McLemore Club - The Keep

The finishing hole on McLemore’s Highlands course put this resort on the traveling golfer’s radar several years ago. The Keep, however, is what is going to eventually get them here in the years to come. As remote as this place is, two courses are a must to lure the itinerant golfer.

Both offerings are very different. The Highlands course plays through significant elevation changes before culminating with the finisher in the clouds. The Keep, while not flat, plays across a large, mostly open footprint that features more width than is visible. The junior course also offers five cliffside holes. The Keep is walking only for preview play. And while the outward nine is pretty subtle, from the 12th hole inward is tough on the legs, even with a pushcart provided by the pro shop.

There is still a lot of grass to grow before the course’s official unveiling. New sod around the collars of the greens makes for some dicey short game shots where you would normally putt. The natural rock features shine throughout, particularly on the 17th hole, which easily became my favorite hole on the course.

The infrastructure that has been added since my last visit is incredible. The Hilton hotel and Creag restaurant are super additions that will make wanderlust golfers happy they made the effort to scale Lookout Mountain.