Druid Hills Golf Club (Private)
740 Clifton Rd. NE;
404-377-1766; www.druidhillsgolfclub.com
STAFF: Paul Hattimer is the General Manager; Randall Couch is the Golf Professional.
PAR/YARDAGE: Druid Hills plays to a par of 72 with five sets of tees – Black (6,860 yards); Blue (6,479); White (5,956); Burgundy (5,502) and Green (4,842).
COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.6/139 (Black); 71.8/133 (Blue); 69.4/124 (White); 72.2/128 (Burgundy); 68.7/119 (Green).
ABOUT THE COURSE: One of Atlanta’s venerable private clubs, Druid Hills was extensively renovated five years ago by acclaimed course architect Bob Cupp, with the changes including a significant addition of length and a few major revisions to holes. The character of the course has not changed appreciably, although a few of the par 4s are considerably more challenging than they were because of the added length to both the black and blue tees. The rolling nature of the layout remains one of its main assets, with the biggest change coming on the par-4 15th, which was formerly a flat hole on a flood plain. The green has been moved well up a steep hill, resulting in a testy approach shot on a hole of modest yardage.
The green on the third hole, one of two wonderful short, downhill par 4s capable of producing a wide range of scores, was moved closer to a bordering creek, with the green at the uphill, par-3 sixth also re-positioned a little closer to a lake which is not seriously in play on the hole. Despite the additional length, Druid Hills remains a relatively short course by modern standards, with the top amateurs who compete in the annual Dogwood Invitational still capable of posting some spectacular scores. But for the club’s members and guests, the course has a little more bite, especially the par 4s that open both nines and the two finishing holes, a 225-yard par 3 and the lone par 5 of serious length. The remaining trio of par 5s offer excellent scoring chances, although the well-bunkered seventh and risk/reward 14th require considerable precision to take advantage of their absence of length. Along with the added yardage and re-positioning, the putting surfaces were also upgraded, with the outstanding bent grass surfaces making for some slick putts on the greens with a decent amount of slope. Cupp’s work has certainly enhanced the course, which again ranks among the best in the metro area.
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