Few activities make for a better group excursion than golf - a buddies trip that can only be improved upon with a destination boasting stellar amenities off the greens. Here are a few of our favorite standout courses within a few hours' drive from the Scenic City.
Ross Bridge course on the Robert Trent Jones Golf TrailRobert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Throughout Alabama
Choose from 26 courses at 11 resorts. Most courses cost around $60 to play, making it the ideal destination for buddies on a budget. For those who want to play 36 holes a day, the trail also offers unlimited golf on any of its courses for $90 a day.
The hour or two between locations is the perfect opportunity for bonding time, but isn't so much time that you'll get sick of one another. Player favorites include Grand National's Lake and Links courses and Ross Bridge.
For the ultimate guy trip, do the trail during football season. The Grand National is located in Opelika near Auburn University, and the Oxmoor Valley and Ross Bridge courses are located in Birmingham, about an hour from the University of Alabama.
Hole 9 of Donald Ross' famous No. 2 course at PinehurstPinehurst Resort
Pinehurst, North Carolina
Known as the "cradle of American golf," Pinehurst has played host to more championships than anywhere else in the U.S. Open since 1895, Pinehurst boasts nine separate courses, including the famous No. 2 designed by Donald Ross. If you plan to play the iconic course, expect to shell out $300-$400.
Courses 4 and 8 are also well-revered.
As America's first golf resort, Pinehurst is steeped in traditions in which you'll want to take part. (Don't forget to chip into the fireplace at Pine Crest Inn, opened in 1913, and get a photo with the iconic Putter Boy statue.) There's also a New England-style village designed in collaboration with Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York City's Central Park, plus a spa and tennis courts to while away the hours not spent on the greens.
The Golf Performance Center at Sea IslandSea Island Resort
Sea Island, Georgia
The Lodge, Sea Island's golf-focused resort, is the perfect buddies trip destination, with its 24-hour butler service and a bar for kicking back. There's also a bagpiper that plays at sunset each day.
The course itself, updated in 1999 by celebrated golf course designer Tom Fazio, is a must-do. If your game needs work, Sea Island's world-class instructors can help you out at the state-of-the-art Golf Performance Center.
While anyone can stay at The Lodge, it tends to attract an older crowd since it requires a shuttle to get to Sea Island's family-friendly amenities such as the pool and beach. But you do have access to those offerings, which also include fishing, hunting and target shooting.
Front entrance of the GreenbrierGreenbrier
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Join the ranks of men who have visited this resort, open since 1778, including 26 American presidents. The only resort that can boast an underground bunker designed to be a shelter for Congress in the event of a nuclear attack (President Dwight Eisenhower had it built in 1958), The Greenbrier is also home to multiple courses and a myriad of other leisurely pursuits, such as falconry.
President Woodrow Wilson was among the first to play the resort's top course, the Old White TPC, in 1914.
Be sure to have a mint julep or two. While the beverage is mainly associated with the Kentucky Derby, it is said to have been invented here.
Eleventh hole at Pete Dye's Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, site of the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2012 PGA ChampionshipKiawah Resort
Kiawah Island, South Carolina
For those looking for a challenge, the Pete Dye Ocean Course is known as one of the hardest in America. Tom Fazio's Osprey Point is another favorite among the five courses at Kiawah, which recently announced it will host the PGA Championship in 2021.
Resort accommodations include rooms at the stellar oceanfront Sanctuary, as well as Kiawah's golf villas. In spring 2019, Kiawah plans to open two-bedroom, two-story Ocean Course Cottages next to the Ocean Course Clubhouse, home to the popular Ryder Cup Bar and Atlantic Room restaurant. If you've got at least 12 in your crew, consider Kiawah's Ryder Cup Package, including three nights' accommodation, three rounds of championship golf, including one round on the Ocean Course; an hour-long opening or closing reception with complimentary beer and wine, and breakfast each morning, all for around $1,000 per person.