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Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Capitol Hill - Senator- RTJ Trail (Prattville, AL)

Located fourteen miles north of Montgomery, Capitol Hill is a mega golf complex sporting 54 holes. One central clubhouse serves all three courses and with all the days participants gathering in one spot, the interaction of groups and individuals gives it a high energy vibe. 



The Senator stands out among the trail courses as a modern day faux links.  It has huge containment mounds draped in high grass and 160 pot bunkers. The greens are sloped or tilted as opposed to being a series of bowls and plateaus. This makes it more strategic since you can bailout or cheat to a side and have a reasonable opportunity to secure par. The pot bunkers are well placed and there’s plenty of interesting pin positions to challenge the better player.


(The par four third has a gorgeous green guarded by two pot bunkers. The back to front slope should give you confidence to fire at the flag.) 

The LPGA called the Senator home for six years hosting the Navistar Classic from 2007-2012. Maria Hjorth from Sweden won the first edition (-14) before Lorena Ochoa went back to back in 2008-2009 (-15)(-18). Catherine Hull went deep in 2010 (-19) followed by Lexi Thompson’s age shattering win (-17) when she was only 16 years old! Stacey Lewis was the final winner in 2012 (-18). The course is susceptible to good scores if one is playing well. Much of that is tributed to the greens. The putting surfaces are beautiful and there’s an opportunity to make putts here. 


(Look how low key the green is. Only a ridge in the middle defends this pin position.) 


(This is another green that shows the lack of internal contouring. If one can hit it within fifteen feet, then the reward is a makeable putt.) 

The Senator is very different than what is usually found in Alabama and is one reason why it is so popular in Montgomery. Up here in the Midwest, especially over in the Indianapolis area, this style is more prevalent. I feel like I’ve seen many courses like this the past few years. Purgatory is the first one that comes to mind. When a course is completely manufactured and the architect has ultimate control, I look more critically at the design features. First and foremost, the par threes should be engaging, and secondly, there should be a wide variety of holes. The one shotters at Senator are all very well done. Three of them are placed atop mounds with a pot bunker short. I especially like the twelth where the up tee has a fantastic view while the tips are lower with a blind shot. In terms of variety, Rulewich failed to design a short par four. Most are mid length with a few long ones sprinkled in. The most memorable hole is the par five seventeenth. It’s a dogleg left with a water hazard crossing the tee and meandering across the fairway further down where the golfer must decide to carry it short of the fairway traps or go for the full carry to the green in two. 


(The par three eighth is high in the mounds with a false front. Hit enough club to carry to the green otherwise the ball rolls back the hill.) 


(The par three twelth was one of my favorites. Today’s pin is on the left but imagine how juicy a rear right location is.) 

After playing Ross Bridge and both courses at Grand National, the Senator was a welcome change of pace. In my opinion, that is the biggest thing it has going for it. As much as I try, I cannot remember every hole, and that is a direct result of the lack of variety. Too many holes blend into each other and that is valid criticism. I really enjoyed the course, but because I’ve played this kind of style before, it doesn’t excite me as much as it should. Nonetheless, it’s still deserves some love and will be a fine addition to any package at Capitol Hill. I give a solid 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play).


(The dogleg fifteenth plays uphill to a green well defended by traps.)


(The eighteenth is a simple enough hole. It plays slightly uphill to a wide fairway and green.) 




(Turn this drive over from right to left. If it gets way down just left of the barn, then the green can be reached in two at the par five seventeenth.) 







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