The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge

Scale is an interesting aspect of golf course architecture. Tree-lined courses can feel small and intimate, almost making the golfer feel large and puffed-up.

Ross Bridge is the complete opposite. Its huge golf features - greens, bunkers, spacious fairways - combined with the vast-feeling property is enough to dwarf even the most confident golfer. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it takes some getting used to, as it can mess with your depth perception and goad you into taking on heroic-looking shots that might be beyond your control. That said, once you get the hang of things, the course is relatively scoreable, and making birdies feels like a particular accomplishment in such an expansive landscape.

I’ve played courses on the top 100 list that were cheaper than this.

The layout is beautiful and LONG. However, for $155, I wasn’t expecting municipal conditions. Several areas under repair. Several bald fairways. The tee boxes were terrible. Weeds and long grass all over the place. Very disappointing for somewhere that’s so highly rated.

Nicest course I've played. Nice proshop, friendly staff. Great opening and finishing holes. Tee boxes, fairways, greens in great shape. Just an amazing course. Highly recommend.

This is the second time I have played this course. The course offers a variety of fun and different holes with beautiful views of the area. The staff was very friendly both inside the clubhouse and outside as well. The course offers 5 sets of tees for all abilities and plays long. The greens were in great condition and rolled fast and true with lots of undulations and several uphill holes with false fronts. Holes # 9 and 18 are beautiful with he lake, waterfalls and bridges. The practice facilities are top notch. I would highly recommend this course, along with staying at the Renaissance hotel onsite. Both the course and the hotel are very nice and worth the money, even though they are a little bit pricy.

Played as part of a package deal of 7 courses at 4 different venues on the trail, The Shoals, Capitol Hill, Grand Lakes, and Oxmoor Valley. This was I felt the best course I played on the trail. Conditioning was excellent from tee to green, and every hole we felt was a great and different experience. Would absolutely play again, especially given the value on playing the trail.

I played Ross Bridge with a friend on 11/03/20. This course offers a variety of different holes from uphill par 3’s to downhill dogleg par 5’s. There are some elevation changes, but not as extreme as Oxmoor Valley. The staff was very friendly inside and out. The course offers 5 sets of tees and plays long. You should take one more club than you normally would hit. The greens were firm and very fast. There are some holes that you need to play smart and cannot “grip it and rip it”. My favorite holes would have to be #4, 9 and 18. Number 4 is a par 3 that plays entirely over water to a long slim green. The 9th and 18th hole greens finish almost next to each other with a shared lake on one side of the fairway. They also share a waterfall that is connected to the lake. I wish they had a yardage book, since this was our first time playing the course. I would highly recommend staying at the hotel onsite and playing this course.

Went to Ross Bridge on a golf trip, stayed at the hotel onsite, and had a great time. The course was in wonderful condition, and the elevation changes kept each hole interesting. Luckily we had good weather and it was not cart paths only, as the paths are not very close to the holes, and requires quite a bit of walking between the path and green complexes. All in all the value was great and we all agreed we would go back to Ross Bridge for another trip.

They should have closed the course. Cart path only and the cart paths were miles from the tees...fairways and greens. Greens were bumpy from aeration...some bunkers were washed out. Fantastic scenery. It was our first time playing golf in the south in February and we did not know what to expect...but it was our tenth round in two weeks and most of the other courses were in better shap at half the cost

This was a second time playing this course and the first time in winter (December 2019). It was a beautiful morning, crisp weather, sun shining, and whisps of fogs acros the fairways on the first few holes. Often courses have a considerable drop off in quality during the winter, even in the South. I was very pleased with the playing conditions and the green surfaces. The clubhouse crew was very accommodating and even warned us of damaged green from a local hudlum. Whether this is the best of the RTJ course in Birmingham or not is up for debate, but I was as happy as I have been at all the RTJ course I have played. Play them all and let us all know.

My wife and I played today for the first time. The views on the course are beautiful. The course is very fair. I played the combo orange/white tees, 6500 yards, which I thought was right for my 8 handicap game. My wife enjoyed the course as well. We look forward to playing it again in the future.

got a great rate (85/person) from the bag person through the starter, the staff was very friendly. the starter even drove us through the first hole pointing out the nuances of that and other holes. the greens were in great shape and rolled at moderate speed. ball marks seemed to be cleaned up and fairway divots were in good shape. bunkers had nice sand too. layout was nice and fairways wide, though still plenty of places to get in trouble (water, woods, bunkers) we were paired up with another couple for the back nine as the course ranger asked for such. that was a nice touch and showed the friendliness of staff. even the grounds crew was nice as they stopped mowing if they saw you were either putting or hitting. the hotel and surrounding area was nice too and exemplified a resort course setting. while the rack rate of 140 may be too high for that course our rate made it a fantastic value.. even the practice area was very expansive and looked to be in better condition than most courses we have played.

we would definitely go back and play again as it is a destination resort.

Ross Bridge is clearly the best of the RTJ trail’s Birmingham courses. The price reflects this; however, less expensive pricing is available for certain times of day. Like every course on the trail, there are myriad tees to accommodate all skill levels. Generous fairways and large greens make for a fun experience. In the colder months, look for the over-seeding of incredibly green rye grass that keeps the course looking top notch. Lastly, the resort has great amenities, food, etc. for those who want to “stay and play.” The other two trail courses are just a couple of minutes away.

Highly recommend!

DJ

The green fee at 12:00 was $115.00 + tax. Sounds high for a public course but in my humble opinion it’s worth it. The course is kept in excellent condition and there are more than enough tee boxes for every skill level. It’s a resort style course with generous fairways and large bent grass greens.

High and low HCP golfers will really enjoy this course provided each player competed from the correct tees.

One of the most beautiful courses I have played, and i’ve In 45 different states (only 5 to go)!
Great layout! Great condition. Greens immaculate, if not a bit slower than expected. I’d play it again in a heartbeat!!!

I have played Ross Bridge several times and each time I love the course and the course conditions. Ross Bridge was a truly outstanding course.

The practice area is great (driving range with lots of targets, great chipping and pitching area and fun (and huge) putting green with balls provided at the range included in the greens fees price.

You have many options on each tee shot which enables you to take risks or enjoy a more peaceful approach to the green. Overall, it is a beautiful course that I will definitely play again.

The worst part of the entire day is the pace of play. There were four groups of golfers waiting on hole #14. It was pretty much the same for the entire back nine. The worst part is that I saw the course marshall four times during my round and never once did the pace of play pick up. The pace of play is AWFUL every time I play Ross Bridge. What a shame. Amazing course, terrible service and pace of play!!!

Enjoy a great course but be ready for a 5 to 6 hour round of golf!!!

Poor course management for a premium destination. Expect a really long day (5+ hours) and a lot of waiting on all shots. Management not interested in keeping pace up or help nudge slow groups to let others through.

You will get the classic, "oh sorry about that but thanks for coming out".

This is a great layout. The holes are very interesting and well designed. Bunkers and water both matter ... a lot . The variety of tee boxes provides the right level of challenge for all levels of golfer.

Conditions were great. Course is in terrific shape.

There is no GPS in the carts, a serious miss for a course at this level.

Unfortunately, the service did not match the great course. It was impossible to get food at the turn (no server available and a staff member telling us we had to hurry). The beverage/food cart only found us twice in 5 hours. And then, it was not fully stocked (couldn't even provide two sandwiches). Our playing partners reported very long waits in the clubhouse for breakfast before our round. Just didn't measure up.

Played this course in April a few years back on our way to Augusta for the Masters.... Fun course. Good condition. Heard it was one of the top RTJ courses but haven't played them all so can't say that for certain... Only downfall was a really slow pace of play.

Nicest course I've ever played in terms of course conditions. Each green was like a carpet and the fairways rolled nice and long. This is a challenging course, but depending on which tees you shoot from you can have a decent round. I shot from the white tees (2nd ones back) and managed to hit a few pars and even a birdie on a par 5. Very few flat fairways (like most RTJ courses) but I didn't mind. Lots of water too. Would definitely return if I were to get another coupon for a free round, as this course is on the pricey side.

Ross Bridge was a truly outstanding course. You have many options on each shot which enables you to take risks or enjoy a more peaceful approach round of golf. There was a mix of golf holes that were relatively flat or had significant elevation changes. Overall, it was a beautiful course that I would love to play again.