Where to Golf in Metro Atlanta

Looking to tee off in Metro Atlanta? Here are a few courses that are sure to meet your tastes and budget, from the pro to the novice, elite to the everyday, average Joe.

Callaway Gardens is a famous mountain-view golf course and is ranked among the nation's top-rated courses by Golf Digest and Golf magazines. It was also home to the PGA Tour's Buick Challenge for over a decade.

All types and levels of players are welcome, and a complete tournament package is offered for groups, including personalized cart signs, scorecards, rules sheets and score sheets. Their Golf Pro shop is has the finest equipment and apparel, and its professional golf staff is ready to assist you.

Tee time starts at 9:00 am. The 2006 rates for 9 holes and 18 holes are as follows: Monday - Sunday (including holidays), varying by season, range from $20 - $100; same day 2nd round from $25 - $45; twilight (begins at 2:00 p.m.) from $30 - $50; and the local resident rate ranges from $40 - $55. All greens fees include cart fees. Individual, couple and group lessons are also available.

Callaway Gardens is located along GA Hwy 18/354 in Pine Mountain. They are open twelve months of the year, times vary per season. You can contact Calloway by calling (706) 663-2281 or 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292), or visit them online at www.callawaygardens.com.

East Lake Golf Club, along the Charlie Yates Golf Course, supports the East Lake Foundation and its remarkable redevelopment project. East Lake also boasts to be the permanent home of THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola (they hosted it 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2005). Their 2006 tournament will be played October 31st - November 5th.

The Club features a full service locker room, valet parking, golf shop and The Clubhouse, which is a tribute to the Club's most celebrated members, and a museum dedicated to the great Bobby Jones. They also have a strict NO TIPPING POLICY, including caddies, valet, and locker room attendants.

For a group of four, it will take about 4 1/2 hours (15 minutes per hole) for 18 holes. The Club is a walking-only golf club (carts are only made available to those who have a State Issued Handicap Certificate). They also don't permit you to use your cell phones on the course or in The Grill Room. There is a 'Members Only' section of their website and I was unable to locate any rates for the course.

East Lake Golf Club is located at 2575 Alston Drive, SE in Atlanta. You can reach them by calling the Clubhouse at (404) 373-5722, the Golf Shop at (404) 687-8955, or online at www.eastlakegolfclub.com.

The Blue Heron Golf Club is said to be Atlanta's most challenging executive golf course and practice range. It features an 18 hole par 61 golf course with one par five, five par fours and twelve par threes, the par three 8th being their signature hole.

If you're just looking for a place to practice, Blue Heron has fifty lighted practice stations, a practice chipping green, sand bunker, and a bent grass putting green. The Club also features a clubhouse, Pro Shop, rental clubs, food & beverage service, a night-time driving range and private, individual and group lessons conducted by PGA professionals.

Tee times are from 7am-9pm (excluding holidays), and their rates vary (depending on the day of the week): $18.00 to ride 18 holes on Mondays, Tuesday through Friday Saturday and Sunday $29 riding for 18 Holes $35 riding for 18 Holes, $20 riding for 9 holes $24 riding for 9 Holes, and there are also discounted rates for seniors and juniors. The bucket prices for the range are as follows: Small (35 balls) $5.00 -1 token; Medium (70 balls) $8.50 - 2 tokens; Large (105 balls) $10.50 - 3 tokens; Jumbo (140 balls) $12.50 - 4 tokens (the prices Include tax on the balls).

Blue Heron Golf Club is located at 460 Morgan Falls Road in Dunwoody. You can reach them by calling (770) 390-0424 or on online at www.blueherongolfclub.com.

Fox Creek Golf Club was designed by designer John LaFoy. It is a Par 61 golf course with 11 Par 3's and seven par 4's. The Course is open to golfers of all playing abilities.

The Club offers Atlanta's best place to practice your golf game, and Sports Illustrated Magazine named the course as the Best Practice Facility in the Southeast. It's practice range features grass range tee stations, night hours and offers several sizes of range buckets to accommodate most every golfer's practice appetite. Fox Creek Golf Club also has a fully stocked Pro Shop, rental clubs, food & beverage service and lessons conducted by PGA professionals. The Club also specializes in group and special events.

Fox Creek's hours of operation vary by season, but they are typically open from 7:30am - 10:00pm, Monday - Sunday. Their weekday rates range from $21 - $29 (with a cart) and their weekend rates range from $25 - $36 (with a cart). They also feature discounted rates for seniors 55+ and juniors under 17 years old, weekday specials for women golfers, a 9-hole special and walking rates are also available.

Fox Creek Golf Club is located at 1501 Windy Hill Rd in Smyrna. You can contact them by calling (770) 435-1000 or online at www.legacyfoxcreek.com.

The College Park Golf Course was founded in 1929. It's a nine-hole course for the budget-minded golfer, and is just 1 mile south of Hartsfield-Jackson International airport. They do not have any tee times, feature come, first served and have a casual, relaxed dress code.

The Course offers lessons by golf professional Travis Chivers, a pro shop (which offers re-gripping), and even a members reward program.

You can golf "sun-up to sun-down" at College Park Golf Course. The rate for the first 9 holes ranges $6.75 - $14 (walking and riding) and for the second 9 (18 holes), from $6.25 - $11. The rates are valid seven days a week, and they also have discount rates for seniors 55+, students and College Park residents.

College Park Golf Course is located at 3711 Fairway Drive in College Park. You can contact them by calling (404)761-0731 or online at www.collegeparkgolfcourse.com.

Lake Lanier has two courses to their credit: Emerald Pointe Golf Club and PineIsle Golf Club.

Emerald Pointe Golf Club was designed by Joe Lee. It is a par-72, 18-hole course, and surrounded by water, hole number two, is Emerald Pointe's signature hole. Emerald Pointe is open Wednesday - Sunday from 7:00am - 6:00pm. Its rates for the weekday are $49, $58 for the weekend and twilight after 3pm: $32 weekday and $40 weekend.

PineIsle Golf Club just re-opened this April 2006. It was designed in 1974 by Gary Player and Ron Kirby & Associates, and is one of the most scenic in the Atlanta area, with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop. PineIsle is open 7 days a week. Its regular weekday rates are $67 and $78 for the weekend. Twilight rates after 3:00pm are
$40 during the week and $50 on the weekends.

Lake Lanier features the Fairways Grill and the Lake Lanier Islands Golf Academy, for indoor and outdoor lessons by a PGA professional.

Emerald Pointe Golf Club and PineIsle Golf Club are located on Lake Lanier Islands, at 7000 Holiday Road at Lake Lanier Islands. You can contact them by calling 1.800.840.LAKE or at www.lakelanierislands.com. Since Lake Lanier is a resort, there are also beautiful accommodations, beaches, a waterpark, spa, harbor with yachts and day boats and an equestrian center.

Whether you're seasoned or as green as the grass, have money to burn or pinching pennies, there's a golf course for you in Metro Atlanta. Practice your swing on the driving range, take lessons and get a few pointers, socialize with friends, grab a bite to eat, or just do what you do - you can't go wrong with any of these courses.