River at Hampton Cove Golf Course

Day 2 at RTJ Hampton Cove was spent on the River course. It is said that this is the only course designed by RTJ without a single bunker. Who needs bunkers when you have water on 12-13 holes?

The layout is quite nice and the conditions were so much better than at the Highlands course. Greens were much more pleasant to put as there were many level putting sites.

However, every green is elevated. I guess that is to help keep the greens from flooding when the rains hit. As such, miss the green and expect to have an uphill chip or pitch to the green. Short game is a priority here.

The Highlands course was a disappointment. The course conditions were quite poor. Tees and fairways with a mixture of grasses, greens bordered by clumps of grass, fairways with dead pan lies. Often I was hoping to get in the first cut (you can't call it rough since it was cut so short) since the lie had more grass under the ball.

The layout was pleasant. Expect a few 3-putts as there are not greens anywhere on the course without some type of slope -- no flat putts anywhere.

Throw in a 4.5 hour round with waits on almost every shot and this turned out to be more than just a glorified muni course, at $95 a round. My experience on the River course was better but overall I was disappointed.

Played twice in mid-April after a week of rain. Layout was nice and the greens were in good condition for the time of year. Plenty of soft sand in the bunkers that guard the elevated greens. High shots short of the green result in semi-buried lies in the bunkers which can be big trouble for mid to high handicappers. Tee boxes and fairways need some help. Maybe it’s better later in the year but the turf in the fairways and tee boxes was not what I would expected after looking at the beautiful pictures in the brochures. This was really the case around the greens, hard to chip off extremely thin turf/dirt. Probably better later in the year but course maintenance could use some improvement.

Played in mid-April after a week of rain so I’m guessing that impacted the conditions which were average and could use some improvement. Great layout, peaceful track with no houses. Elevated greens require accurate approach shots. This was especially true when we played as the grass around the greens was very thin. Greens were in very good condition and rolled nicely. Fairways were in decent shape but recent flooding of the river had left some areas very soft and grass was thin. No bunkers on this course which was a relief after being punished by the Highlands bunkers in a morning round.

Played the River Course today. I have played the River several times and each time a leave the course I always say to myself, that was a lot of fun. I should come here and play more often. The course is in great condition. The rough was very manageable. The prior times I have played, the rough seemed to be a lot more penal, thick and much longer. The fairways are always wide and inviting. The greens are very large and just because you are on the green in regulation, does not guarantee a two putt and a par. The Greens are very large with lots of hills, and undulations which adds to the fun as well as the challenge. ALL the greens are raised so make sure to take one extra club on all your approach shots. The service, as always, was very good at the pro shop and all over the course. The practice facilities are top notch with everything you need to hone and sharpen your game.

There's no stop for a drink at the turn, and just a few water coolers on the course. Two of the coolers were out of water, so I was ready for a drink. It is best and advisable to bring your own Gatorade or water just to make sure you keep hydrated on the hot, humid summer days in Alabama.

This was my first time playing the Highlands course at Hampton Cove. A few of the fairways were a little thin in areas but very playable. Lots of unfilled divots in the fairways. The course is overall, in great condition, and I had a great time. The course has tons of bunkers. The sand in the bunkers is a soft, powdery sand. The bunkers are a true “penalty” if you get in them. The greens were nice (smooth and quick) with lots of humps and bumps and undulations. The course plays long as all the greens are elevated (as are most Robert Trent Jones courses). Tip - play an extra club into each hole that looks flat, play two extra for anything that looks uphill. There are several holes which you really need to pay attention to you tee shot (or you will be in a hazard (water, bunker, etc.)). As do most Robert Trent Jones courses, the fairways all slope towards to the water, if there is water on the hole.
The fairways are generous and wide. The rough is fair and allows you to hit out and have a fair shot at reaching the green. This is a very fun and fair course to play. I would definitely play this course again. I defiantly recommend the Highlands course and if I am in the area again, I will definitely plan to play again.

The views on the course are very welcoming. A course that you are excited when you are standing on the tees.

Fairways were a little thin in areas but very playable. Lots of unfilled divots. We emptied our sand buckets on the front nine.

The sand in the bunkers was powder and there was a lot of them. You couldn't get that "thump" sound that you want when you hit a bunker shot.

The greens were nice but riddled with unfixed ball marks. On average my foursome fixed 8 to 10 ball marks per hole, just to get a smooth line for our putts.

Tip - play an extra club into each hole that looks flat, play two extra for anything that looks uphill.

Rangers should pass out free drink tickets to one person every hour that they spot fixing more than one ball mark or filling divots in the fairways!

I played the Highlands Course at Hampton Cove with a friend on 11/05/20. This course has a lot of dogleg holes and is fairly flat except for hole #9 which is extremely up hill after your tee shot. The fairways are generous in width, but still require an accurate shot on some holes. On some holes big hitters will need to play for position, rather than “going for it”. There is some water in play on approximately 6 holes. The course offers 5 sets of tees and plays long. You should take one more club than you normally would hit. The greens were firm and fast. This is a very fair course to play. There is a nice restaurant / bar area and they do serve breakfast. The entire staff was very friendly and helpful. I purchased a yardage book, which was helpful, since this was our first time playing the course. I would definitely play this course again.

After playing the Highlands Course, we played the 18 Hole Short Course (Par 3’s). This is not your run of the mill par 3 course. This course offers 4 sets of tees with elevation changes. Any one of these holes could be used on the Highlands Course. The greens were firm and fast. The course also has sand traps and water that come into play on some holes. This course is no pushover and was a blast to play.

Played the River Course on Sept 14th. Fairways were in so-so shape (bare spots), rough was very thick with no first cut next to the fairways. Greens were in mediocre shape as they had some bare spots and did not have consistent roll from green to green. Also the edges of the greens had a great deal of grass growing out into the greens proper. Fringe was cut correctly, which was nice. Service was very good at the pro shop. I will go to other RTJ courses in the future. Silver Lakes (RTJ)is MUCH better and the course is in excellent condition.

This RTJ course is very nice, but doesn't jump out at you as memorable. The course has no bunkers and lots of water. All (or virtually all) of the greens are elevated. This makes every approach shot that misses the green take an unfortunate bounce away from the hole/green. That got tiresome. If you're hitting greens, terrific. If you're just missing, you feel punished. The fairways similarly punish moderately offline shots with caroms into the water. This might be fine if you're good, but if you're mediocre, it can be frustrating.

Service was friendly. They could do better with drink service. There's no stop for a drink at the turn, no water on the course (COVID), and the drink cart was infrequent (2nd hole, 16th hole). Bring your own Gatorade!

We had a very pleasant day playing the Hoghlands course. Greens are fast. Fairways nice and wide. Great layout and a challenging track.

The Highlands is great with bent grass greens and is a fair test. And I give it 5 stars. Even though the River has no sand, the Bermuda greens are severely elevated due to the course being flooded every time it rains. They also have severe undulations and there are many blind pin placements. The greens are sanded weekly on Tuesdays so avoid that day. Also, don’t play River for 2-3 days after a rain as the track will be soppy. I give it 3 stars so my overall rating is a 4 for the complex.

great courses..chips need to drop and stop on most greens for a smooth put, wide open fairways and always a great pace!

This was my first time playing The Short Course at Hampton Cove. I had a great time and the course was lots of fun.
The short course is a par 60 with all par 3 holes. The greens were awesome and rolled true!! Just like all RTJ courses, the greens are quite big and it is easy to three putt if you are not in the correct portion of the green where the flag is.
The holes are all short but still fun and challenging. All the greens are elevated as are all RTJ courses.
Tee boxes, fairways, and bunkers were in awesome condition. Loved the layout and had tons of fun.

The shirt course played very well. The greens were awesome and rolled true!! The holes are challenging and played true to form for RTJ layout!

An unplanned round while on vacation. Plenty of water to contend with. Greens consistent and little fast. Plenty of challenges, be it from the tips or forward tees. Loved it!

This was our first time and course on the RTJTR. We came up from south Florida. This time of year we usually get to play the very plush private course of south Florida for about $40. This was a nice change for the different types of grass. . We enjoyed playing Hampton Cove.

Above level of the amateurs, especially with the traps & water hazards..