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A Quick Nine: Georgia's Best Courses

By T.J. Auclair, Interactive Producer
Published on
A Quick Nine: Georgia's Best Courses

In terms of a rich golfing history, you'd be hard-pressed to find a place that tops the Peach State in that department.

Georgia is the home of Bobby Jones, the Masters, East Lake Golf Club, the NCAA national champion Augusta State men's golf team (as well as runner-up Univ. of Georgia), the 2011 PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club -- and, more than anything -- the place where you can find many of the best public courses in the country.

That's where you come into the equation. For this week's, 'A Quick Nine,' feature, we tasked our PGA.com Facebook fans with a difficult question: What is the best places to play in the state of Georgia?

There are so many great tracks to choose from, certainly there's a strong argument that another dozen or so courses belong on this list. Apologies to many courses that didn't make this listing but there are no wrong answers. Here are the courses YOU selected this week:

1. The Frog in Villa Rica, Ga. Doesn't the name alone make you want to check this place out? One of Atlanta's top public courses, The Frog was designed by Tom Fazio, which means you'd better pay attention on those greens.

Facebook fan quote:

"The Frog at the Georgian resort in Villa Rica Georgia. Feels like your putting greens at Augusta!" -- Stephen Conley


2. Arrowhead Pointe at Lake Richard B. Russell in Elberton, Ga. Listed by GolfWeek Magazine as the seventh best municipal course in the nation, Arrowhead Pointe is a Georgia State Park golf course. Here's the description on its website:

"The 6,800-yard course is situated on a peninsula within the state park and the water views are stunning, with 10 of the 18 holes skirting Lake Richard B. Russell. Bob Walker's design has been compared to the more expensive courses at Lake Oconee because of the challenging layout and the scenic vistas. One exception to that comparison is that there are no visible lakefront houses from any vantage point on the course, consistent with the state park golf course theme of "no crowds, no houses, no noise."

Facebook fan quote:

"I live in Georgia, and in my opinion, the best public course is Arrowhead Pointe. Great lake course with excellent scenery." -- Frankie Peeples

3. Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Contrary to popular belief, there isn't just one great course in Augusta, Ga. Forest Hills is the home course of the National Champion Augusta State Jaguars. Winners of past tournaments held at Forest Hills include Bobby Jones, Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III.

Facebook fan quote:

"Forest Hills is a great course in Augusta with a ton of history. It's where Bobby Jones started his historic 1930 season and the home of the back-to-back National Champion Augusta State Jaguars!" -- Jason Newsome

4. Sea Island's Seaside course. Receiving a plethora of votes and accolades, this highly-heralded track has kept elite company in the state (often compared to Augusta National, East Lake and Peachtree Golf Club) in terms of prestige and beauty. It is consistently ranked on many lists as one of the "must plays" in the country.

5. The University of Georgia Golf Course. Easily one of the top collegiate-based golf courses in the country, this great track is now home to the Nationwide Tour's Stadion Classic.

Facebook fan quote: Clark Spratlin UGA and Sea Island Seaside are the best anyone can play!


6. Southern Hills Golf and Country Club in Hawkinsville, Ga. Not to be confused with the Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., in 2002, a Golf Digest panel voted this Southern Hills one of the top five golfing values in the United States and third best for service in the entire country.

Facebook fan quote:

"Southern Hills in Hawkinsville GA. great course and best bargain in Georiga!" -- Kenneth McDonald

7. The Oconee Course at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga. This beautiful course on Lake Oconee hosted the 2007 PGA Cup and the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater. The views are spectacular and if you can't relax and enjoy a round of golf here, we feel bad for you! We'll give a special shout out to all the courses at Reynolds Plantation, as all of them - especially Great Waters - also received plenty of love from our Facebook Fans.

Facebook fan quote:

"The Oconee Course at Reynolds Plantation." -- Marc McGowan


8. Cherokee Run Golf Club in Conyers, Ga. It's an Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1995 and is extremely affordable at just $36 Monday-Thursday with a cart.

Facebook fan quote:

"I have only played Cherokee Run (in Georgia), but it was one of my fav(orite) courses I have ever played." -- Jason Gately

9. The Hampton Club, St. Simons Island, Ga. Take a look at the course description from its website:

"With four signature holes highlighting play on The King and Prince Golf Course's back nine, the entire 18-hole, Par 72 course combines for an experience that always finds it on golf's "must-play" lists on the Florida to Myrtle Beach circuit. Unique parkland design that play through the marsh from island to island on the back nine. Oak Trees line many of our beautiful fairways."

Facebook fan quote:

"Hampton Club at St. Simons Island." -- Dewey Graham