Robert Trent Jones Golf Trails in Alabama

• Golfers can play at many spots along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Jordan Siemens/Digital Vision/Getty Images

  If you've ever driven through Alabama then you've likely seen signs for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. This collection of 11 golf sites includes 468 holes of championship golf designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., arguably the greatest course architect of all time, according to the trail's website. Jones came out of retirement in the 1990s to design the massive project for the Retirement Systems of Alabama as a way to attract tourism, lure retirees and give the Alabama economy a boost. In 2010, it is considered one of the best areas in the world to play golf.

North Alabama Trail

• Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses are never more than a two-hour drive from each other, and the trail begins (or ends) in Northern Alabama in the area known as The Shoals. This location, near Muscle Shoals and Florence, Alabama, is home to two of the trail's 18-hole courses. The courses are between Wheeler and Wilson dams.

  The Fighting Joe is over 8,000 yards long and is a straight course with narrow but open fairways that run alongside the Tennessee River. The Schoolmaster is carved out of a wooded area and has many more peaks and valleys than the neighboring course. The par-4 eighteenth hole has a stunning view from atop the bluffs at the river's edge.

  Hampton Cove is located in Owens Crossroads in northeastern Alabama. There are 54 holes at this facility, including the Highlands, River and Short courses. The picturesque Highlands features a barn along the fairway that reminds you that you are playing golf in the South. The River Course is located in the floodplain of the Flint River, with numerous water hazards, and the Short Course is a wide-open links-style course that also has lots of water hugging the boundaries.

Central Alabama Trail

• Near Gadsden, the golf trail leads to Silver Lakes. This facility has 36 holes of golf, including three nine-hole regulation courses and an additional nine-hole short course. The courses of Silver Lakes are located along the edge of the Talladega National Forest.

  The courses here include the Backbreaker, with views of the Appalachian chain in the distance. The Heartbreaker is considered among the most challenging nine holes on the trail. The Mindbreaker, despite its name, is easier than the other two. The short course of par-3 holes requires the player to carry water on seven of the nine holes.

  Near Birmingham, the Ridge and Valley courses are located in Oxmoor Valley and an 18-hole short course is also nearby. Ross Bridge is home to 18 championship holes, where the PGA Championship Tour stops each season.

Southern Alabama Trail

• Southern Alabama has the largest variety of golf courses on the trail. Two 18-hole courses and an 18-hole short course are available at Grand National near the town of Opelika. The Judge, Legislator and Senator courses are among the trail's most popular stops in Montgomery. Forty miles away the Cambrian Ridge facility is home to the Canyon, Loblolly and Sherling courses as well as a nine-hole short course. Further south in Dothan, Highland Oaks offers 27 holes of golf on the Highlands, Magnolia and Marshwood courses, while the Gulf Coast region is home to 36 holes at Magnolia Grove on the west side of Mobile Bay and 36 more at Point Clear on the east side.