Chestatee Golf Club

After a very cold starting 3 or 4 holes the temps warmed up under a clear bright sun. The course is in good shape with receptive quick greens, tight fairways and, after some obvious work from the maintenance staff, a fair amount of sand in the bunkers. Unfortunately we played behind some players who didn't repair ball marks but overall the round was very enjoyable and fun. I would highly recommend the course to anyone who likes a challenging but fair golf course.

North GA hilly course with some blind shots. Pretty nice vistas of lake lanier on some holes. Very nice residential area. Course was in pretty good shape. Greens had been worked on and we were about a week early of them being great. Sand traps could use some more sand...

couldn’t have a friendlier staff and the course is beautiful. My first time playing and will certainly not be my last

Weather was perfect along with all the course conditions. Greens, fairways and tees were in greay condition. Looking forward to going back and playing here again

We chose Chestatee for the location and the experience we had there before. The course was in great shape, (maybe someone should teach the members how to repair divots on green). The balls rolled true on the greens, except where the old divots were. Having said that, the greens were still in good shape. The fairways were in great shape as well. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We had a really great time and would recommend this course.

I have played here many times over the years, and for a time over this summer, I did not visit. However, I played very recently and was flabbergasted at the greens; they are immaculate. In fact, I don't ever remember these greens in this condition. These are as close to tour quality and clearly evident they have been rolled. Therefore, the speed is between an 11 and 12 on a stimpmeter and more importantly, a roller makes them uniform and smooth, so your putts actually roll and hug your line. I mean, how dissatisfying is it when you're playing along and on every hole, your playing partners are saying "man, your ball was bouncing right off the face all the way to the hole?" Well, this is not happening at Chestatee currently.

As to the course itself, there are only a few holes I love. I play from the tips and a very long hitter so take my comments as such. #1 is a medium length par5. Favor the right side or over the trees if you draw, or fade the ball and you'll have a long iron to an uphill gorgeous green complex. If you're a long hitter, going thru the dogleg off the tee is almost a certainty, so fade the ball or bite off a ton with a draw over the trees. Easy birdie if your tee shot is struck well. #4, is the hardest hole on the course (in my estimation). The key on this hole is - leave your driver in the bag. In case this didn't make an impression - DO NOT HIT YOUR DRIVER ON HOLE #4. There, I said it. Instead, hit the club that guarantees the straightest ball flight, or at least predictability. You have to know where your ball is going from this tee, as you cannot use hope for a strategy here. I favor my 3iron from this tee, and I sting it, and have about 160yds to the front middle, which for me is a 9i. And, unless you're very good, you don't want to hit your ball any deeper than the middle of the green. If I were a short hitter, I'd still prefer to hit a 5wood and even if I had 200yds+ into the green, I'd do this every time vs hitting driver into the hazard, because you're certainly guaranteed a double or worse. I'd rather be hitting a 3iron or 4iron into a green and look at most bogey, than to lose a tee ball and be guaranteed a double or worse. This is NOT a birdie hole folks... Take your medicine off the tee, get on or close on your second, take your par and keep your score going. This is a guaranteed blow up hole if you don't take my advice.

Hole #8 is my favorite on the course. In my book, this is why I play Chestatee. It's a very intimidating hole for the meek, but for the skilled low-handicapper, it's a hole with teeth that forces a decision. You stand on a tee that is angled hard to the landing surface and forces a decision. You have two choices: 1. fade the ball comfortably with an 80% swing and guarantee fairway hit then have 180yds to an enormous putting surface for a par, or at most a rare three-putt bogey 2. give a draw a hard rip starting out over the water, and take off some big yardage, which turns this into a certain birdie hole (did I say this green was huge)? Depending on my confidence, I normally rip a draw which leaves me with 150-160yds and every pin is accessible, so if you hit the fairway, it's birdie. BUT, if you don't pull off the tee shot, you're likely putting for bogey or worse (ball in water if ball doesn't draw, or ball in side hill rough, or the worst - you hooked the ball and you're OB left). Note: this hole is a long hitter's delight. Short hitters will not like this hole.

The entire back nine is boring. Hole after hole of boresville. Sorry, Chestatee, but Griffiths just didn't have anything with which to work. I know, I know you're saying "what about #10 - it's a 580yd par5?" Well, from the tip, I rip a driver with a fade downhill about 150feet that lands near the path, and kicks right. On my best driver I have 198yds to the middle of the green, and if I'm left of the path I have 220yds to the middle. At best, I'm hitting 7i or 6i, at worse I'm hitting 5i or 4i. In the off chance, I mishit the tee shot, I lay up with a wedge and have a sand iron for the approach. Now you're saying "what about #16 - our wonderful par 5?" Well, for a long hitter from the tips, I rip a driver to a downhill landing area that runs and runs and have as little as an 9i into a huge green. I am always putting for eagle on this hole, except for the rare time(s) I might miss the fairway.

Last things:

* If you are good, and can keep your ball in front of you, you're looking at an under par score. If you're long and keep your ball in front of you, you might be able to set your all-time low score.

* They give you free range balls. This is good and bad. Good that you can warm-up; bad that the range is a downhill ravine. Good that the ravine has some flags in it for target practice; bad that the most you can hit is 5i.

* I think I've played every one of Griffiths courses in Georgia, and this is not his best, but all in all, it's a drive to get here, but if you play around the time I write this, you'll be rewarded by a few very exciting holes, and 18 wonderful greens.

* This is definitely worth the price of admission, and there are a few great bottle shoppes on the way home to stock up your cabinets.

Love this layout a lot of elevation changes. Greens are in great shape

While it is a bit of a drive to the course it is usually well worth the effort. Lots of elevation changes and some blind shots make for an interesting round. Our round was in the 4 1/2 hour range on a hot day. The beverage cart made it around 2 or 3 times in our round and there's plenty of water. The greens were very soft but kept a decent speed, especially if you were on the wrong side of the hole. Fairways were very good and the bunkers were average to good. An enjoyable round.

Fantastic!!! The course, the staff from proshop, starter, members, cartgirl, the Grill and the chef were all friendly and courteous!! We played as a twosome on Sunday before Irma reached Ga. The starter was very personable. We eventually paired up with a single and played at a decent pace. It's a hilly course but had landing areas that aren't bad if you hit what you're supposed to. Greens were a little sticky but consistent. Rough weren't unkind like some courses tend to be in the summer. Almost every hole was beautiful and well maintained. It was our first time playing there and can't wait to return!!! Fish and chips on the menu wasn't greasy and served hot and didn't take long. The pro even have me extra discount on golf shoes to top off a great day! Now that we got our power back, I'm so glad to give this course a GREAT review! What a DEAL!!

Chestatee provides a scenic setting and nice layout. I have played the course a few times each of the last three years. When properly maintained this is a very good golf course. Unfortunately, the bunkers and greens were not in good condition for this round. The bunkers were packed hard and wet despite many days of dry conditions. Many golfers would rate the greens as good, but these green were too wet and slow for the recent weather conditions.

Course was in great shape, greens were fast.

Pace of play was pretty fast. No waiting.

Other than the heat it was a great round..

Having played here around 8 years ago, we decided it was time for a revisit. And we were pleasantly surprised. The condition of the course generally is pretty good. It is an enjoyable track as no 2 holes are the same and the undulations on almost every hole make it challenging yet fun. The fairways were good to hit off. One or two greens had spots on them typical of Georgia summer greens but they were still playable. The only downside is the state of the bunkers which do need some care, and some sand!

Overall though, a good course at an unbeatable price.

The staff here was fantastic. Great practice areas and range balls were included. Let a few twosomes and a single play through, but the pace of play was fantastic.

Some of the bunkers need work, but the bulk of the course was in great shape! Beautiful fairways and greens.

You can't go wrong playing here.

Had a HOT TEE time so got on for a very good price..

Greens were sanded on the morning we played but surprisingly did not hamper putting in fact helped as you could see your lines.

The course was in very good shape, bunkers could use work. Recommend to play

This is a good and fun course to play. The staff is super friendly and helpful. Course was in nice shape. The driving range is small and men's locker room is a joke.

We found Chestatee to be very clean and playable for this round. The bent grass greens were soft, slightly slow and a bit bumpy. This is somewhat normal for late July as superintendents attempt to keep the bent grass healthy in the heat. Many of the bunkers need repair and/or rehabilitation. In general, the bunkers were groomed, but the sand was more like mud. A few bunkers had too many rocks mixed in. Overall, a good round. Highly recommended course. With better greens and bunkers, this is a solid 4-star facility. Note: I rate golf courses on an absolute scale using the following guidelines:

5 stars - Top tier golf course, all amenities, outstanding service/management and excellent course maintenance.

4 stars - Good to great course layout, complete club experience (full practice facilities, locker room, grill, etc...), efficient service/management, very good course maintenance.

3 stars - Good course layout, average practice facilities, average service/management, average course maintenance. No pace of play problems.

2 stars - Nothing special, but an enjoyable course to play. Only minor issues with pace of play.

1 star - Not worth the effort or serious pace of play issues. I take pace of play very seriously.

A 5-hour round is a minimum two-star reduction.

One of our favorite courses in the Southeast. Always in great shape, pace of play is good, and price is fair.