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The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail At Silver Lake

Course Details

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail At Silver Lake

Mind Breaker

Back Breaker(9 holes), Heart Breaker(9 holes), Par 3(9 holes)

1 Sunbelt Pkwy
Glencoe, AL 35905-8840

(256) 892-3268

Regulation

Daily Fee Facility

Just Golf

27

1993

Matt Ganshaw

Robert Trent Jones, ASGCA

$72 weekend
$72 weekday
$39 twilight

37.5

3579

36

Bent

Bermuda

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Reviews
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Overall Rating 5 out of 5 based on 67 user reviews
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/22/22
Tough course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/13/22
Great course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/05/22
Love it
Review Date Member Overall Rating
12/20/21
As golf destinations go, Gadsden, AL is well down most golfers’ lists; if it weren’t for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, it probably wouldn’t even be on the radar. And, if the truth be told, the RTJ Trail course at Silver Lakes is what keeps golfers coming back.

I am speaking about Silver Lakes, a 36-hole facility on the outskirts of town. Surrounded by the Appalachian foothills and Lee's Lake, Silver Lakes features the most unique and aptly named courses on The Trail: Heartbreaker, Backbreaker, Mindbreaker. All 36 greens (including the short course) boast Champion ultra-dwarf putting surfaces, arguably the best on The Trail. Another trait they share is that they are all elevated; some more so than others. Silver Lakes takes you on a journey through hardwood and pine forests, wetlands, and grasslands. You’ll encounter dramatic elevation changes all while enjoying the beauty of Northeastern Alabama’s wonderful landscape. There is one thing for sure: any of the four courses will challenge you both physically and mentally.

Many golfers use the Short Course as a warm-up before heading out to play the championship courses. When I hear the words “short course,” I immediately think of conditions that are inferior to what you will find on a full-length golf course. Not so on the Short Course at Silver Lakes. It’s a collection of 9 par 3 holes of championship course caliber. You’ll find some significant elevation changes, well-manicured bunkers, and undulating Champion ultra-dwarf putting surfaces. Eight of the nine holes require a carry over water, culminating on the 9th, which plays 184 yards from the Orange Tees, and is primarily all carry.

Each course is special in its own right with memorable holes. Number 8 on Mindbreaker is an interesting par 4 that plays 358 yards from the White Tees. The fairway slopes to the right with a creek at the bottom so your best tee shot is something controllable down the left side. Anything right of the middle of the fairway stands a good chance of trundling down to the water. A good drive will leave a short iron into a triangular-shaped green with a pot bunker left and a large, deep bunker on the right. The green slopes severely from back to front. Did I mention you’ll need to carry your approach shot over the creek?

The Heartbreaker 9 builds you up from your tee shot on the first hole right through to your last putt, but nothing is more challenging than the last three holes. Number 7 is the course’s signature hole and the first encounter with water. Your line from the very elevated tee box is the bunker on the right; that will take the ponds on the left out of play. Once your drive flies downhill and lands in the fairway – or wherever – the rest of the hole plays extremely uphill. While the landing area on your layup may seem small and complicated by the bunker on the left, you’ll have a short pitch shot into a very wide but shallow green protected by a deep bunker in front.

Number 8 is a challenging, downhill par 3 that plays 156 yards and is all carry over water. The green is large and could be a 3-club difference depending on pin placement. Deep bunkers await errant shots on either side of the green. Number 9 is a 353-yard par 4 that requires you to cross – and avoid - the water twice. This dogleg left features water all the way down the left side and in front of the green, with a wide landing area off the tee. A good drive will leave a short to mid-iron into an oddly positioned green protected with water in front and left. It’s the layout’s most difficult par 4 and the course’s #1 handicap.

Backbreaker starts with a stern test of golf; your approach shot will give you a good idea of how the course got its name. It’s a par 4 that plays 360 yards from the White Tees although because it’s predominantly uphill it may play closer to 400 yards. A good drive will leave a mid to long iron into a very elevated green protected in front by a deep bunker. The hills behind the green may provide some relief for approaches hit too long.

Silver Lakes doesn’t offer accommodations, but the nearby Holiday Inn Express is a great place for golfers. Not only do they offer freshly appointed rooms and a hot breakfast buffet, but they are also conveniently located to both Twin Bridges Golf Club (15 minutes) and Silver Lakes (20 minutes).

Holiday Inn Express goes the extra mile with the little things, like free coffee and tea and Wi-Fi connections in every room and common area. The rooms are spacious with either 1 king or two queen beds that are extremely comfortable 50" TVs, Keurig coffeemakers, and best of all, lots of outlets. The black-out shades are a nice touch and keep the room dark at night.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/23/21
Great Round
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/16/21
Windy
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/25/21
Awesome
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/17/21
Nice
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/16/21
Great course. A true test of skills.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/16/21
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/28/20
Great voyage
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/21/20
Stunning!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/13/20
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/23/20
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/16/20
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/30/19
Very nice
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/06/19
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/22/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/23/18
challenging to play, especially if
for the first time without course knowledge.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/30/18
Hardest course I ever played. Punishing if you can’t place your shots just right. Small misses become high scores fast!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/30/18
Great
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/29/18
Very nice
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/29/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/28/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/28/18
Great course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/28/18
Bring your A game!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/27/18
K
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/26/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/04/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/22/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/13/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/18/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/23/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/02/17
Beautiful
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/10/16
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/09/16
Great
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/27/16
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/07/16
Good
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/22/16
awesome
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/20/16
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/17/16
Fun trip
Review Date Member Overall Rating
12/19/15
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/06/15
Good
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/24/15
excellent
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/21/15
Great difficult bermudagrass greens!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/16/15
excellent
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/23/15
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/27/14
Ok course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/06/14
Tough course. Very well taken care of. Not the best value unless you purchase a trail card.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
02/24/14
Awesome
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/28/13
Nice course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/11/13
Course in good shape
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/22/13
Maintained really well! Course is super tough! Greens can be unfair at times.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/03/13
Awesome, but very difficult!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/26/13
Great
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/06/12
Loved it!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/27/12
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/20/12
Comeback kid! Great course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/12/12
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/27/12
Awesome course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/26/12
One of rtj's best
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/25/12
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/07/12
Great
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/21/12
Hg
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/01/12
Nice
Review Date Member Overall Rating
02/20/12
Good course.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
01/16/12
Great course
Recent Scores
MEMBER SCORE RT/SL PLAYED
Sigmadre 87 69.4/131 06/23/22
jonathonvines 73 69.4/131 05/20/22
pvines 88 69.4/131 05/20/22
Santino_2329 89 71.8/137 05/01/22
Santino_2329 87 71.8/137 05/01/22
JBurgun 90 71.8/137 04/30/22
JBurgun 96 71.8/128 04/30/22
bikefishgolf 99 76.2/147 04/20/22
pvines 83 69.3/126 04/18/22
jonathonvines 78 75.5/145 04/18/22
pvines 85 69.3/126 04/16/22
jonathonvines 77 71.8/128 04/16/22
Beecham 96 76.2/147 04/13/22
CaseyMarbut 104 69.4/131 04/12/22
CaseyMarbut 103 69.3/126 04/05/22
tcg 83 74.5/143 03/09/22
jonathonvines 73 69.4/131 12/24/21
pvines 83 69.4/131 12/24/21
ZZ82 89 69.3/126 10/23/21
Crane003 101 71.8/137 10/16/21
d14stock 86 71.8/137 10/14/21
d14stock 88 71.8/137 10/12/21
jswatterson 79 73.5/140 09/16/21
jonathonvines 76 69.6/131 09/09/21
pvines 84 69.6/131 09/09/21
Scorecard
Course Tee Gender Rating Slope
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Black M 76.2 147
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Orange M 71.8 137
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Purple M 74.5 143
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Silver M 67.0 126
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Teal M 64.1 109
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker White M 69.4 131
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Silver W 73.1 142
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Teal W 68.8 122
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker White W 76.3 149
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Women's Teal W 68.8 122
Backbreaker-Mindbreaker Women's White W 76.3 149
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Black M 76.7 142
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Orange M 71.8 128
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Purple M 74.4 137
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Silver M 67.2 122
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Teal M 64.5 111
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker White M 69.3 126
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Silver W 72.9 140
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Teal W 69.4 123
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker White W 75.5 145
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Women's Teal W 69.4 123
Heartbreaker-Backbreaker Women's White W 75.5 145
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Black M 75.9 146
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Orange M 71.8 137
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Purple M 73.5 140
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Silver M 67.1 125
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Teal M 64.6 107
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker White M 69.6 131
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Silver W 72.8 140
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Teal W 68.4 119
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker White W 75.8 146
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Women's Teal W 68.4 119
Mindbreaker-Heartbreaker Women's White W 75.8 146
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