Georgia is one of America’s most underrated golf destinations — a state where world-class championship venues, historic private clubs, and excellent public courses coexist across diverse terrain, from the coastal lowlands of Savannah to the rolling Piedmont of Augusta and the Blue Ridge foothills in the north. While the Masters at Augusta National puts Georgia on the global golf map every April, the state offers far more than one legendary course. This guide covers the best golf courses in Georgia for every type of player — from bucket-list private clubs to accessible public tracks worth travelling for.
Augusta National Golf Club — Augusta
No list of the best golf courses in Georgia begins anywhere else. Augusta National is arguably the most famous golf course in the world — 18 immaculately maintained holes of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones design, home to the Masters Tournament since 1934. The azaleas, the Amen Corner, Rae’s Creek, and the flowering trees give Augusta its unmistakable visual identity, while the subtlety of its bunkering, the precision demanded by its approach angles, and the fiendish speed of its greens make it one of the most strategically demanding courses ever built.
Access is exclusively by invitation — Augusta National is a private club with a famously limited and anonymous membership list. But understanding its design is part of appreciating why golf is the game it is. If you’re ever fortunate enough to play here, you’ll encounter a course that rewards placement over power and demands a complete short game.
Sea Island Golf Club — St. Simons Island
Sea Island on Georgia’s Golden Isles coast houses three outstanding courses across the Sea Island and St. Simons Island properties. The Seaside Course (designed by Harry Colt and Charles Alison, renovated by Tom Fazio) and the Plantation Course are available to resort guests, while the Retreat Course offers an additional option on the island. Sea Island has hosted multiple PGA Tour events and is consistently ranked among the top 20 resort golf experiences in the United States.
The Seaside Course winds through coastal marshes and live oaks with ocean views — the back nine in particular is a genuine highlight of Georgia resort golf. Staying at The Lodge at Sea Island gives access to private caddie service, a practice facility befitting a Tour stop, and the full resort amenity package. This is destination golf at its finest on the East Coast.
Harbour Town Golf Links — Hilton Head (Just Across the Border)
While technically just over the South Carolina border, Harbour Town is so geographically close to Georgia’s coast (particularly Savannah) that it belongs in any Georgia golf trip itinerary. Pete Dye’s masterwork at Sea Pines Resort is precise, demanding, and beautiful — the 18th hole with its red-and-white striped lighthouse is one of golf’s most iconic closing vistas. Host of the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour each spring.
Reynolds Lake Oconee — Greensboro
Reynolds Lake Oconee is one of Georgia’s premier golf resort destinations, with six courses spread across its 12,000-acre lakeside property in the Piedmont region. The Great Waters Course (Jack Nicklaus design, 1992) is the marquee track — eight holes along the shores of Lake Oconee produce some of the most dramatic golf scenery in the South. The National Course (Bob Cupp, Fuzzy Zoeller, Hubert Green) is longer and more demanding; the Landing Course offers a more classic parkland experience.
Reynolds is a full-service golf resort with multiple accommodation options, an outstanding practice facility, and the kind of course conditioning that keeps it on “best of Georgia” lists consistently. It’s particularly strong for golf trips with mixed skill levels — the six courses offer enough variety that every player in the group can find appropriate challenge.
Chateau Elan Golf Club — Braselton
Located 45 minutes northeast of Atlanta, Chateau Elan is a winery and resort with three solid courses. The Chateau Course is the most distinguished — a Denis Griffiths design that plays through rolling Georgia countryside with mature tree-lined fairways and testing approach shots. At a price point accessible to most golfers and with the bonus of excellent on-site accommodation and winery facilities, Chateau Elan makes an ideal 36-hole weekend trip from Atlanta.
TPC Sugarloaf — Duluth
Located in Atlanta’s northern suburbs, TPC Sugarloaf is a Greg Norman design that hosted the BellSouth Classic on the PGA Tour for several years. The course plays to 7,259 yards from the tips and features the undulating, risk-reward style that Norman courses are known for — wide fairways that invite driver use, but significant penalties for missing the landing zones. TPC Sugarloaf is among the best public-access courses in the Atlanta metro area, with course conditioning befitting its TPC designation.
Savannah Golf Club — Savannah
The Savannah Golf Club is the oldest golf club in the United States still playing on its original land, founded in 1794. The current course is a Donald Ross design — understated, strategic, and deeply historic. Playing Savannah Golf Club is less about course difficulty (it’s a modest 6,500 yards) and more about the experience: the ancient live oaks draped with Spanish moss, the sense of history at every turn, and the charm of one of America’s most beautiful cities just beyond the property boundary. If you’re visiting Savannah, this is essential golf.
Stone Mountain Golf Club — Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain State Park outside Atlanta houses two courses — Stonemont and Woodmont — in a spectacular setting defined by the famous granite monadnock that gives the area its name. Both are accessible public courses at affordable rates, making them ideal for Atlanta-based golfers seeking quality without premium pricing. Stonemont is the better of the two — a Robert Trent Jones design with excellent variety. Stone Mountain is one of the best-value public golf experiences in Georgia.
Best Public Courses in Georgia for Everyday Golfers
Beyond the resort and destination options above, Georgia has a strong network of publicly accessible courses worth highlighting for golfers seeking quality without luxury pricing:
- Lake Blackshear Golf Club (Cordele): A hidden gem in south Georgia — a well-maintained public course at exceptional value, with water in play on nearly every hole.
- The Fields Golf Club (Pocahontas): One of Georgia’s most scenic courses, a links-style design with expansive views and minimal tree interference.
- Bull Creek Golf Course (Columbus): A city-managed public course that consistently punches above its weight in conditioning and design quality. Two 18-hole courses available.
- Wolf Creek Golf Club (Atlanta): A city of Atlanta public course in the southwestern metro — challenging, well-kept, and one of the most accessible quality courses for Atlanta golfers without a club membership.
Planning Your Georgia Golf Trip
Georgia’s golf season runs year-round, but the optimal windows are spring (March–May) and fall (September–November). Summer brings heat and humidity that can be challenging, particularly in the south of the state. Winter golf is perfectly playable in Georgia — the climate rarely drops to course-closing temperatures, and rates are often at their lowest.
For a coast-focused trip, base yourself in Savannah or St. Simons Island and build a 3–4 day itinerary around Sea Island, Savannah Golf Club, and the coastal courses nearby. For an Atlanta-centered trip, Chateau Elan, TPC Sugarloaf, and Stone Mountain form an excellent 3-day, 54-hole agenda. Reynolds Lake Oconee works well as a standalone 2–3 day resort trip from either Atlanta or Charlotte.
For regional golf trip planning across the Southeast, our guides to the best golf courses in the Carolinas and best golf courses in Florida offer complementary destinations worth including in an extended Southern golf itinerary. Our main best golf courses in America hub covers the full national picture.
Final Thoughts
Georgia’s golf offerings span the full spectrum — from the most famous private club in the world to excellent affordable public tracks that rival courses costing twice as much. The state’s variety of settings, from coastal marshes to Piedmont piedmont to mountain foothills, creates an equally varied set of golf experiences. Whatever your budget, skill level, or travel style, Georgia delivers compelling golf. Augusta National may be the headline, but the supporting cast is excellent.
