Just wondering, with all things considered(food, lodging, quality courses, bang for the buck), what area would you go to on a week long golf trip with your buddies?

Im getting married next year(oct) and I think it'd be sick to try and get out with my brother and some of my close golfing friends for a week long golf beer and bbq trip hahaha.

Im in Arizona, my brother is in TN so thats why I suggest that region. Plus I hate desert courses. Your 2 cents?

If you want to stay put and have scenery, Myrtle beach could be a little more $$ but probably a better value. More course options, more scenery (i.e. beach) better accommodations for large groups (townhouses, timeshares). A larger concentrations of golf courses, but you will pay a premium for certain courses. However, you can easily get in touch with a travel agent and put together a package including golf.

RTJ trail is a great option for a road trip IMO. Start North on the first weekend in Birmingham at Ross Bridge and Oxmoor, head south to the Gulf Shores to finish for the final weekend at the beach. The golf is cheaper, more bang for the buck, but the accommodations and scenery are going to vary depending on where you are on the trail. You could choose to stay in one area on the trail, but your golf options may be limited.

I'd prefer Myrtle, just because after a morning round, you could head to the beach for the afternoon for beer bbq, pass out early in the evening...and repeat.

I'll second JSun Golf's post. I've played the RTJ Trail and have made many golf trips to MB. Both are good choices and you can play great golf with either choice. MB has the benefit of convenience and lots of other things to do. On the RTJ trail there are cities near to some of the courses (e.g. Montgomery, Birmingham and Mobile) where you can find other things to do, but MB is really focused on tourism/entertainment.

The RTJ trail courses are all top notch layouts and will likely be less expensive than comparable courses at MB with a few exceptions or if you go to MB off golf season (Winter or Summer). If you do the RTJ trail I would suggest playing Grand National (2 courses), Capitol Hill (3 courses) and Cambrian Ridge (27 holes plus a par 3 course) Capitol Hill is outside of Montgomery, the other two are about a 45 minute drive from Capitol Hill in diffrent directions. Capitol Hill has nice on-site lodging that is not too expensive.

Here is a link to the RTJ Trail site: http://www.rtjgolf.com/


MB offers golf at all price points from cheap to expensive and for the most part you get what you pay for. The MB Grand Strand is a big area (70 miles from North to South. The first thing is to determine which part you want to stay and play at and what price range you are comfortable with. Prices vary greatly by season. For moderate prices for great golf I would suggest playing and staying at Legends resort. They have three courses on site, Moorland, Heathland and Parkland. Moorland is awesome. They also have "sister" courses that are excellent. Heritage at the South end and Oyster Bay at the North End. There are plenty of other options closer to the Legends complex and many restaurants, bars and other entertainment. You can also get a good package playing Willbrook, River Club and MB National. Not as nice as the Legends group, but perhaps a little less expensive. The top courses such as Caledonia, Dunes Club and Barefoot will be signiciantly more expensive. There are lots of "gentlemen's" clubs that some guys on bachelor-party trips frequent. Here is a link to a website that will answer any MB question that you can think of:

http://forums.prospero.com/mbgolf/messages

Here are links to some of my photos of RTJ Trail :http://sports.webshots.com/album/557665669eDiLBF (Judge at Capitol Hill)

http://sports.webshots.com/album/557662235zkQzhw (Grand National & Cambrian Ridge)

and MB (including Legends):

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/2484561920100544033oWzJNP

Myrtle, no question. More things to do besides golf, little to no car drive time, and much better food. Also, the better courses in Myrtle are much nicer than the RTJ Trail courses.

I agree that Myrtle Beach is a great option. Your choices of things to do after playing golf are endless. The golf courses you can play offer a better variety and are some great courses. The airport allows for great access from all over the world.

M.B.

I love Myrtle, but the RTJ courses are a little nicer because they have more elevation change. They are also a little cheaper. Much more driving, though.

That is the exact courses you should play if you play the RTJ trail. A group of 8 of us just played those courses this August and it was great. The courses are in perfect condition. My favorite was the Senator at Capitol Hill where they play the Navistar Classic LPGA tournament. But all in all I loved Cambridge ridge with all the elevation changes on every hole.

Bandon > Myrtle > RTJGT

If you do the golf and place to stay as a package, you won't beat MB, but you need to be very picky with the courses. There are several great courses in MB, but also many mediocre ones.

[quote name='sabram' date='Nov 1 2009, 06:02 AM' post='2038445']
I'll

The RTJ trail courses are all top notch layouts and will likely be less expensive than comparable courses at MB with a few exceptions or if you go to MB off golf season (Winter or Summer). If you do the RTJ trail I would suggest playing Grand National (2 courses), Capitol Hill (3 courses) and Cambrian Ridge (27 holes plus a par 3 course) Capitol Hill is outside of Montgomery, the other two are about a 45 minute drive from Capitol Hill in diffrent directions. Capitol Hill has nice on-site lodging that is not too expensive.


I played the RTJ GT last week following the quoted suggestion. It was great. My buddy purchased a 3-day unlimited golf and cart package and received a fourth day free. We played the long courses in the morning and the short in the afternoons before traveling to our next location. Don't underestimate the short courses; they are exceptional conditioned and allot of fun after your morning round.

As mentioned previously all the courses are located near cities, short driving distances between. We found a couple of super places to eat. In Birmingham Nabells is nearby and a recommended do not miss. In Prattville there's a Cajun place on Main Street called Mick’s. They moved from New Orleans after the storm. The food is IMO better then big dollar places in NO. Be careful though, if the owner notices this is your first visit, he will fill you with samples before you order.

We did play Oxmoor Valley in Birmingham but the conditions were so wet the course was unplayable. We actually sunk in mud above our shoe tops and lost many balls in the fairway. This is very unusual but the Birmingham area has had an abnormal amount of rain during their winter transition period. So for now, I wouldn't include the Birmingham RTJ courses. After the Oxmoor Valley courses dry, I would highly recommend them; they are super.

We've done both...

RTJ: Capitol Hill and Grand National -
- some of the best/nicest courses we've ever played (we've been everywhere).
- easy access from Atlanta Airport
- Kind of quiet at night..local pubs etc.
- Definitely doing it again.


Myrtle: Always stay at LegendsResort.
- More expensive to fly into MB.
- Resort is excellent with 3 courses onsite , and 3 of the top in Myrtle offsite (Heritage, Oyster Bay and TPC)
- Nighlife in Myrtle beats RTJ.
- Cost wise fairly close....maybe MB being a little cheaper depending on time of year.

MB.... I agree with the posts for MB and they have all the positive's covered so I won't repeat them!!!

Have fun!

MBeach all the way. For 2 reasons, well 3 reasons.

Caledonia
True Blue
Pulled Port Sandwich at Caledonia

If you can play both in one day, you've just had the best MB Experience it has to offer with your buddies. I love MB.

This is no joke. I live in Birmingham and I haven't considered the trail in a few weeks now. They have been drenched in rain on both courses and we have not had a straight stretch of sunshine to dry out the courses....this week looks promising. The rain has been very unusual, I feel like I am back home in New England. Unfortunately, the soil here has a lot of Red clay and thus why a lot of lost balls in fwys, sinking, and just sitting water everywhere. The only courses worth playing right now are semi-private and have had the money to have a good drainage system in. I can only think of 1 or 2 like that right now.

However, it will probably be awesome winter conditions after it dries out, especially if the weather stays above 50 for a prolonged period during the winter months.

The easiest way to look at this is MB=Bachelor Party, RTJ Trail=Hardcore golf trip. I have done both with the boys and I really feel like I need a week off after MB. I always take a couple of weeks away from the course after 36 holes a day for 3+ days on the RTJ. Hope this helps.

Yeah I think it'd be more of a hardcore golf trip. As far as night life goes, Im more a fan of dive bars as opposed to clubs and stuff. In fact Id rather kick back on a hotel patio with my bros and a bottle of jack instead of swim through a sea of fake people and faker b**bs