5 Courses You Can Play

Lake Oconee Living looks at some of the region’s top semi-private, public, and state park golf courses that will have you ready to swing into spring.

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with championship courses around every bend of the region’s unmatched beauty and rural setting. It is also just an errant tee shot away from some of the top semi-private, public, and staterun courses that Georgia has to offer.

From nearby Harbor Club to award-winning courses within a short drive, there are “Courses you can Play” that offer some of the most beautiful vistas and scenery for those looking for a fresh round amidst lush fairways and challenging greens. These semi-private, public, and state run courses provide residents and visitors alike with a variety of courses and challenges to play and enjoy.

Harbor Club on Lake Oconee

The semi-private, Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish designed Harbor Club on Lake Oconee opened in 1991 and has consistently been featured in both top 100 courses lists and top courses you can play lists ever since. Just last year, Harbor Club was included in Golf Digest’s list of Best Courses you can play in Georgia and listed as #9 in Golfweek’s state-bystate guide to the Best Courses you can play.

But above the accolades, this place offers a warmth and comfortability not found at other destination golf courses. Harbor Club offers a full practice area, beautiful bent grass greens, and expansive clubhouse. Its championship golf course features several water holes with Lake Oconee exposure and at 7,050 from the tips, it offers plenty of challenges.

A unique feature is two drivable par fours on each side. The short, 323-yard downhill par four 7th challenges a tee shot over Lake Oconee to get home. On the back, the 281-yard, downhill par four 15th hole begs a golfer to try and roll one on the green.

A day at Harbor Club is an opportunity to experience both championship golf and championship service at a reasonable rate for the level of service and golf.

University of Georgia Golf Club

A favorite among the Lake Oconee and Athens area is the University of Georgia Golf Club. As Athens’ only true public course, it provides a demanding layout designed by Robert Trent Jones and updated by Love Golf Design. In 2022, Golfweek ranked it 11th in its “Best Courses You Can Play: Georgia” lineup and 5th in 2021.

The Creek at Hard Labor Creek State Park

The Creek at Hard Labor, nestled in Hard Labor Creek State Park along the outskirts of Rutledge, is a beautiful and demanding course characterized by the natural contours of the land and distinct lack of residential development.

The Creek offers what many golfers consider one of the most difficult starting holes in the state. Its signature hole, number 14, is testament to the course’s unique harmony with the local setting. A waterwheel leftover from a 1930s working grain mill still churns the water along the creek bordering the fairway.

This year, The Creek received the 2022 Georgia State Parks “Outstanding Golf Course of the Year Award.”

Arrowhead Pointe at Lake Richard B. Russell

Built on a 27,000-acre undeveloped lake, Arrowhead Pointe at Richard B. Russell State Park in Elberton offers one of the most serene environments to play a round of golf. With 10 out of its 18 holes lying along the shoreline of Lake Richard B. Russell, this serenity can lull golfers into a false sense of security, only to be surprised by a challenging round of golf with undulating, hard-to-read greens. The course is difficult but fair, and holes

16 and 17 offer perfect examples of the beauty, serenity, and overall difficulty of the course.

Highland Walk at Victoria Bryant State Park

Rounding out the state park golf courses highlighting the finer points of public golf is Highland Walk at Victoria Bryant State Park in Royston. Highland Walk offers challenging golf with a scenic backdrop with 18 holes seamlessly intertwined with the rolling hills of the upper Piedmont. Sloping greens are countered by generous landing areas on this course.

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C o n t a c t u s t o s c h e d u l e a t o u r a n d s t a r t p l a n n i n g y o u r e v e n t t o d a y !