Georgia Golf Trail

All Roads in Georgia Lead to The Masters

While the eyes and ears of the golfing

world are focused on Georgia and the Masters in early April, it’s worth noting that the major highways that lead to the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta are filled with great golf courses which are worth playing while en route to the Masters or while you are headed home. If you’re traveling along one of the four major interstate highways – I-95, I-20, I-75, or I-85 – that enter and leave Georgia, consider bringing your golf clubs for an 18-hole pitstop or two along the Georgia Golf Trail, where you will be spoiled for choice when it comes to places to play golf.

“The Georgia Golf Trail, which has many locations as you travel to the Masters, offers a wide variety of golf experiences that range from seaside destinations to courses built among the mountains,” said Georgia Golf Trail Founder Doug Hollandsworth. As you enter Georgia from Florida along I-95, there are many places to play golf. Your first stop will be the Jekyll Island Golf Club on Jekyll Island.

The Jekyll Island Golf Club is blessed with four golf courses – a nine-hole layout and three 18-hole courses. The Great Dunes Course is the nine-hole layout. The three 18-hole courses are the Indian Mound Course, Oleander Course, and the Pine Lakes Course. Great Dunes was Jekyll Island’s first golf course. The legendary Walter “Old Man” Travis was the architect of this coastal jewel. Indian Mound, constructed in 1975 by veteran course designer Joe Lee, is the shortest of the three 18-hole courses, but it’s no pushover. Oleander, considered the most difficult golf course on Jekyll Island, has hosted the Georgia Open four times.

Pine Lakes, which opened in 1968, is the longest golf course on Jekyll Island. Pine Lakes meanders through ocean forests and natural marsh hammocks.

Just north of Jekyll Island is the Sapelo Hammock Golf Club in Shellman Bluff. Surrounded by tidal marshes, saw palmettos, and live oak trees, this golf course’s greens are a reflection of this club’s commitment to excellence.

After leaving Shellman Bluff, keep heading north along I-95 to Savannah.

Savannah’s only golf course along the Georgia Golf Trail is The Club at Savannah Harbor, which hosted the Legends of Golf event on the Champions Tour from 2003-2013.

As you travel into Georgia from Alabama along I-85, a must-play stop is Callaway Resort & Gardens

Currahee Club GA 10th Hole

Callaway Gardens Lake View 10th Green

Highland Walk 17th Hole

in Pine Mountain. Callaway has two golf courses: Lake View and Mountain View. Lake View opened in 1952. It’s as beautiful to visit as it is fun to play. The Mountain View golf course hosted the Buick Challenge on the PGA Tour from 1991 to 2002.

As your drive into Georgia from Alabama on I-20, you can play The Frog Golf Course in Villa Rica. The Frog, an 18-hole championship public-access golf course, deserves that ‘championship’ label as it has hosted many notable golf events such as the Georgia Open, CEO Jaguar Tour, and the John Smoltz Celebrity Players Tournament.

As you travel south into Georgia along I-85, there are four dynamic destinations worth playing: Sky Valley Country Club in Sky Valley, Currahee Club in Toccoa, Highland Walk Golf Course at Victoria Bryant State Park in Royston; and Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course at the Richard B. Russell State Park in Elberton.

The Sky Valley CC, with an average elevation of 3,500 feet, is a mountainous golf course that winds its way through a valley. It features great views from five elevated tees. The Currahee Club has been listed as a “Top 10 Golf Courses To Play Before You Die” by Golf Digest. At Highland Walk, every golfer will deal with many steep rolling hills, crowned fairways, and sloping Bermuda greens. And, Arrowhead Pointe is considered the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the Georgia Golf Trail. The water views are stunning -- with 10 of the 18 holes skirting Lake Richard B. Russell.

And, finally, as you travel into Georgia from Florida along I-75, enjoy the Georgia Veterans Memorial Golf Course in Cordele. Located on the premises of the Lake Blackshear Resort & State Park, it’s a par-72 layout with 130 sand traps, four sets of tees, and at least one grey fox! The key to playing this course well is to focus your attention on six specific holes: 1st, 7th, 11th, 13th, 15th, and 18th. For more information about places to play golf along the Georgia Golf Trail, while in Georgia for the Masters, check out www.GeorgiaGolfandTravel.com.

Frog Golf Course Sapelo Hammock Back Nine Marshland Tee Box

Arrowhead Pointe GC overlooking Lake Russell