Lake Spivey Golf Club (Semi-Private)

8255 Club House Way, Jonesboro
770-477-9836; www.lakespivey.net

STAFF: Jeoff Hamilton is the General Manager; Barry Loman is the Head Golf Professional.

PAR/YARDAGE: Lake Spivey is a par 72 with five sets of tees: Gold (6,807 yards); Blue (6,409); White (5,999); Grey (5,599); Red (4,879).

COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.2/138 (Gold); 71.6/135 (Blue); 69.8/131 (White); 67.8/128 (Grey); 69.1/122 (Red)

ABOUT THE COURSE: Lake Spivey has recently changed from a 27 to 18-hole facility, with the Club nine remaining intact and the new back nine drawing from the Lake and Hill nines. The new combination is considerably stronger than any of the three originals, with two former par 5s having been converted into long and demanding par 4s, making the nine effectively a par 38 for those playing the blue tees whose handicaps are not in single digits. The front nine remains a very playable group of holes, with two excellent par 5s at the start and finish and several very solid mid-length par 4s that put a premium on driving accuracy. The seventh, with a trio of bunkers bisecting the fairway, provides a nice test of both driving distance and placement, with the two preceding holes not allowing much room for error off the tee with very tight tree lines. The ninth, with a touchy third shot over water to a smallish green with plenty of slope, remains one of Atlanta’s most entertaining but perilous par 5s.

The back nine begins with a series of holes from the Lake nine, beginning with the par-5 10th, which has water off the tee as a more prominent factor than before. The daunting par-5 seventh from the Lake nine (now No. 11) has been shortened a bit into a long and intimidating par 4, and will play as a 3-shot hole for many with water fronting the green. The other converted par-5 is the 18th (formerly Hill 8), which is “only” 461 from the blues. Not much trouble, but still basically a par 5. Both excellent over-water par 3s from the combined nines remain, with the 15th a little friendlier now that it isn’t a potential starting hole. Three short-ish par 4s and a fairly tame par 5 (Lake provide some welcome balance, and the downhill par-4 ninth from Hill is still intact as an inviting 19th hole on the way to the clubhouse. The atmosphere is still among the friendliest you’ll encounter, but some of the new holes are not quite as inviting, and a few rough edges due to construction may be around for awhile.