Atlanta Golf - Sandy Springs area

[mdgolfer10]

Hey all it's looking like I'll be accepting a new position that will require a move to Atlanta. I'm looking at the Sandy Spring area for the ole homestead. My questions - What are the best courses in that area open to the public? And what are the best driving ranges, grass preferred, close by? I like to live no more than 15 minutes from a solid range that I can go to in the evening, and if said range has a short game area that would be a nice bonus. Any help is greatly appreciated as I've only spent about 8 hours total in Atlanta/Alpharetta.

[whiteout73]

The two best options for public play in that general area, in my opinion, are Echelon Golf Club (Rees Jones design, 7,558yds from the tips, but they never put the tees back there. It's 7100 from the next set of tees), and The Manor (Tom Watson design). Both are in Alpharetta "horse country", probably a good 30 minutes from Sandy Springs. I'm pretty sure most of the good courses in that area (Cherokee CC) are private. Echelon has a nice practice area- grass range, green, bunkers.
Ranges- I live in Cumming, so I'm not terribly familiar with ranges in the Sandy Springs area, but I really don't think there's one in that area, as property values are too high. However, up in Alpharetta/Roswell, there is the Georgia Golf Center, a nice range. They have both grass and mats, and a ton of space. However, quite often they have the grass closed.
Welcome, and if you need a game, shoot me a PM.

[dukeman]

Stone Canyon is considered to be in Sandy Springs, I think. It's a small range with grass on Fri-Sun.

Heritage Golf Links is the best range east of Sandy Springs. 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic. An hour and 15 minutes during rush hours. West of Sandy Springs there are Fox Creek and Legacy. Again, 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic, an hour 15 during rush hour.

[mdgolfer10]

Thanks fellas, much appreciated. I'll be working in the Peachtree Hills part of town, so I'm trying to balance the time spent in traffic between work, golf and other recreation.

[mdgolfer10]

Thanks Whiteout. I'll take you up on that once I get down there towards the end of this month.

[TM_HOYER]

For Sandy Springs, Steel Canyon is really your only option. Everything around that area is private. With traffic the way it is, many times your best and fastest choice for a range will be Fox Creek and Legacy off of Windy Hill. Sometimes the side roads will get you there a lot faster than the interstates. Getting to Georgia Golf Center can be a problem during rush hour times.

[Air Jordan]

I've lived in Sandy Springs for the past few years and I can confirm what everyone here is saying. Your only option in Sandy Springs is Steel Canyon. It's really difficult to get anywhere else after work due to the traffic. Steel Canyon also has an 18 hole executive course, but I don't ever play it. I don't mind hitting off of mats for the most part and they have a very laid back atmosphere. They typically have music playing and the range is open until 9:30 or 10pm most nights in the summer. The owner there is one of the nicest people I have met. There is no bunker and the putting green isn't very good for putting, but it's decent for chipping practice. They also routinely replace the range balls which is a plus.

For public golf in the area, I generally play Riverpines in Johns Creek, Heritage in Tucker, and Hampton Golf Village in Cumming. Riverpines is probably my favorite driving range in that area. I don't think I've ever been there when the grass wasn't open, and the grass is quite nice. They have a large putting green, a separate chipping green, and a separate area to practice bunker shots. The course is a par 70 fun layout and there is a 9 hole par 3 course.

We should get out and play some golf once you get down here!

[Air Jordan]

[quote name='dukeman' timestamp='1407247996' post='9861527']
Stone Canyon is considered to be in Sandy Springs, I think. It's a small range with grass on Fri-Sun.

Heritage Golf Links is the best range east of Sandy Springs. 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic. An hour and 15 minutes during rush hours. West of Sandy Springs there are Fox Creek and Legacy. Again, 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic, an hour 15 during rush hour.
[/quote]

I just canceled my membership to Heritage this month because the range has been in such bad shape lately. I stopped going there a couple of months ago when it was nothing but sand and you couldn't even find a patch of grass to hit from. I still love the course, and it's always in great condition, but I hope they get the driving range back to the way it used to be.

[Mcaesq]

I live in downtown Atlanta, but I go up to Sandy Springs all the time to play courses. My recommendation would be hit up Northcrest driving range (it's at 285 and I-85) for practice. You can buy a month pass there for $100 and the range has lights and stays open until 10. It doesn't have a putting area (or even a real chipping area for that matter), but it's about as good as it gets without going to a course.

As for courses, I'd recommend joining Cannongate or the Commerce Club. Both allow access to semi-private clubs for a fairly nominal cost. There are also a few golf/housing development courses that are still hurting and you can get in on the cheap. Some of em will let you in for $1k initiation and $250/month dues, which is a steal relative to the quality of the course you can get on.

You're living in the right part of town for golf. I'm in DT Atlanta and I have to drive a minimum of 25 miles to get to a decent course. My girlfriend and I are working on joining Piedmont Driving Club, but we're both sticking with the Commerce Club membership until then.

[quote name='Air Jordan' timestamp='1407260746' post='9863231']
[quote name='dukeman' timestamp='1407247996' post='9861527']
Stone Canyon is considered to be in Sandy Springs, I think. It's a small range with grass on Fri-Sun.

Heritage Golf Links is the best range east of Sandy Springs. 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic. An hour and 15 minutes during rush hours. West of Sandy Springs there are Fox Creek and Legacy. Again, 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic, an hour 15 during rush hour.
[/quote]

I just canceled my membership to Heritage this month because the range has been in such bad shape lately. I stopped going there a couple of months ago when it was nothing but sand and you couldn't even find a patch of grass to hit from. I still love the course, and it's always in great condition, but I hope they get the driving range back to the way it used to be.
[/quote]
I haven't been out to heritage this year for that reason. The "range" was a beach. I'm going out to Monte's clinic thing at Heritage this weekend; here's to hoping there's some green that hasn't been hacked out of the ground.

[6thFairway]

Sandy Springs is not the right part of town for golf. There are great golf courses- Dunwoody CC, Rivermont, etc. but they are private. I'll 2nd the earlier recommendation of RiverPines. Good practice area including a short par3 pitch-and-putt course, and a nice public 18 hole par 70 track.

If you drive farther north to Alpharetta then your options start to open up, but the commute for work is bad.

[TM_HOYER]

[quote name='jwrogers' timestamp='1407263197' post='9863553']
Sandy Springs is not the right part of town for golf. There are great golf courses- Dunwoody CC, Rivermont, etc. but they are private. I'll 2nd the earlier recommendation of RiverPines. Good practice area including a short par3 pitch-and-putt course, and a nice public 18 hole par 70 track.

If you drive farther north to Alpharetta then your options start to open up, but the commute for work is bad.
[/quote]

I agree. Sandy Springs and north is primarily private club area. The number of public clubs is limited, but some very nice private courses. The options for public golf are much greater up the northeast and northwest sides of metro Atlanta.

[straightslice]

The worst place for golf may be Smyrna. We have good practice facilities at Fox Creek but the golf is all a nice ride away.

[mshills]

[quote name='jwrogers' timestamp='1407263197' post='9863553']Sandy Springs is not the right part of town for golf. There are great golf courses- Dunwoody CC, Rivermont, etc. but they are private. I'll 2nd the earlier recommendation of RiverPines. Good practice area including a short par3 pitch-and-putt course, and a nice public 18 hole par 70 track.

If you drive farther north to Alpharetta then your options start to open up, but the commute for work is bad.[/quote]

Rivermont is good. Not a good range at all but a really fun golf course. Private, but not expensive. As the crow flies it is not far from Sandy Springs, but during week rush hour, access will be a big problem.

Warning -- if you get interested in joining up there and play with Chris (the owner) do not play him for money! ;-) He is a good stick, and a better guy.

Good luck. Public golf in Atlanta is priced really well with lots of options. Atlanta was home for me for fifteen years and there are certain things I miss very much. Great city.

[thejuice]

Another ATLien chiming in and I would recommend RiverPines by far for your practice facility. It is definitely one of the nicer ranges on the north side of town. I think the course is OK (not one memorable hole but not really any bad holes either). There really isn't another public driving range or course worth mentioning in that general vicinity. Northcrest DR is not that close to Sandy Springs and I'd avoid hitting there at night. My car was broken into (along with four others in that same night) and they have regular break-ins. Again, RiverPines is a much better option. To play an actual round of golf, RiverPines and Heritage take the cake for golf on the northside of town where you aren't driving too far. Honorable mention are Hampton Golf Village, Echelon, The Manor, and Trophy Club of Atlanta (all nice but a good 30 minute drive from Sandy Springs).

[mdgolfer10]

Everyone your input is highly appreciated, thank you all. I will take this into account as I work with my relocation manager. I'm not 100% on Sandy Springs as it just happened to be an area that was described to me as nice with a reasonable commute to the Peachtree Hills area.

[mshills]

Look around Chastain Park, just south of Sandy Springs, and the Brookhaven area around Peachtree GC as well. Good luck!

[mdgolfer10]

Thanks I'll do that. Out of curiosity what do memberships run for in the Atlanta area? We can probably skip Atlanta GC and East Lake, ha.

[G Ham]

[sup][size=6][size=5]If you are living in the north-central suburbs, like Sandy Springs/Dunwoody, etc the 2 best deals are either Berkeley Hills or Rivermont. I'm sure most of the posters on this forum will say the same thing. I'm biased as a member of Berkeley, but I've played lots of events at Rivermont and it is an excellent course as well. If you aren't wanting to pony up $10+ initiation and $500 a month, then those are your options. Greater Atlanta has 20 plus private courses that will knock your socks off, but be prepared to shell out for it. If you are under 39, most clubs have a Junior rate, which I have at Berkeley. I live in Sandy Springs and the public options are far away and not that great, so I happily drive the 20 minutes to my club. I pay about the same as 4 rounds at a public track..can't beat it.[/size][/size][/sup]

[TM_HOYER]

Don't bother with North Fulton at Chastain Park. No range and over played, crowded muni. Also parking is horrible. Prices for private clubs vary. Best thing to do is get settled in and check things out once you know where you are going to live.

[dukeman]

[quote name='Air Jordan' timestamp='1407260746' post='9863231']
[quote name='dukeman' timestamp='1407247996' post='9861527']
Stone Canyon is considered to be in Sandy Springs, I think. It's a small range with grass on Fri-Sun.

Heritage Golf Links is the best range east of Sandy Springs. 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic. An hour and 15 minutes during rush hours. West of Sandy Springs there are Fox Creek and Legacy. Again, 15 minutes around 285 with no traffic, an hour 15 during rush hour.
[/quote]

I just canceled my membership to Heritage this month because the range has been in such bad shape lately. I stopped going there a couple of months ago when it was nothing but sand and you couldn't even find a patch of grass to hit from. I still love the course, and it's always in great condition, but I hope they get the driving range back to the way it used to be.
[/quote]

I'll have to confirm this. I hit some balls out there today for the first time in a while and the range is in really bad condition...the ratio of sand to grass is way too high. When the new owners took over a year or two ago they heavily sanded the range to smooth it out. I thought that would have cleared up by now.

[thejuice]

[quote name='G Ham' timestamp='1407514657' post='9888345']
[sup][size=6][size=5]If you are living in the north-central suburbs, like Sandy Springs/Dunwoody, etc the 2 best deals are either Berkeley Hills or Rivermont. I'm sure most of the posters on this forum will say the same thing. I'm biased as a member of Berkeley, but I've played lots of events at Rivermont and it is an excellent course as well. If you aren't wanting to pony up $10+ initiation and $500 a month, then those are your options. Greater Atlanta has 20 plus private courses that will knock your socks off, but be prepared to shell out for it. If you are under 39, most clubs have a Junior rate, which I have at Berkeley. I live in Sandy Springs and the public options are far away and not that great, so I happily drive the 20 minutes to my club. I pay about the same as 4 rounds at a public track..can't beat it.[/size][/size][/sup]
[/quote]

+100 to this!!!

[Spicoli]

River Pines, great pratice facility and little par 3 course. The big course is okay but has some goofy holes.

Private clubs, look at Rivermont, Horseshoe bend or Dunwoody

Steel canyon/formerly blue heron is a former dump/land fill and kind of a goat trail. Walked it once...in August.. and was wiped out.

Heritage is pretty challenging, solid public course

If you want variety, look at club corp, soon to be club corp/sequoia-canongate in some fashion

[mdgolfer10]

Hey all I've made my way down to the ATL and actually ended up in Smyrna just outside of Vinings about 8 - 10 minutes south of the Legacy executive course and driving range. I'd love to get some rounds in with you all, I pretty much play on Saturdays, but am open to Sundays (just have to make sure I'm not leaving the gal as a complete golf widow on the weekends in a new city).

Best,
Jeff