Achasta, Formerly Birch River Golf Club (Semi-private)

639 Birch River Drive, Dahlonega
706-867-7900; www.birchriver.com

STAFF: Tom Fowler is the Golf Professional; Jeff Bridwell is the Superintendent.

PAR/YARDAGE: Birch River is a par 72 with four sets of tees: Black (6.964 yards); Blue (6,425); White (5,796) and Green (4,999).

COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.5/140 (Black); 70.8/132 (Blue); 68.0/124 (White); 68.8/124 (Green).

ABOUT THE COURSE: The Nicklaus Golf Club at Birch River is the first course outside the Lake Oconee area acquired by the owners of Reynolds Plantation, but will not be the last. The company’s first expansion comes just north of the Atlanta area, with the course easily accessible for golfers along Georgia 400 corridor. Birch River, the annual host of the qualifier for Atlanta’s PGA Tour event, is a solid but very playable test, with first class conditions and a quality Jack Nicklaus Signature layout. Birch River measures a little short of 7,000 yards from the back tees, with only a handful of holes where length is a major factor, especially on days when they’re playing into the wind. Although the course is located with proximity of the North Georgia mountains, the layout has almost no elevation changes.

The main geographic feature is the Chestatee River, which runs through the course and impacts play on a majority of the holes. With a few exceptions, there is plenty of room to drive the ball, with tree lines a rarity and the river usually far enough removed to lessen its impact. Both nines include a par 5 where the river is most definitely a factor, and close with demanding par 4s that are a handful for shorter hitters. The river crosses just in front of the reachable par-5 4th, making for a risk/reward second. The 15th is among the state’s most intimidating holes, with the second shot over a wide stretch of river to a narrow landing area one of the most daunting shots you’ll face. Fortunately, other than the long par-4 18th, with water hugging the right edge of the fairway up to the green, and the dogleg 9th, with an equally difficult second shot, the rest of the course is considerably softer, with mostly gentle greens complexes and a relatively tame group of par 3s.