Intown  Atlanta

Accommodations:

Embassy Suites Hotel

Location:

The Heritage Golf Club
This rolling course has elevated, multi-tiered greens on each hole, ninety-six sand bunkers and tree-lined fairways with generous landing areas. The well-protected greens are fast. One of the tougher holes is #5, a 253-yard, par 3, requiring a tee shot over natural wetlands and onto a green 100 feet below. The green on this hole is 11,800 square feet. This course had the highest slope rating in the state. From the back tees, it have been sloped at 145 and from the blues, it is sloped higher than the back tees at the Atlanta Athletic Club, which will host the 2001 PGA Championship. The reason for the high slope is primarily the number of forced caries off the tee. Golf Digest nominated this Mike Young design as “the Best New Course in 1995 and is rated the 20th Best Course in the State. Another nine holes were added to add to the challenge.

The Frog Course at The Georgian
This Tom Fazio design opened in 1997 and has become a favorite in Atlanta’s stable of outstanding golf courses. Could any name do this incredible course justice? What to call it? Then, developers saw something emerging from the shapes in the original master plan: It was a frog. Strange name, but a terrific course! There is no housing development around the course ... just you, your golfing buddies, trees, lakes, streams and a lot of wildlife. There is no signature hole on this course. I can tell you a description of every hole and each one has its own identity, but blends together for a perfect fit. The 582-yard 13th can rip you, though. Gamble with a drive over the two right-side fairway bunkers and avoid the small lake and you can cut some distance, but it is a gamble. The approach is to a large green that slopes towards the water. And 18 is one of the best finishing holes in the state. The service is impeccable, the practice range is outstanding and the food is wonderful. All the elements for a perfect day!

Cherokee Run Golf Club
Arnold Palmer's best local masterpiece is located in the heart of the site for the Olympic equestrian competition, but no horses are allowed on the course. You'll only find rolling hills, flowing creeks, lakes and breathtaking rock formations that provide beautiful scenery and challenging golf. Rated by GOLF & TRAVEL in the fall issue 1999 as one of Arnie’s Best 10 Courses. There are no houses on the course and Palmer uses the dogwoods blooming to compare it to Augusta National when he says, “That’s the impression I used to get walking the course … and it’s something people often say who have been there.” The fairways are well-maintained zoysia fairways and the all-bent greens give you the feel of East Lake, only tougher. When you stand on the tee boxes, there are fairways that look really narrow. Plan on a test of shot making and proper club selection for your approaches. Cherokee Run is “golf at its purest, surrounded by nature at its finest.”

Cobblestone Golf Club
Rated 15th Best Course in the State by Golf Digest, this Ken Dye designed course is an enjoyable track for the high handicapper, but truly is a challenge for the scratch golfer. This premier course has nine of the 18 holes playing along beautiful Lake Acworth. This has it all; rolling terrain, tree-lined, narrow fairways and fast, well-bunkered greens. Number 4 is a very short par 4 that can get you into trouble. Tee off over water and carry as much as you like and make certain you hit an accurate approach to a green with water on the right and it’s an easy hole. The conditions are outstanding and the service is bar none.

The Georgia Club
One of the recent additions within the last few years to the area’s top golf courses and it is very worth the drive. It is a privately owned golf and real estate community within 12 miles of the charm of downtown Athens and the University of Georgia, and a short 32-mile drive from a multitude of offerings in northeast Atlanta. The cornerstone of activity at The Georgia Club is the Denis Griffiths-designed The Chancellors Course that provides a fun, fair and challenging round of golf. The Director of Golf Mike Bishop told me the first time I visited, “You will find no unpleasant surprises.” He was correct. The course is beautifully laid out in front of you. It is actually difficult to believe this course opened in 2002. This spring they added another 500 azaleas, 90 dogwood trees and over 100 transplanted trees to the property. The fairways are outstanding and the greens are quick and smooth. There are generous landing areas and big receptive greens. The course starts you off easily with a dogleg right par 5 that can be reached in 2 and if you stay in play a birdie is very possible. Number 2 features one of Griffith’s specialties, a subtle short par 4 and follows it with a par 3 that gets you juices flowing at 249 yards from the tips. Speaking of the par 3’s, there is five of them to make this track par 71. The back nine gets you started with a lengthy par 5, but is downhill. The tricky part is the sharp left-hand turn at the 150-yard marker. Water does appear on this track at number 11 and 18, couple of four 4’s that can test you. By the time you finish, you will be thoroughly treated to a fun day.  They recently added another nine holes ... can't wait to try them out.

Wolf Creek                                                                                                                            Here's another recent addition to golf scene in Atlanta.  This course has become one of my favorites and can boast of a 7028-yard par 72 championship layout with bent grass greens. It has four sets of tees to accommodate players of all skill levels.  It’s located 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta and less than 10 minutes from the airport.  This Mike Young design incorporates both low flatlands holes, bordering many wetland areas, and holes with more dramatic elevation changes. Two virtual island green par 3's require precise tee shots to avoid the hazards. Wetlands come into play on five holes, and water is in play on an additional six holes. Several long forced carries from both the tee and fairway continue the challenge. The greens utilize a fast new variety of bent grass that requires a delicate putting stroke. Overall, this is a very challenging track!  After opening in the fall of 2002, this course is the latest in the long line of outstanding Atlanta layouts.  The clubhouse is still a double wide, but don’t worry they continue to sink a ton of money into the golf course.  If you want to use a Segway Personal Golf Cart, check it out here.