Course reviews – Dec 09
Echelon Golf Club (Semi-Private)
501 Founders Drive East, Alpharetta
770-888-4653; www.echelonliving.com
STAFF: Craig Hartle is the PGA General Manager/Director of Golf; Andrew Maronge is the Superintendent
PAR/YARDAGE: Echelon plays to a par of 72 with five sets of tees – Black (7,558 yards); Gold (7.076); Blue (6,552); White (6,025); Red (4,984).
COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 77.8/154 (Black); 74.9/150 (Gold); 71.9/139 (Blue); 70.0/129 (White); 69.8/125 (Red).
ABOUT THE COURSE: A lot has changed since the club opened three years ago, including a new name, different ownership/management and a shift from private to semi-private status. The only remaining constants are the outstanding Rees Jones design and the presence of veteran Georgia PGA member Craig Hartle as the club’s Director of Golf and General Manager. Echelon, which was known as the Georgia Tech Club when it opened for play in late 2006, is now semi-private, and hopes to fill a niche in the upscale daily fee market created when White Columns went private several years ago. The quality of Jones’ design and the conditions are of private club caliber, but the course is now accessible to non-members. Metro Atlanta golfers looking for a first rate course should not pass up the opportunity to give Echelon a look, but be aware that the challenge Jones’ layout presents matches its quality. The Course Rating/Slope numbers are the highest of any course in the state, but as long as you stay away from the monster Black tees, Echelon is not nearly as intimidating as those numbers might attest. However, there are a few holes, most notably the par-5 11th, that are as demanding as any you’ll play. The hilly terrain accounts for much of Echelon’s challenge, but a number of elevated tees effectively reduces the yardage sufficiently to make the course playable if you don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. There is an ample amount of trouble in play, but if you hit it reasonably straight and choose the correct tees, most of the hazards are avoidable. A number of the greens were carved out of hillsides, but with a few exceptions are not particularly undulating. They have the capability of rolling at tour-caliber speed and help complete an all-around test of a course that is definitely worth a visit from those in search of a first rate challenge.
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