Alabama: Stops along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail

Ross Bridge

Steve Horn of Placentia, a copy editor at The Times, unleashes a drive without much trouble in front of him ... except for a gaping fairway bunker and plenty of water to the left. There’s plenty of trouble at Ross Bridge but also plenty of room to keep your ball in play.  (Mike James / Los Angeles Times)

Ross Bridge

At Ross Bridge, as at many of the Robert Trent Jones Trail courses, the fairways are overseeded during the winter months, creating sculpted green ribbons inside the dormant Bermuda grass.  (Mike James / Los Angeles Times)

Muscle Shoals

The clubhouse at Muscle Shoals near Florence, Ala., sits on a rise above the Tennessee River, has a comfortable dining room and full locker room and, like every facility we’ve visited along the trail, an extremely helpful staff.  (Mike James / Los Angeles Times)

Muscle Shoals

The Fighting Joe course at Muscle Shoals, a whopping 8,092 yards from the back tees, was named after Gen. Joseph Wheeler (1836-1906), who was the only Confederate general to attain the same rank later in the U.S. Army.  (Mike James / Los Angeles Times)

Muscle Shoals

Steve Horn smashes a drive down the middle on the Fighting Joe ... no, wait a minute. The ball is still resting on the tee. Must have been a practice swing.  (Mike James / Los Angeles Times)

Muscle Shoals

A portrait of course architecht Robert Trent Jones hangs over the mantle in the clubhouse at Muscle Shoals.  (Mike James / Los Angeles Times)