Lakewood Golf Club & Marriott Grand Hotel

Lakewood Club at Point Clear on Mobile Bay has two superb 18 hole courses that are available only to the guests at the Marriott Grand Hotel here, a classic old resort property, once used as a Civil War hospital. The Dogwood course was recently redesigned and renovated by Bobby Vaughan, it's a traditional design with huge oak tree lined fairways. The courses here have some history by golf course architects, Perry Maxwell, Southern Hills and Colonial CC fame, designed the back nine of the Dogwood Course in 1946. Joe Lee, Bay Hill, designed the front nine of the Dogwood in 1965. Ron Garl did nine holes to the middle of the Azalea in 1985. While not technically part of the RTJ Trail, the resort is funded by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, who owns the Trail, and is included as one of the Trail's resorts. The Azalea course is literally lined with azalea bushes along the fairways and around the greens, and has an island green at the 14th hole, a par 5. The Dogwood course is routed around and along the marshes and tree lined fairways, both on fairly level ground. The Dogwood is probably the more difficult of the two as it's tighter off the tee, more so on the back side, and is more target golf than the Azalea. Both well conditioned, and excellent service.