Atlanta Country Club-Atlanta, GA
Rankings as of the last time I played it...November 7, 2009
-5th best course in Georgia (Golf Digest)
The Atlanta Country Club has a storied and well respected history. It was designed by Willard Byrd in 1964 and its
green complexes were redesigned by Mike Riley in 2001. The club has been the host of many PGA Tour events.
From 1966-1996 it hosted the Atlanta Golf Classic and it hosted the inaugural Tour Championship. Furthermore,
it hosted the 14th Senior Amateur Championship and the 71st Women's Amateur Championship. With a resume
like that, you would expect the course the be challenging. And if you played it for the first time with those
expectations, you would not be disappointed.
However, saying the course is simply challenging sells it extremely short. It is beautiful, well designed, and a test of
ball striking and putting. I whole heartedly claim that the course is a complete test of ones golfing ability and an
extraordinary treat to play. One of the members I played with stated that it was an excellent course for amateur
golfers. He said this with the understanding that it plays "only" 6,981 yards and that this might preclude more
professional men's tournaments from being held there. Perhaps this is true, but that doesn't downgrade the
golfing experience for the non-PGA golfer.
Regarding the course, a number of things jumped out at me. For starters, the greens were some of the most
enjoyable greens I have ever putted on. They were fast, rolled true, and had some interesting and challenging
contours to deal with. Furthermore, they were soft enough to hold well struck approach shots.
In addition to the greens the par 3's were very memorable. The yardage on these holes varied form 143 to 184
yards from the blue tees (as an FYI, the blue tees measure 6,521 yards and are rated 72.9/139). But more
memorable than the yardage was the beauty that was inherent in these holes. Many of them required a few
moments to simply stare at the green and take it all in.
Also, the holes throughout the course tested every shot in your bag. The doglegged holes tested your ability to
work both fades and draws. There were holes that challenged your ability to attack uphill greens and downhill
greens. The course had long and short par 4's, with the shortest being 325 and the longest being 424 (once
again from the blue tees).
All in all, I guarantee that any golfer that is looking to challenge his game will enjoy playing the Atlanta Country
Club.
Rankings as of the last time I played it...November 7, 2009
-5th best course in Georgia (Golf Digest)
The Atlanta Country Club has a storied and well respected history. It was designed by Willard Byrd in 1964 and its
green complexes were redesigned by Mike Riley in 2001. The club has been the host of many PGA Tour events.
From 1966-1996 it hosted the Atlanta Golf Classic and it hosted the inaugural Tour Championship. Furthermore,
it hosted the 14th Senior Amateur Championship and the 71st Women's Amateur Championship. With a resume
like that, you would expect the course the be challenging. And if you played it for the first time with those
expectations, you would not be disappointed.
However, saying the course is simply challenging sells it extremely short. It is beautiful, well designed, and a test of
ball striking and putting. I whole heartedly claim that the course is a complete test of ones golfing ability and an
extraordinary treat to play. One of the members I played with stated that it was an excellent course for amateur
golfers. He said this with the understanding that it plays "only" 6,981 yards and that this might preclude more
professional men's tournaments from being held there. Perhaps this is true, but that doesn't downgrade the
golfing experience for the non-PGA golfer.
Regarding the course, a number of things jumped out at me. For starters, the greens were some of the most
enjoyable greens I have ever putted on. They were fast, rolled true, and had some interesting and challenging
contours to deal with. Furthermore, they were soft enough to hold well struck approach shots.
In addition to the greens the par 3's were very memorable. The yardage on these holes varied form 143 to 184
yards from the blue tees (as an FYI, the blue tees measure 6,521 yards and are rated 72.9/139). But more
memorable than the yardage was the beauty that was inherent in these holes. Many of them required a few
moments to simply stare at the green and take it all in.
Also, the holes throughout the course tested every shot in your bag. The doglegged holes tested your ability to
work both fades and draws. There were holes that challenged your ability to attack uphill greens and downhill
greens. The course had long and short par 4's, with the shortest being 325 and the longest being 424 (once
again from the blue tees).
All in all, I guarantee that any golfer that is looking to challenge his game will enjoy playing the Atlanta Country
Club.
