The Shoals golf facility is one of the Robert Trent Jones Trail facilities. The Shoals has 2 18-hole golf courses, Fighting Joe and The Schoolmaster. The courses are located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
The Fighting Joe course was named after General Wheeler who held Flag Rank in both the Confederate Army and later in the U.S. Army.
Fighting Joe was the first Trail course over 8,000 yards, measuring in at 8,092 yards from the Black tees. This is a links style course. There is a debate over whether the 17th hole or the 18th hole is the signature hole on the course. Most claim it to be the 17th, but the 18th green overlooking Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River is both beautiful and treacherous. You be the judge.
The Schoolmaster (named for President Woodrow Wilson who was responsible for getting Wilson Dam built on the Tennessee River and who was known as "The Schoolmaster of Politics"), may be more difficult than Fighting Joe. This tree lined course is traditional golf with every hole keeping with the natural topography along the Tennessee River. It's wooded, rolling, and spectacular.
Like Fighting Joe, The Schoolmaster is a long course if you desire. From the black tees, it plays to 7,971 yards. Both courses are par-72. Both courses have 5 sets of tee boxes to accommodate players of all skill levels. The forward tees on Fighting Joe play to 4,978 yards, and on The Schoolmaster, the forward tees are set at 5,249 yards.
$61 (cart included), played on Thursday, March 2012 at noon
Overall nice course. Wasn't at the same level as Ross Bridge which I played the day before. Unfair to compare the two.
$51 (cart included), played on Saturday, June 2011 at 2pm
Beautiful layout and plenty of tee boxes to challenge all skill levels.
$41 (cart included), played on Thursday, April 2011 at 8am
All I can say is I love this place.. could spend a month just playing here.
$76 (cart included), played on Friday, April 2010 at 10am
Fair but challenging layout. It was holiday weekend and pace of play was very slow.
Latest Golf Course Reviews
$51 (cart included), played on Wednesday, May 2019 at 11:00 PM
Played the SchoolMaster as our second round of the day after playing Fighting Joe in the early morning. This course is just as good as Fighting Joe and may be preferred over Fighting Joe by some as it has less water and less intimidating tee shots. However the quality of the holes are still outstanding. A bit more trees and a bit more elevation changes. Still every hole is different and with the proper tee box choices the course is very fair. Love the signature hole #14 with an elevated tee and a lake on the right of the fairway and short of the green. Try to play both courses on your visit.