If there's a tougher finishing hole for the pros than Atlanta Athletic Club's 18th, it's not far away, over at East Lake Golf Club, permanent site of The TOUR Championship. The 18th at Bobby Jones' old home club is a gargantuan par-3 of 240 yards that plays over an arm of East Lake to an elevated green. The lake seldom bothers the pros on this hole; what gets them is the demanding, back-to-front sloping green and the steep bunkers that frame the green. Still, you can't ignore one of golf's most historic water hazards. Long irons, fairway woods and utility clubs have been the weapons of choice for past champions Sutton, Mickelson, Singh, Goosen and Bart Bryant.
Let's pay respects as well to the Atlanta's original golf thrill ride, the 499-yard, par-5 18th at Atlanta Country Club. Host to the PGA Tour from 1967 through 1996, this dogleg left par-5 was for years one of the Tour's most scenic risk/reward holes. Perhaps too short in its final years (John Daly blasted an 8-iron second here in winning the 1994 event), but it was always exciting. Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin and Tom Kite all took victory walks up No.18.
Unfortunately for traveling golfers, the TPC at Sugarloaf, Atlanta Athletic Club, East Lake and Atlanta Country Club are all private, so unless you're tight with a member, you're out of luck to sample their terrific closing holes. Nevertheless, the Atlanta area has no shortage of quality public-access tracks. Two that have outstanding, watery finishing holes are The General Course at Barnsley Gardens and Nicklaus at Birch River. Barnsley Gardens is situated about an hour northwest of Atlanta in Adairsville and features a rugged, scenic Jim Fazio design. The par-4 18th checks in at 452 yards, much of it curving to the left around a large lake. Nicklaus at Birch River is in Dahlonega, an hour's drive to the northeast, in Georgia's wine country. Oddly, it crosses the Chestatee River, not the Birch. The 18th is a par-4 that doglegs to the right, around a lake, with trees to the left. A very three-puttable green sits perilously close to water's edge. Par here is well-earned. Finally, if you've got a little extra time on your itinerary, take the 80-minute ride east from Atlanta to Reynolds Plantation. Jack Nicklaus' Great Waters course and Rees Jones' Oconee are crammed full of superb holes and vistas, culminating in 18th holes that are guaranteed to make the journey worthwhile. Great Waters closes with a handsome, reachable par-5, with the drink lurking to the left, while Oconee ends with a massive par-4 that demands a healthy drive over the lake. What every one of these watery Atlanta area closing holes shares is a sense of adventure, the potential to offer a wild ride, a chance for do-or-die glory — which is exactly what brings us back. See you at the 18th. Stay dry.
