Atlanta Golf! Must play golf courses

[darkcm21]

I'm moving to Atlanta next week! I have lived in the Chicagoland area all my life so I'm looking forward to some southern golf in the Atlanta area. Any recommendations for must plays or great value courses? I'm very excited to play golf that is more reasonably priced than Chicago.

[PostandGhost]

The closest public course near Atlanta worth playing is Sweetens Cove in South Pittsburg.

[darkcm21]

It doesn’t have to be city limits. Within an hour of the city would be great!

[jpthreesticks]

First off, welcome. There's plenty of Atlanta area golfers here that will give you the rundown on all our golf offerings. What area of town are you moving to? And are you looking at public or private golf? The public golf leaves a bit to be desired, although there are some decent courses that you can access. Again, knowing where you are living will help pinpoint some of the options. While public golf might be more affordable, you will most likely be traveling to find quality.

[jpthreesticks]

It doesn't have to be city limits. Within an hour of the city would be great!

 

Depending on the day and the time, that might not get you very far at all! Although traffic tends to be better when school is out.

[darkcm21]

It doesn't have to be city limits. Within an hour of the city would be great!

 

Depending on the day and the time, that might not get you very far at all! Although traffic tends to be better when school is out.

 

I’ll be living in Dunwoody and I’ve heard traffic is bad in Atlanta but I have a hard time believing it’s worse than Chicago. I have to drive an hour from the lake to play anywhere decent. Public courses please. Some courses I’ve heard about are Cherokee run, bear’s best, the frog, and Cobblestone but that’s pretty much it. Not sure how the golf quality compares to Chicago either.

[Spicoli]

Private golf is King in Atlanta. Public golf leaves a lot to be desired.

 

Traffic is also King. One hour could be 15 miles or less...

 

I'm Club Corp, so while it lacks what people think is an "experience" it does allow variety. On the Northside, you need to pay the premium for a better home club to avoid 5hr weekend rounds.

 

Check out the southeast section. There is tons of discussion on this topic.

 

[jpthreesticks]

It doesn't have to be city limits. Within an hour of the city would be great!

 

Depending on the day and the time, that might not get you very far at all! Although traffic tends to be better when school is out.

 

I’ll be living in Dunwoody and I’ve heard traffic is bad in Atlanta but I have a hard time believing it’s worse than Chicago. I have to drive an hour from the lake to play anywhere decent. Public courses please. Some courses I’ve heard about are Cherokee run, bear’s best, the frog, and Cobblestone but that’s pretty much it. Not sure how the golf quality compares to Chicago either.

 

Atlanta public courses are not up to quality that you can find in most big cities. Private clubs are where you can find the best golf. Especially if you find one in your price point that is near where you work or live.

 

Of those you mention, you would have a hard time to get to those in an hour during the week. Cobblestone or Bears Best on a weekend might be doable or even a little less.

 

Depending on your age, you could probably reach out to Rivermont as it’s about 15-20 min from Dunwoody. RiverPines is a close public option as well.

 

To be honest, you should research some private clubs on here. They range across the board on cost and you could find some good options that would prevent you from driving all over the city to play lesser quality courses.

[GTgolf]

In no order.. all within an hour of dunwoody.

 

Echelon

Achasta

Bridgemill

Bradshaw

Cobblestone

Frog

River pines

Bears best

Heritage

Hampton

Chestatee

Chicopee woods

 

All are solid public courses with good conditions.

[Llortamaisey]

There are no “must play” public courses in Atlanta but there are some “great value” courses. Closest one to Dunwoody is Chastain. $13 with a Fore Pass, plus the best scenery walking around Atlanta.

[jpthreesticks]

In no order.. all within an hour of dunwoody.

 

Echelon

Achasta

Bridgemill

Bradshaw

Cobblestone

Frog

River pines

Bears best

Heritage

Hampton

Chestatee

Chicopee woods

 

All are solid public courses with good conditions.

 

That's a pretty comprehensive list of courses that are in the hour-ish range. One thing you will find is that for the most part tee to green, the conditions are about the same. However between bent and bermuda greens, they will be somewhat different in quality at different times of year. The bermuda in the summer and bent in the early-to-mid spring and then mid-to-late fall are what you will want to play. Those courses above have a good mix of the two types. Good luck with the move!

[darkcm21]

Thank you for the recommendations. Private clubs just aren’t in the budget and I only play once a week, so it’s not worth it for me. I’ll be sure to check these suggestions out.

[jpt1101]

What would be the top 3-5 private courses to play within an hour’s drive of Atlanta?

[Luke.Sutton]

First 3 are easy...

 

1. Peachtree

2. East Lake

3. Atlanta Athletic

 

“To play” is the tough part

 

[GTgolf]

First 3 are easy...

 

1. Peachtree

2. East Lake

3. Atlanta Athletic

 

“To play” is the tough part

 

East lake might not even be top 5, and it's not that hard to get out there.

 

1. Peachtree

2. Atlanta CC

3. Capital city

4. AAC

5. Cherokee

6. East lake

7. 5-10 others from there

[AUTIGER07]

It doesn't have to be city limits. Within an hour of the city would be great!

 

Depending on the day and the time, that might not get you very far at all! Although traffic tends to be better when school is out.

dump

I’ll be living in Dunwoody and I’ve heard traffic is bad in Atlanta but I have a hard time believing it’s worse than Chicago. I have to drive an hour from the lake to play anywhere decent. Public courses please. Some courses I’ve heard about are Cherokee run, bear’s best, the frog, and Cobblestone but that’s pretty much it. Not sure how the golf quality compares to Chicago either.

 

I've lived in Chicago now for 7 years but prior to that I had lived in and around the Atlanta area for close to 10. Atlanta traffic is far worse than Chicago...really not even comparable. If you live and work in Dunwoody it won't be too bad though. If you're downtown that will definitely be worse off.

 

 

In no order.. all within an hour of dunwoody.

 

Echelon

Achasta

Bridgemill

Bradshaw

Cobblestone

Frog

River pines

Bears best

Heritage

Hampton

Chestatee

Chicopee woods

 

All are solid public courses with good conditions.

 

This is a solid listing to start with.

[feedtheball]

Because it's topical. Some of it covered here already but a little more depth.

 

http://feedtheball.com/2018/05/22/bringing-the-sticks-golf-in-atlanta/

[jpthreesticks]

Outside of Peachtree in the #1 spot, you can make a case for a number of courses that follow in your order. It all comes down to personal preference.

 

East Lake, Settindown, Athletic Club, Cherokee, Atlanta CC, Capital City, etc., all can have cases made. Also, there are ways to get on all of those courses. However, if you get the invitation to play Peachtree, that's the one that is a must play.

[Mdmspop]

I would add Legacy on Lanier, Reunion and St. Marlo to the public-access list.

[p3ga]

HolyMoses might be able to provide some input as you guys play about the same speed & he recently moved to Chicago from Atlanta. And he's a good man, had the opportunity to play with him a few times at Crystal Falls.

[darkcm21]

I can’t believe Atlanta golf is that bad. It’s very disappointing. Chicago golf in my opinion is nice but it’s so expensive for a decent club and the rounds can be very long as well.

[jpthreesticks]

Atlanta, like a number of Southern cities, got a late start on golf relative to the Northeast/West Coast/Midwest. Historically speaking, Golf courses were slower to be built. A few courses were built around the turn of the 20th century, with a few more built in the 1920s. Then you had the recession and most courses were starting to be built in the “dark ages” of golf architecture.

 

Couple that with the amount of sprawl here and it’s not surprIsing that the golf is not up to the quality you find in other parts of the country. Lots of golf here was built with housing in mind, and even some of the better courses are built with housing development in mind.

 

There are really good courses here, but the potential that the city had with the amount of topography could have led to some great layouts if you could start it all over.

 

Probably more than what you wanted to hear, but just some background on golf in the area.

[crazy8golfer]

I can't believe Atlanta golf is that bad. It's very disappointing. Chicago golf in my opinion is nice but it's so expensive for a decent club and the rounds can be very long as well.

I don't want to disappoint you, but you will find a lot of 5 + hour rounds around Atlanta. The drive will become old and tiring, the conditions are hit and miss too.Hope you find the quality golf you are looking for.

[OutBackHack]

First 3 are easy...

 

1. Peachtree

2. East Lake

3. Atlanta Athletic

 

“To play” is the tough part

 

Oh no.. Here we go...

[darkcm21]

Atlanta, like a number of Southern cities, got a late start on golf relative to the Northeast/West Coast/Midwest. Historically speaking, Golf courses were slower to be built. A few courses were built around the turn of the 20th century, with a few more built in the 1920s. Then you had the recession and most courses were starting to be built in the “dark ages” of golf architecture.

 

Couple that with the amount of sprawl here and it’s not surprIsing that the golf is not up to the quality you find in other parts of the country. Lots of golf here was built with housing in mind, and even some of the better courses are built with housing development in mind.

 

There are really good courses here, but the potential that the city had with the amount of topography could have led to some great layouts if you could start it all over.

 

 

 

Probably more than what you wanted to hear, but just some background on golf in the area.

 

No, I very much appreciate the history. Good information to know. Lucky for me I have a very flexible job that allows me play weekdays as well. So hopefully it’s not packed those days too. When is golf season in GA? I heard the courses get burnt out in the summer. I plan on using the practice facility at legacy golf links in Smyrna. Any thoughts on that?

[darkcm21]

Also, how are the Robert Trent Jones golf trails in bama? Would like to do a road trip there some day.

[DivinDave]

The RTJ is great. Everyone should have it on the bucket list.

 

Also, how are the Robert Trent Jones golf trails in bama? Would like to do a road trip there some day.

[GTgolf]

Atlanta, like a number of Southern cities, got a late start on golf relative to the Northeast/West Coast/Midwest. Historically speaking, Golf courses were slower to be built. A few courses were built around the turn of the 20th century, with a few more built in the 1920s. Then you had the recession and most courses were starting to be built in the “dark ages” of golf architecture.

 

Couple that with the amount of sprawl here and it’s not surprIsing that the golf is not up to the quality you find in other parts of the country. Lots of golf here was built with housing in mind, and even some of the better courses are built with housing development in mind.

 

There are really good courses here, but the potential that the city had with the amount of topography could have led to some great layouts if you could start it all over.

 

 

 

Probably more than what you wanted to hear, but just some background on golf in the area.

 

No, I very much appreciate the history. Good information to know. Lucky for me I have a very flexible job that allows me play weekdays as well. So hopefully it’s not packed those days too. When is golf season in GA? I heard the courses get burnt out in the summer. I plan on using the practice facility at legacy golf links in Smyrna. Any thoughts on that?

 

Golf is golf. Legacy links is ok at best. Good enough to hit balls.

 

I wouldn’t say they get burnt out in the summer.

 

Golf season is 9/10 months. Jan/feb can be miserable. Wet and cold. But if you’re a nut like me, you play all year. Highs in the low 40’s and windy. Good enough for me.

[lincolnduff]

I wrote this up a year or so ago when I was living down there but most of it should still be accurate.... http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1340708-atlanta-course-reviews-and-conditions/page__hl__%20course%20%20conditions

[DoubleorQuits]

The closest public course near Atlanta worth playing is Sweetens Cove in South Pittsburg.

 

 

It's only 2.5 hours from Atlanta!