SOUTHERN ESCAPES Celebrating 25 years of the Robert Trent Jones Trail- one course (and craft beer) at a time. * BY TOM BEDELL * W hen I began writing about golf 20 years ago, the Robert Trent Jones (RTJ) Golf Trail in Alabama was already fi ve years old. I've been hearing about it ever since, but never once stuck a tee in any of its 468 tee boxes-until this year, which seemed like a good time to celebrate anniversaries. I've played a bit of golf here and there in the last two decades, but the RTJ Golf Trail statistics could make anyone's eyes widen: 26 golf courses at 11 facilities throughout the state, totaling about 100 miles of courses. Nearly 12 million rounds have been played on them in 25 years, and more than half a million golfers visit each year, coming from all 50 states and about 20 foreign countries. And despite the uniformly excellent quality and condition of the courses, the average green fee is a very reasonable $50. Even during peak season the highest fee at most courses is $64 (and there have been a lot of $25 specials this anniversary year). Blazing the Trail The fact that the Guinness World Records calls the 12-course layout at Mission Hills Golf Club in China the world's largest golf club makes Roger Rulewich chuckle a little. Only 216 holes? Child's play! Rulewich graduated from Yale Silver Lakes Mindbreaker www.mngolf.org Fall 2017 MINNESOTAGOLFER 19 PHOTO BY MICHAEL CLEMMER +http://www.mngolf.org