Read through Essential Golf’s list of the best golf courses in Georgia.
Georgia might not have the sheer numbers of golf courses that other states can boast, but it has the jewel in the crown—as well as some seriously impressive venues for golf breaks and holidays—if you want to tee it up.
Georgia is home to the mecca of golf in the shape of Augusta National, host to The Masters Tournament each year and one of the most renowned golf courses in the world. It might be near impossible to play the course, but it is America’s top golf venue. And it has some state siblings to add to the bucket list.
Apart from this world-famous course, here is a definitive list of the best golf courses in Georgia.
Augusta National
What else is there to say other than Augusta is probably one of the world’s two most famous golf courses along with St Andrews? The beautiful setting is home to The Masters Tournament every April, it has been the major’s host course since 1934, one year after the club was founded. Augusta certainly has some of golf’s most iconic holes.
The Amen Corner stretch of the 11th, 12th and 13th is among the toughest in golf, with Rae’s Creek flowing around all three holes. The par-3 16th, meanwhile, has played host to some of the most famous moments in golf including that Tiger Woods chip in.
With azaleas virtually everywhere, you will struggle to find a more colourful course too. But it’s exclusively exclusive and getting a the opportunity to play it is a struggle. This list of the best golf courses in Georgia woud be seriously incomplete without this historic place.
East Lake
East Lake, located in Atlanta, is a regular on the PGA TOUR schedule as a host to the season-ending TOUR Championship each year. Having also hosted the Ryder Cup in 1963, it is clear that this 1904 creation is one of the best golf courses in Georgia.
The private members club was the home course of Bobby Jones, and his career is at the heart of East Lake’s clubhouse. At its longest, the par-70 measures 7,154 yards.
Peachtree
Another course situated in Atlanta, Peachtree was designed by Bobby Jones and Robert Trent Jones in 1947. The original nine-hole course has since been extended to an 18-hole test that bears a lot of similarities with Augusta. There’s azaleas aplenty, pine trees and undulating fairways and it is those characteristics that make Peachtree a much more affordable option for play in Georgia.
Sea Island
There’s three courses at Sea Island Resort with the Seaside, Plantation and Retreat loops offering golf lovers plenty to play. They’re on St Simons Island, near the shore and a bit of a change from the other golf courses in Georgia ranked above.
Originally dating back to 1920, the Seaside course is the pick of them and is a links-style test that has had several alterations and makeovers to the route. The Plantation course was also crafted from nine older holes and nine newer ones when last renovated in 1960. Retreat is the newest; it was designed by Davis Love III less than two decades ago.
Cuscowilla
A relatively new addition to our list of golf courses in Georgia, Cuscowilla only opened for play in 1996 but has already established something of a reputation for itself.
Set on the shores of Lake Oconee in Eatonton—about an hour’s drive south of Atlanta—there’s a touch of something Scottish in Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore’s design. The pick of the holes is a 623-yard par-5 which has two doglegs to negotiate.
If you have enjoyed reading this article on the best golf courses in Georgia, click to read where golf lovers should head to in Texas, California, Las Vegas, Ohio and Mississippi.