I had a few days of golf planned in Florida with friends so I made the drive from Texas, again. I guess I must like the road since I did the same drive for Thanksgiving!

I booked a late morning tee time and was excited to add another RTJ trail course to my list. Eventually, I’d love to say that I’ve played every course on the trail! Thankfully, Magnolia Grove was super convenient to the route I picked.

As you’ll find at most/all the trail sites Magnolia Grove has multiple courses to pick from – with 54 holes here. I chose the Crossings Course, mostly because it was the home of a LPGA event from 2008 to 2014. From conversations with the locals in my group they seemed to prefer the Crossings, as it is more player-friendly than the Falls Course. There is also a par-3 course at the facility.

For me, the beautiful piece of property was the highlight of playing the Crossings Course. I expected more of a wetlands feel, since Mobile is a coastal city. However, Crossings felt like a course you might find further north in Alabama. The terrain rolls and you get plenty of nice elevation changes. Mix in pine trees and a couple water hazards and what you’ll get is a very scenic round (no homes).

I thought the standout holes on Crossings were the par-3’s. The par-3’s on the front (the 2nd and 8th) were framed nicely by trees in the background. The par-3’s on the back were also framed well, just by hillsides. The par-3 14th plays over water and has a cool looking bridge. Besides the par-3’s I found little variety to the holes.

I played the orange tees which are 70.8/123/6652 and thought Crossings was a fair course to play, thanks to generous driving areas. Still, I think the rating and slope should be higher given the elevation changes, uneven lies and tricky greens.

Overall, I’d say the conditions were acceptable for the $70 price tag. The greens were incredible surfaces, offering pure rolls at a medium pace. The fairways were good besides the usual divots. Nothing was overseeded so the dormant bermuda was evident, although things were greening up. Everything was soft, thanks to record rainfall in the area.

The design of the Crossings should allow you to enjoy your day of golf – and because of that it is a worthy Mobile consideration. I look forward to playing the other courses at Magnolia Grove one day!

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):