Hawk’s Ridge Golf Club---Ball Ground, GA
Rankings as of 6/2/1010
9th best course in GA (Golf Digest)
Hawk’s Ridge is located in the northern portion of Georgia. The land that the course sits on is very hilly and at
times pretty severe. A few creeks cut through the property and a big lake sits in the middle of the course. Given
the severe land that architect Bob Cupp had to work with, I think he did quite an amazing job with the layout and
design of the course. At times he seems to morph that severe terrain into gently rolling hills and when you add in
the conditioning of the course you get the feeling from time to time that you are coming up the fairway at the
immaculate Augusta National Golf Club. At other times instead of routing the course to make those hills gentle, he
ramps up the difficulty and calls for some extreme golf shots.
Given the periodic call for very difficult golf shots, whether they be big time up/down hill shots or heroic carries over
water, the golf course appears to be designed for the mid to low handicapper. I would say if you are a 15 or higher,
you will not like Hawk’s Ridge as it just might prove to be too difficult. Nevertheless if you are skilled enough and/or
like the challenge, Hawk’s Ridge will be a wonderful test of your golfing game.
The one thing I am truly disappointed in is that I forgot to bring my camera for my round at Hawk’s Ridge. My
written words will undoubtedly fail to capture the stunning beauty and immaculate conditions that pop up from time
to time as you play a round on the course. And also, your approach shot to the sunken 4th green that is flanked
by a pond on the right, bunkers on the left and blocked by a massive tree in front simply needs to be seen to truly
appreciate. And in fact this hole is the perfect example of why a low handicapper will love this course. To succeed
on this hole, you have to be long enough off the tee to be able to loft a ball over the tree or work the fade/draw to
go around the tree and avoid the hazards. Pulling off my drawing 5 iron which started out over the water and bent
back in towards the green was quite a thrill. But you have to see it to fully appreciate it. Next time, I won’t forget my
camera and will snap a few photos.
To further bolster the point about the course being a challenge, here are the yardages and ratings for the course
from the different tee markers:
Black 7,235 yards 76.2/149
Gold 6,781 yards 73.9/144
White 6,601 yards 72.6/141
Bring your “A” game and enjoy yourself, this is a very fun golf course when you are hitting it well.