CaddieTrail Guide
Georgia punches above its weight in American golf — Augusta National sits at the top, Ohoopee Match Club brought Gil Hanse's sandy minimalism to rural south Georgia, and the Sea Island corridor makes coastal Georgia one of the great golf destinations in the country.
Georgia punches above its weight in American golf, anchored by Augusta National and backed by a deep roster of private classics. Ohoopee Match Club brought Gil Hanse's sandy minimalism to rural south Georgia and immediately entered the national conversation. East Lake, Bobby Jones' boyhood course, returned to glory after an Andrew Green renovation. The Sea Island corridor alone — Ocean Forest, Frederica, and Seaside — makes coastal Georgia one of the great golf destinations in the country.
#1 on trail
Augusta National Golf ClubAugusta, Georgia
Designed by MacKenzie and Jones in 1933, this private Georgia layout hosts the Masters annually. Amen Corner — holes 11-13 — defines championship golf.
#2 on trail
Peachtree Golf ClubAtlanta, Georgia
Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Bobby Jones in 1948, this private Atlanta layout reflects the strategic thinking of two of golf's most influential figures. Rarely seen, highly regarded.
#3 on trail
Ohoopee Match ClubCobbtown, Georgia
Gil Hanse's minimalist design carved through Georgia wiregrass and longleaf pine, Ohoopee plays as a pure match-play retreat on sandy, fast-draining terrain. Private access only.
#4 on trail
East Lake Golf ClubAtlanta, Georgia
Private Atlanta club with deep history as Bobby Jones' home course. Host of the PGA Tour Championship annually, making it one of the most televised private tracks in the country.
#5 on trail
Ocean Forest Golf ClubSea Island, Georgia
Rees Jones's 1995 design winds through Georgia's Sea Island marshlands and Atlantic shoreline, blending links-style exposure with lush Lowcountry terrain. Host to the 2001 Walker Cup.
#6 on trail
Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands Course)Johns Creek, Georgia
Private club in Johns Creek that has hosted multiple major championships, including one U.S. Open (1976). Demanding layout with tight fairways and punishing rough.
Georgia's public golf scene is anchored by Sea Island's Seaside Course and Reynolds Lake Oconee's Great Waters, a Jack Nicklaus design where ten holes play along the lake. The McLemore Highlands Course on Lookout Mountain offers one of the most dramatic settings in Southern golf, with cliff-edge holes peering down into McLemore Cove a thousand feet below.
#1 on trail
Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course)St. Simons Island, Georgia
Colt & Alison's 1929 Coastal Georgia layout, refined by Fazio, plays along salt marshes with persistent sea winds shaping every approach. Resort access via Sea Island.
#2 on trail
Reynolds Lake Oconee (Great Waters)Greensboro, Georgia
Designed by Jack Nicklaus, Great Waters opened in 1992 and plays along the banks of Lake Oconee with several holes running directly on the water. Resort access via Reynolds Lake Oconee.
#3 on trail
Barnsley Resort Golf ClubAdairsville, Georgia
Jim Fazio routed this 18-hole resort track through the wooded northwest Georgia hills in 1999. Open to the public via Barnsley Resort.
#4 on trail
Cateechee Golf ClubHartwell, Georgia
Designed by Mike Young and opened in 1997, this public-access layout in Hartwell plays across rolling Georgia Piedmont terrain with dramatic elevation shifts throughout.
#5 on trail
Reynolds Lake Oconee (Oconee Course)Greensboro, Georgia
Rees Jones design on Georgia's Lake Oconee. Water carries and elevation changes define the layout. Resort access via Reynolds Lake Oconee.
Nine courses across the South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry — Yeamans Hall, Secession Golf Club, Kiawah Island Club Cassique, Kiawah Island Club River Course, and Sea Island Plantation are private; The Ocean Course at Kiawah, Harbour Town, May River at Palmetto Bluff, and Sea Island Seaside are publicly accessible resort courses. Yeamans Hall and Secession are among the most exclusive and least-seen private clubs in the South. The public courses provide a strong accessible foundation. Geographic concentration along the coast makes logistics manageable once the private access hurdles are cleared.
#1 on trail
The Ocean Course at Kiawah IslandKiawah Island, South Carolina
Pete and Alice Dye's 1991 design stretches along 2.5 miles of Atlantic coastline, exposing all 18 holes to ocean winds. Host of the 1991 Ryder Cup and 2021 PGA Championship.
#2 on trail
Yeamans Hall ClubCharleston, South Carolina
Seth Raynor's 1925 masterwork outside Charleston delivers his trademark template holes — Redan, Biarritz, Eden — on rolling lowcountry terrain. One of the Southeast's most coveted private rounds.
#3 on trail
Harbour Town Golf LinksHilton Head Island, South Carolina
Pete Dye crafted this 1969 Hilton Head layout with Jack Nicklaus serving as design consultant, built around tree-lined fairways, small greens, and the iconic 18th beside the lighthouse. Host of the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage annually.
#4 on trail
Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside Course)St. Simons Island, Georgia
Colt & Alison's 1929 Coastal Georgia layout, refined by Fazio, plays along salt marshes with persistent sea winds shaping every approach. Resort access via Sea Island.
#5 on trail
Palmetto Bluff (May River Course)Bluffton, South Carolina
Jack Nicklaus design routed through South Carolina's Lowcountry marshes and live oak canopy along the May River. Resort access via Montage Palmetto Bluff.
#6 on trail
Sea Island Golf Club (Plantation Course)St. Simons Island, Georgia
**Note:** While no architect or year claims were present to verify, I did flag one potential issue for your awareness: the description calls the course "Private," but multiple sources confirm the Plantation Course is accessible to resort guests — not exclusively private. If you'd like that corrected, the opening line could be revised to: *"Resort and member 18-hole layout on St. Simons Island, Georgia."*
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