990 SunBelt Pkwy,
Muscle Shoals, Alabama AL 35661
The Course:
18 holes. Links-style. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk (although one or two longish green-to-tee walks).
Surroundings:
Rural countryside.
Designer:
Roger Rulewich & Bobby Vaughn
Above distances are for the Fighting Joe course. Also at The Shoals is the 18-hole Schoolmaster course (par-72; 7971 yds from back tees).
34.809767
-87.533922
8 miles E of Florence
From Muscle Shoals (south of the city of Florence in north west Alabama), follow 2nd Street (route 184 east). After approx 8 miles at Underwood Crossroads, turn left into County Line Road (CR 48). After approx 2 miles go straight across River Road (route 40), and into Lime Kiln Road (CR 48). After 1 mile turn left, direction Robert Trent Jones golf. After o.5 mile turn right into The Shoals
Shoals, The (Fighting Joe)
RTJ Golf Trail - The Shoals (Fighting Joe course): At The Shoals, the north-western outpost of Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, two contrasting golf courses offer two quite different golf experiences. The Fighting Joe is a links-style course in the grand Scottish tradition (albeit not beside the sea). Grand indeed if you are ever compelled to play it from the tips - a mere 8,092 yards from start to finish.
Trees make their presence felt on only a few holes; for most of the time you will be in open, rolling, linksy terrain, where pleasantly undulating fairways are skirted by several water hazards or grassy mounds, or both. The layout and quality of the holes is excellent. With no housing around, this is a natural golf environment to be savoured. Many elevated tee positions will give you a good look at whatever hazards are out there.
Among many unforgettable holes is an excellent crop of high-quality par-3s (mostly guarded by water). For the monster hitters among you, your appetites should be satisfied with the 716-yard par-5 12th (should that be a par-6 perhaps!).
Pick of the holes: the round closes with one of the most scenic holes on the entire RTJ Trail. This impressive par-3, weighing-in at 200 yards from the tips, has trouble written all over it. But, to calm the nerves, it also offers a fabulous view out onto the wide expanse of the Tennessee River.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. Bookings can be made directly with each course or via Central Reservations on +1 (800) 949 4444 (toll free) or +1 (205) 942 0444 or e-mail to reservationsrequest@rtj.com.
Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2024].
Walking permitted. Golf carts available to rent.
Good
The Fighting Joe (or East) course at The Shoals takes its name from General Joseph Wheeler (1836-1906) who led both Confederate and US armies, before becoming a Congressman for Alabama. One of two large dams on the nearby stretch of the Tennessee River also bears his name.
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a unique collection of eleven excellent golf venues spread through the State of Alabama. Dr. David Bronner, the then CEO of the organisation that ran the Alabama state-employees pension funds, originally conceived the idea of the Trail.
Bronner was convinced that creating a top-quality golf trail would attract golfers from near and far, raise Alabama's profile and at the same time earn a good return for the pension fund monies invested in the project - the world's largest golf course building project ever undertaken.
The original courses on the Trail (located at Hampton Cove, Silver Lakes, Oxmoor Valley, Capitol Hill, Grand National, Cambrian Ridge, Magnolia Grove, and Highland Oaks) were all designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened for play in 1992. Lakewood GC at Point Clear was acquired along with the Grand Hotel; its two golf courses were recently renovated and included in the Trail. Although not designed by Trent Jones, The Shoals and Ross Bridge were added to the Trail in more recent years.
800 Cox Green Parkway, Florence AL 35630
+1 (256) 246 3611
Visit websiteLocated along the famed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the newly opened Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa blends perfect amounts of southern hospitality, sophistication, and charm. Treat yourself to an entirely new type of Florence Alabama hotel, characterised by upscale luxury accommodations. DIRECTIONS : From I-65 take Hwy 72 West (at Athens). After about 50 miles, just before Florence, turn left into Cox Green Parkway. After 2 miles hotel is on your right (before you cross the river).
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The Shoals (Fighting Joe and The Schoolmaster courses)
2281 Florence Blvd, Florence, AL 35630
+1 (256) 764 8888
Visit websiteDIRECTIONS : From I-65 take Hwy 72 West (at Athens). After about 47 miles hotel is on your right, within one mile of Regency Square Mall, Florence.
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The Shoals (Fighting Joe and The Schoolmaster courses)
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