Ross Bridge is the newest of the two Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail sites on the south-western edge of Birmingham, opened in Hoover in April 2005 below a Renaissance resort hotel. Its headline figure is 8,168 yards, par 72, from the black tees, which makes it one of the longest courses anywhere, but there are several shorter sets of tees and the teal markers play just 4,817 yards. Ten holes run beside two lakes, linked by a waterfall that drops 80 feet between the 9th and 18th greens. It is priced above the rest of the Trail, and it is one of two sites where a cart is compulsory.
RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge green fees and tee times.
Ross Bridge uses the same reservation system as the rest of the Trail. Public golfers reserve online or in the RTJ Golf app up to seven days ahead, and the shop takes phone bookings for the same day only. Anyone planning further ahead goes through RTJ Reservations, which sells packages up to a year before play and can add rooms at the resort. Two things differ here. Ross Bridge has its own, dearer versions of the Trail’s seasonal specials, and carts are mandatory, so there are no walking rounds. Specials must be paid in full and booked at least 48 hours before play.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From US$125
Winter “Ross Bridge 2 Days or More” special, 16 Nov 2026–7 Mar 2027: per person per day for one round with cart and range balls, minimum two days, booked through RTJ Reservations. The autumn version, to 15 Nov 2026, was US$190 a day. Single-round rates appear only in the online booking engine.
Winter 2 Days or More at Ross Bridge, per day
US$125
Winter Unlimited at Ross Bridge, per day
US$180
Winter Magic: Ross Bridge plus Oxmoor Valley, two rounds
US$200
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
U.S. Steel donated 328 acres near the old community of Shannon for the course and hotel, and the Retirement Systems of Alabama built the course to stage tournaments, with hillside viewing areas and paths that bring you back towards the clubhouse every three or four holes. The Champions Tour’s Regions Charity Classic was played here from 2006 to 2010. Robert Trent Jones Sr. died in 2000, and course histories credit the layout to his long-time associate Roger Rulewich. The card is full of big numbers: the 13th is a 698-yard par five from the blacks, the 7th a par five that runs along a ridge high above the rest of the course, and the 14th a 239-yard par three. At the 9th you choose between a short line along the water and a safer route that leaves a longer approach. A gristmill beside the waterfall recalls the site’s industrial past.
Know before you go.
Carts
Compulsory; no walking
Dress
Sleeved collared shirt; knee-length shorts or slacks
Coolers
Not permitted
Pace
Trail expects 4 hours 20 minutes
Arrival
At least 30 minutes before your tee time
Range
Closed for part of each Tuesday
Make the trip work.
Check in at the clubhouse at 4000 Grand Avenue, Hoover. Choose your tees with care: the purples already measure 7,407 yards and the black-tee slope is 147, while the whites, at 6,227 yards, are a sensible starting point for most club golfers. In 2027 the course closes for tee, fairway and green aerification on 12–16 July, with 14 days of recovery, and overseeding on 8–10 November keeps carts in the rough until the 18th. If you are staying at the resort, the golf shop can store your clubs overnight.
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International (BHM) is 19 miles away by the Trail’s count. Atlanta, with more long-haul flights, is 167 miles east. Oxmoor Valley is 2 miles and about five minutes away, and Hampton Cove in Huntsville is 120 miles north. There is no useful rail link, so hire a car; for groups, the Trail works with Prideline for buses and vans.
The Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, a six-storey hotel built in the style of the Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, overlooks the course, and each room has a balcony. It has a 12,000-square-foot spa, Brock’s for dinner, JT’s Lounge and a new pool with cabanas, and a bagpiper plays at sunset each evening for the Ross family, Scottish settlers who lived on the land in the 1800s. The hotel’s line is 1-888-236-2427. For a cheaper base, the Trail lists an Oster Golf House 2 miles away and chain hotels near Lakeshore Drive and the Galleria in Hoover, 6 to 10 miles off.
Make a trip of it.
Oxmoor Valley’s Ridge and Valley courses are five minutes up the road, and the Trail sells the two sites together as its Magic special, US$200 for two rounds with carts in winter. The Ridge closes from May to October 2027, so book the Valley in those months. The Back Yard at Oxmoor, a nine-hole par-three course, fills an evening. Silver Lakes is 87 miles north-east. In Birmingham, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Vulcan Park on Red Mountain are each a short drive.
Find your season.
The course is open all year. March to May and the autumn months after the summer heat breaks are the best for golf. The Ross Bridge winter special drops from US$190 to US$125 a day on 16 November, and the tees and fairways are overseeded each autumn, so winter rounds are played on green turf.
From the black tees it is 8,168 yards, par 72, and the Trail calls it the fifth-longest course in the world. Most visitors play shorter: the purples are 7,407 yards, the oranges 6,846, the whites 6,227, the golds 5,460 and the teals 4,817.
Can you walk Ross Bridge?
No. The Trail allows walking at most of its sites, but Ross Bridge and Lakewood Golf Club require carts. Spectators can ride along for a cart fee when a spare cart is available, which the golf shop decides on the day.
Did Robert Trent Jones design Ross Bridge?
Not personally. Jones died in 2000, five years before it opened, and course histories credit his long-time associate Roger Rulewich, working with Bobby Vaughan of SunBelt Golf, the company that built and runs the Trail. It carries the Robert Trent Jones name like every other Trail site.
Can I book Ross Bridge more than a week ahead?
Only as a package. Online public booking opens seven days out; for earlier dates, email ReservationsRequest@RTJGolf.com or call 1-800-949-4444 (option 2). Packages need a US$100 deposit per golfer and cannot be combined with Trail Card or membership rates.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
