If it’s true the Lake course here is the most balanced course on the Trail (perhaps), the Links is where all the unused parts and rejected ideas for it went. But Mulligan Stew can hit the spot sometimes, and you can usually expect a lot of flavor from it. That’s what you get here—lots of flavor.
The par three 11th can stretch back to 260 yards–all carry.
I guess they call it Links because the routing goes out and runs around an arm of Saugahatchee Lake and doesn’t return to the clubhouse until the utterly goofy 18th hole. Things start off like a traditional Trail course (certainly not a traditional links course) with a standard downhill/uphill par four followed by an attractive par five that slides down toward the lake’s shore. Things start to get a little paranormal at the 4th which turns 90-degrees around a marshy cove.
The seventh has one of those greens that maybe you’ve read about, a shallow staircase turned at 45-degrees that climbs three hard levels toward the back. The elevated green at the par three ninth is over 50-feet deep with multiple tiers, surrounded on three sides by water and marsh—that’s a potential five-club variation and not much room to miss. The par three 11th can go back as far as 260 yards—all carry—to an extremely elevated Volcano green.
Shall I go on? OK. The shallow plateau green at the par four14th, a mere 467-yards away from the rear tees—is perched fifteen
Absolutely no room to miss short, left or long at the long par four 14th.
feet above the water and falls away steeply on three sides. The par four18th…well, don’t ask about the 471-yard 18th (you wouldn’t play it from those tees, but it wouldn’t matter much—you might wish you hadn’t played it at all).
I understand it’s not for everyone, but you didn’t come to Alabama for the same course you play in your hometown, right? (87)
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail—Grand National Links Course
Auburn
Architect: Robert Trent Joes and Roger Rulewich
Year: 1992
