge. Ross Bridge has the stone watermill. After teeing off on the par-3 16th of the Links course, look for the chimney to the right of the cart path as you drive toward the green. It is all that is left of an early homeplace. The 427-yard par-4 18th hole is one of the toughest finishing holes on the Trail, and much more difficult than its counterpart on the Lake. It is truly a shame that this hole can't be used in the tournament. There is a generous landing area in the fairway, but you must contend with a large fairway bunker that creeps in from the right. The left side is guarded by trees - and should you overcook a tee ball, water. The approach is all carry over water and rocks to a green that resembles a dragon's tail. The green runs more than 100 yards horizontally and is comprised of five distinct tiers. Second shots will range anywhere from 150-200 yards for most players, so it is a daunting shot. And while long is dry, balls will feed down into a sunken grassy collection area making for tricky up-and-downs. Tip: Buy a yardage guide in the pro shop. There are many blind approaches and hazards that require extreme accuracy to carry/avoid and you will be glad you have some real numbers to work with, especially on the par 5s. Bottom line: The Lake is more fun, but the Links is a tougher track. I'm not sure if I'd put the
Links in Alabama's Top 10 public rankings as Golfweek did, but it is in the discussion.

the lake course at grand national is a fun course! it was the first stop on a recent trip to 5 alabama courses (4 rtj, 1 not). the only previous RTJ course i'd played was magnolia grove, and this course was a step above.

there is great variety on the holes. the large number of fairway bunkers create very strategic tee shots. it's definitely not a bang and driver and go find it kind of course... which i really appreciate.

there are a few blind tee shots and it's really helpful to have some course knowledge... for example, on 6 the water is very reachable and you have to stay short of the bunker.

overall, it's a fantastic course situated around a lake. the last half of the back 9 is all along the lake and it's quite scenic. the price was super reasonable and the staff was very friendly. this is definitely a worthy stop on your trail journey, but it was probably my least favorite course of the 4 we played this time (and that's saying a lot).

After years of reading about the RTJ Trail, I was eagerly looking forward to my first visit. In fairness, I have to say I've never been a great fan of RTJ courses, for some reason they don't seem to fit my game, but the continuous rave reviews convinced me to give them a try.
The par 3 third is the signature hole in my mind. Very few other holes have retained even faintly in my memory.
Bag drop staff, Snack bar staff and food was great.

Absolutely beautiful course! Very reasonably priced and staff was fantastic!

Thank you for such a great experience!!!!!!

Played in afternoon in mid March, they put me with three other guys. Play was slow, but conditions were great. Layout was very challenging. I'd play again for sure.

I played here in a four ball tournament and man, what a golf course. First of all the PGA tour holds the Barbusol championship here every year. The course was in fantastic shape and the clubhouse was huge and spacious. The food was also good and the guy at front desk was attentive.

The practice facilities were good and liked the putting green. And enjoyed the fact there where no mats on the range and only hit of grass. The course itself was great and loved 15,and 17 two great par 3's. I liked all the par 3's and the holes on lake sugarhatchee are great. The bridge from 9 to 10 is massive and can be a distraction on 17.

Overall the course was great and the whole expierence is hard to soak up!

Played here many times, and it is an excellent course. My review today is based simply on today's experience. We've had a very dry fall and the course was a little fatigued from it. That combined with the dormant rough and fairways didn't allow the course to shine like it normally does, but that didn't detract too much. The stars of the Lake Course are the greens and routing. These greens, like all on the a Trail, are large, so hitting them in regulation doesn't mean much unless you are on the right level or finger. Just tee it up on No. 1 being prepared to 3-putt at least once during the round. And if you do it once, you'll probably do it a minimum of three times. The greens are grainy Bermuda so pay attention to the cut of the holes. Downgrain putts were lightening quick despite being a tad hairier than normal. The routing of the back nine around the lake stands out, although the front nine may be the better side in my opinion. The first hole is one of the most memorable openers I've ever played. It requires a 180-200-yard tee shot to fit it into the bowl between the start of the fairway and the large bunker that dissects the fairway. Playing to the right of the bunker with more club is an option, but will actually result in a longer second shot to a double green guarded by a pond. One thing you will notice fairly early is that fairway bunkers really squeeze you off the tee. Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 18 require precise tee shots to avoid the sand. Finally, the drought I mentioned earlier rendered several holes visually less intimidating. The par-3 third and 15th are simply different holes with the water receded. Likewise, the par-4 second and 16th lacked their usual teeth without the watery graves looming.