Alpharetta Athletic Club East (Private)

3430 Highway 9, Milton
770-475-2300; www.alpharettaac.com

STAFF: Tom Ridge is the General Manager; Chris Janis is the Golf Professional.

PAR/YARDAGE: Alpharetta AC East is par 72 with four sets of tees: Gold (6,894 yards); Blue (6,419); White (5,775) and Red (4,969).

COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.4/143 (Gold); 71.3/137 (Blue); 68.3/127 (White); 70.2/125 (Red).

ABOUT THE COURSE: Formerly know as Crooked Creek, the course changed names when acquired by Affiniti Golf Partners and paired with the former Alpharetta CC to form Alpharetta Athletic Club. The Mike Riley design, which opened in the mid-1990s, was one of the most respected daily fee courses in metro Atlanta before going private, and holds up well against the sizeable number of outstanding private layouts in the north Fulton area. The course, which also includes three other yardage options derived from mixing and matching two sets of tees, deftly mixes challenge and playability, with the quality of its conditioning matching that of upscale nearby private courses. The layout was the first solo effort by the former Jack Nicklaus and Bob Cupp associate, who also designed Reunion and Governors Towne Club, as well as heading up re-design efforts on several of the metro area’s top private clubs.

With mostly generous fairways, Alpharetta AC East is more a second shot course, with Riley’s greens complexes providing plenty of challenge. The excellent putting surfaces are large and feature a sufficient amount of undulation, with Riley locating most of the bunkers along the edges. With the exception of a par 4 or two, most notably the 14th, length is not a serious concern, with the quality of your iron play likely to determine how well you score. There are a handful of holes where accuracy off the tee is key, and as a development-oriented facility, out of bounds stakes are plentiful, although it usually takes a seriously off-target shot to reach them. There are a number of standout holes, among them one of the area’s most interesting collection of par 5s, and two distinctive sub-400-yard par 4s late in the round that showcase the course’s occasionally rugged terrain and infrequently hazardous nature. Water doesn’t play much of a factor until you reach the finishing holes, which include the picturesque but perilous par-4 17th and an entertaining risk/reward par-5 18th.