Hard Labor Creek State Park
About Hard Labor Creek State Park
Georgia's Hard Labor Creek State Park is located on Lake Rutlege east of Atlanta off I-20. This state park facility features a range of accommodations from camp sites and RV sites to 20 2-bedroom cottages. Amenities here are highlighted by the 18-hole golf course designed by Denis Griffiths and features a pro shop, full driving range, grill and bar. Additional features of this state park, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is horseback riding, off-road mountain biking, hiking, beachside swimming and boat rentals.Facts
Amenities & Services
Rules
Golf courses at Hard Labor Creek State Park
Images from Hard Labor Creek State Park
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by OPPBr5gkRoNlDl899JGg on 09/21/2025
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Photo submitted by bjacobs16 on 04/28/2025
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Photo submitted by Mserrian31 on 10/31/2024
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Photo submitted by collinrobles1 on 09/22/2022
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Photo submitted by mrseay2 on 07/11/2022
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Number 2 Photo submitted by Drumlime on 04/06/2019
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From the green on #2 looking to #3 Photo submitted by Peter3943030 on 01/11/2017
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#13 par 5 from the Blues Photo submitted by Sean4356667 on 09/11/2016
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Armadillo on the course Photo submitted by Sean4356667 on 09/11/2016
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Photo submitted by efm03c on 06/17/2013
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Number 10 Photo submitted by wendy2584 on 04/23/2013
Double booked our tee time
They double booked our 12:20 tee time. The other group got in line before us. While waiting on the 2 groups lined up on the first tee, the starter put a twosome in front of us. One of them told us to go ahead and tee off before them because they were beginners and played slow. When we got to the 1st tee, the starter made the twosome come up and go first. 40 minutes late teeing off and a 5+ hour round of golf, we barely finished before dark and the pro shop was already closed. We won't be going back.
Good layout. Well maintained.
Very enjoyable round. My first time at a state park course. Obviously some effort put into maintenance but on a limited budget. Gas powered carts were old.
Beautiful scenery on back nine!!
Loved this course! It was in great shape and wasn't as hard as some reviews suggest. Super friendly staff and the waterfall and bridge on back nine were very neat. I will be looking forward to getting back out on this course.
Course conditions excellent--greens pristine
Very friendly helpful staff. Course was in excellent condition and the Greens are in A-1 fast top notch condition. The course is challenging for me -a higher handicapper but would be the same for a lower handicapper. Many holes have elevated greens to
hit into. Water comes into play on some holes. My only negative is that the different colored tee box markers (blue,white,gold and red) are very hard to see on most holes--this is a minor objection
when compared to too the excellence for the rest of the course.
The course layout is fun and challenging. The area and state park setting is beautiful.
The greens were in good condition and although sanded in some areas, the pins were located in areas of smooth grass and the sand was not an issue when putting. The fairways and tee boxes were in need of water due to a lack of rain however,
very playable.
Challenging, but not unbeatable.
Get ready for a roller coaster round with huge elevation changes and a challenging design. The course was in top shape and if my ball was in the grass, good contact was assured. The layout of the holes gets tough because most of the greens have some sort of bunker protection and because of the green contours, these bunkers often have a pot face that makes it difficult to get out. Greens were fast but consistent. Holes were in the first position so there were plenty of downhill putts since most of the greens have sloped run-ups. The real key to success here is knowing your club distances and trusting them.
Great course, will play again soon. Greens were true.
Great course, will play again soon. Greens were true.
Fun day at a good course.
The course is in real good shape for this time of year. Fairways and greens are well cared for.
Great course with fast greens.
Very friendly staff and a well kept course. I would suggest a friend play it.
I love the surroundings.
This course is a great place to play golf. It is a very quiet golf course set back in the woods away from the city traffic. Just walking on the course gives you a chance to take in the scenery and a deep breath of good ole' fresh air. I definitely will return.
Good Challenge beautiful setting
Was in the area from Macon for work and had already played Cherokee Run. Decided to give "The Creek" a go. I was very pleased with the attention the staff gave me and the helpful tips being a first timer. Layout is a nice challenge and requires you to shape shots. Has both up and down elevated shots to greens which are always fun. First cut of rough is maybe 1/4-1/2 too high; but other than that, I would definitely play this course again if I were in the area.
Bring your own hammer for the tee boxes!
I had heard many people tell me it was a good golf course. Everyone has their own opinion and mine differs from most. The tee boxes were like concrete that were painted green. I am serious when I say you need to bring a hammer to put your tee in the ground. The course has a good mixture of long and short holes, straight and doglegs and nice scenery. The short rough is too long ( I lost 4 balls in the short rough). You have to step on your ball to find it.
This is not my idea of a nice golf outting. I do not think I will return. There are too many nice courses in North Georgia to spend your time at.
Great course, but don't let the short yardage fool you
The Creek at Hard Labor is definitely "out in the boonies," close to the tiny town of Rutledge, but well worth the drive. I played from the tips, which is a modest 6,500 yards, and was greeted with one of the most difficult opening holes I have ever played - a downhill dogleg right with a tiny landing area and a pond at the bottom of the hill, with an approach shot to a green perched high upon the hill beyond the pond. It was an introduction to the style of golf I would need to play for the entire 18 holes - "position golf," where driver is only necessary on certain holes.
Hybrids and fairway woods are better for most of the tight holes on the front nine, and while the back nine is a little more open in places, unless you're a straight shooter with the big stick, you're better off leaving it in the bag.
My only knock on the course is the green speeds, which are slow. I left quite a few putts short. With the healthy Bermuda, they could stand to be a bit faster, but they putted true. Otherwise, it's a great design with no residential homes to worry with - you're in a state park, and it's just you and nature. No ridiculous OB stakes two yards off the cart path, no houses mucking up the views, no long waits on the tee boxes. I played on a Monday, and zipped through in less than three hours. This is golf as pure and challenging as it gets. I will be back.
Great scenery
Greens were in great shape, I'm assuming because of all the rain. Tee boxes were redone recently and looked great also. Played for $15 on golfnow which is a steal. Would pay $45 a round to play here
great greens
course is in really good shape, rough needs to be cut
Great course. Needs to be maintained better
The course needs attention. Great layout but grass hasn't been maintained. Lots of scalping/brown spots/uneven cutting of the fairways. The rough is almost unplayable. Grass is 6-8" high and ball just sinks down. A shot that barely misses the green will sink in the bermuda making it hard to even locate. I love this course but will not play again until it is maintained better. It has great potential and is lots of fun but almost an unfair test in its current state
great value
The greens are very consistent. Fairways in great shape. Hard to find a ball once it gets in the Bermuda rough.
Great value...slowish greens
1st time playing here. Played a two-some on a Sunday @ 11:50. Pace was excellent...rarely saw a group ahead or behind (we played intentionally a little slow to accommodate for only having two players). Course was in great shape, other than some soggy areas caused by the never ending rain this summer. Greens were very smooth and rolled true, but were SLOW. Would certainly recommend this course to anyone...will definitely be back.
Great layout
Course in good condition with a few wet areas due to excess rains for several weeks. Greens all in good condition, looking forward to planning another round.
Course in great shape based on the amount of recent rain.
Course was in great shape based on the amount of recent rain. We have had one of the wettest summers on record in Georgia this year. The only complaint was that I was a member of a threesome and the pro shop let four singles out right behind my group. I can understand one single maybe two, but never four in a row. I feel like the pro shop could have done a better job pairing up the singles so it didn't seem like you had golfers breathing down your throat the whole loop.