Valley at RTJ Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley

Oxmoor Valley's Valley Course, carved from the dramatic Appalachian foothills near Birmingham, Alabama, immediately tests mettle with its elevation changes and demanding layout.

Designed by Roger Rulewich, who worked closely with Robert Trent Jones Sr., the Valley Course eschews the typical RTJ blueprint for something more rugged. Expect a course that favors shot-makers with a high ball flight, able to negotiate the forced carries and perched greens. While it might not be in any Top 100 in the world lists, it provides a stern test and memorable round that are appreciated by Birmingham's golfing community, and those from further abroad.

Oxmoor Valley is known for its Southern hospitality, which extends to the post-round clubhouse experience. If you're lucky, you might overhear a local recounting the time he nearly aced the par-3 11th – a story likely embellished with each telling, a tradition as firmly rooted as the oaks lining the fairways.