Alabama's trail of winners

Southern Living, Oct 1998 by Young, Dianne

From October 8 to 11, the biggest names in women's professional golf will test their skills against each other on one of the finest young courses in the South during the 1998 Tournament of Champions.

Ten years ago, the statement that the LPGA's million-dollar superstars were headed to Alabama to play a world-class event probably would have drawn one of two reactions: a polite, underwhelmed nod or a loud giggle of outright disbelief. But that was before a whole blast of young phenoms swept in from around the globe to fan the flames of interest in a growing women's tour. And that was definitely before fabled golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., designed a series of championship public courses that made Alabama a bona fide golf destination.

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail features 324 holes at seven distinctly different locales. (An eighth is slated to open next month in Prattville, near Montgomery.) Each time a site has opened-starting in the early nineties-the course has found its way onto golf magazines' "best-new" lists. The well deserved praise stems from the fact that each venue capitalizes on some glorious natural terrain, from the rolling mountain course of Silver Lakes in Anniston to the wetland-dotted layout of Magnolia Grove in Mobile. The Trail, a crowning achievement, has not gone unnoticed. Golf Digest now grades Alabama as the fourth best state in the country for golf.

The brightest jewel in that glittering crown is Grand National, which lies in the hilly, wooded countryside in OpelikaAuburn. Says David Taylor, the Trail's marketing director, "Mr. Jones himself said that Grand National is probably the single best piece of property he's ever seen for a golf course." Its Lake and Links courses both rank among Golf magazine's top 100 you can play, and the Lake-open just five years-has already held two NCAA Regional Tournaments and last year's Nike Tour Championship. Given such a record, it was a clear-cut choice for the LPGA's upcoming Tournament of Champions.

A GRAND CHALLENGE

The LPGA's Tournament of Champions includes all the Tour winners from 1996 through this fall, along with active LPGA hall of famers. "It is, indeed, a high-level tournament," understates Jerry Morgan, director of the event. "Here you have only the winners, the ones who have brought it home down the stretch."

The Lake Course is so named because the waters of Lake Saughahatche are a factor on 10 of the 18 holes. Its golfing gargoyles distract the timid and bedevil the rash. Fairways lined with a pesky rough curl, slant, and narrow here and there to form bottlenecks. Bunkers come into play from the tees, along with wetlands that finger in from shore. The greens contain humps and tiers that thwart anything but precise approaches.

"Grand National's Lake Course in general is not going to give up a lot of low scores," predicts Jerry. "Good midiron players will be rewarded, but as much as you can bite off from the tee, the better off you are."

No. 12, he believes, may well be the make-or-break hole. It's a reachable par 5, but anyone hopeful of hitting the green in two has to thread her shots between wetland, water, and sand. No. 15, an over-the-water par 3, will figure in the tournament's outcome as well. And No. 16, a par 4 right dogleg that sweeps around a swampy edge of the lake, sets up to tempt long hitters to go for the green from the tee. Look for this hole to make everyone's thrill-of-victory and agony-of-defeat highlights.

"Grand National gives you a good feeling when you're there," says David Taylor. "It'll be fun, a lot of fun."

GET IN THE SWING!

Tournament activities actually start on Monday, October 5, with an LPGA ProAm on the Lake Course and a celebrity classic on the Links Course. On Tuesday, October 6, the competitors will play practice rounds. Wednesday, October 7, features the LPGA Pro-Am on the Lake Course. The tournament officially starts at 8 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, and will continue through Sunday.

Packages range in price from $500 for 75 tickets and 1 sponsor parking permit to $100 for 12 tickets. Single admission costs $10 a day. Call the LPGA Tournament of Champions at Grand National Golf Course; (334) 741-9900.