The Athens and North Georgia region enjoy a wealth of golf opportunities. Two public courses in Athens are great values and provide enjoyable rounds of golf and weather allows for golf for a large portion of the year.

As part of our series looking at the best golf options in various regions across the country, here's our look at the places to play in the Athens, Ga.-area:

BEST PLACES TO PLAY ON A BUDGET

Lane Creek

Lane Creek Golf Club: Lane Creek struggled with loss of greens in the Georgia summers for many years after opening in the early 1990's. Several years ago, the course was purchased by an agronomist who replaced the bent grass greens with a Bermuda hybrid and the result was a consistently good product and a good following of golfers. The course is gently rolling with a variety of holes that vary from straightforward to significantly difficult. The surrounding natural setting adds to the beauty of the walk and golfers get good value for the money they spend -- $25-40 per round.

Arrowhead Pointe

Arrowhead Pointe: There is a nearby hidden gem that is a great bang for the buck. Georgia's state parks host some very nice public golf courses and the best of the group is Arrowhead Pointe, located in Elberton at Lake Russell State Park. It is worth the hour drive to get to it. The course features bermuda fairways and greens. The front nine is a nice walk through the woods and is well maintained with a nice layout. The back nine runs along a gorgeous man made lake. Arrowhead Pointe greens fees run $34-49 per round.

COURSES WITH THE BEST VALUE

University of Georgia

UGA Golf Course: The course at the University of Georgia is open to the public and also a good value. It’s a bit more wide open than other courses in the area, with plenty of length and difficulty to challenge all levels golfers. The back tees proved plenty of challenge for the Web.com tour the last three years. The course was a nice course but lacking around the greens until about 5-6 years ago when Davis Love's group took on the project of modernizing the green complexes. The redo was a great success and the course boasts a great pro shop and friendly snackbar. The greens at the UGA Golf Course are bent grass and the undulations make them a challenge to putt and to get up and down from off the green. Fees range from $45-70.

Jennings Mille

Jennings Mill Country Club: Jennings Mill was built in a lovely subdivision in the early 1980's and designed by Bob Cupp. It is a challenging shot-makers course that was the site of Web.com tournaments for four years and was an annual site for the first round of PGA Tour Qualifying School. The club ran into some fiscal difficulty and is now run by a group that owns the loan, hence there is not a great deal of reinvestment in the course itself. This has led to a deterioration of the green conditions and a shrinking membership. The good news is that the public is welcome to make a tee time and play what is still a very good golf course.

The Georgia Club

The Georgia Club: The newest club in Greater Athens, The Georgia Club is located about eight miles out of Athens The club boasts 27 holes and arguably the greens that are consistently the healthiest in Athens year round. Parts of the course are remarkably beautiful while some holes are ordinary in comparison. Overall, The Georgia Club provides an enjoyable round of golf. The club has an excellent staff in the pro shop and a nice bar/grill at the end of the round. The greens are bent grass and non members may make tee times with fees ranging from $49-65.

University of Georgia Golf Course

Athens, GA

Contact & Details

Contact & Details