RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National - Lake Course Putting Guide
How to prepare your putting for RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National - Lake Course in Opelika, Alabama.
RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National - Lake Course. Greens are bermuda. Practice green available. For most players prepping here, lag putting and 4–6 foot pressure putts are the highest-leverage focus.
3/5
Standard — build a steady putting routine
<cite index="4-1">The 7,149-yard Lake course on the RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National features a dozen holes that skirt the banks of Lake Saugahatchee.</cite> <cite index="19-3">The PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship was played on Grand National's Lake course from 2015 through '17.</cite> <cite index="10-6">The Lake course boasts a memorable quartet of par threes, widely regarded as some of the finest in the nation.</cite>
Why putting prep matters at RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National - Lake Course
RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National - Lake Course plays as a 18-hole course.
Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s design philosophy shapes the green complexes here. Strategic design rewards thinking about position before speed.
RECOMMENDED ROUTINE
20-minute pre-round putting routine
Adapt timing to your practice green availability and arrival window.
1
3–6 foot start-line check
Hit 10 putts from short range and watch your face control. Pick one ball mark or grass blade as a target — this is your line accuracy check before everything else. On bermuda, grain affects even short putts — pay attention to which direction the grass is leaning around the cup.
5 min
2
15 / 25 / 35 foot distance ladder
Build your stroke-length feel for the most common lag putt distances. Three putts at each distance. The goal is getting the second putt inside the leather, not making the first.
8 min
3
Uphill / downhill speed calibration
If the practice green has slope: hit 5 uphill and 5 downhill putts from the same distance. Hit at least 5 putts each direction. This is where the practice green tells you what the course will play like today.
5 min
4
Pressure finish
Make 8 out of 10 from 4–6 feet before leaving. If you miss two in a row, reset the count. The goal is leaving the green with confidence, not a number.
2 min
What to track with TrueRoll
Four metrics worth watching during your prep sessions at home or on the road before playing RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National - Lake Course.