Rivermont

Name:  Rivermont Golf Club
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Accessibility: Private
Walkability: Walkable (except from 9-10)

There aren't many that have heard of Rivermont Golf Club in Roswell Georgia - including among Atlanta residents.  It is hidden among a 1960's housing development, snaking its way through Brady Bunch ranch homes and towering pine trees.  Research it enough though, and you will find that Rivermont is regarded as a fantastically under-rated course - a true example of a hidden gem.    Without pomp or circumstance, but with a respectful nod to the history and traditions that make golf great, Rivermont is a wonderful course.  The layout is a perfect mixture of strategy and luck, and with a few exceptions the course is beautiful to take in.

Rivermont is a no-frills experience.  They focus on providing a solid golf course with a classic feel.  There is no tennis complex or tricked out swimming pool.  This keeps dues low and the membership strong.  I've been told Rivermont has never levied an assessment as a result.

Pictures after the jump.  Note that when I played Rivermont, the course was in the middle of a greens-replacement project to switch over to tift-eagle.  This project actually helped a lot of my photos - you can see the green off in the distance in many shots as a large bright sandy area that looks like a massive bunker.

Brunswick CC

Name:  Brunswick Country Club
Location: Brunswick Georgia
Accessibility: Private
Walkability: Highly Walkable

Brunswick Country Club is a great course for the high to mid-handicapper. This course was designed by Donald Ross in the 1920's, and is a fair test for any golfer.  The greens were re-done in 2007 to restore the original Ross design.  During the renovation the original earth layers set down by Ross's team were discovered, which allowed the renovation to truly uncover the original design.

Many have played the course and criticized its flat layout.  I thought it was a great layout for walking, with plenty of aesthetic and challenge for my playing partner and me.  It is a great example of what the forefather's of golf course architecture had to do in order to make a course interesting and challenging.  They were moving dirt with horses and shovels, not with diesel powered hydraulic lifts.  The result is a course that truly reflects its surroundings, having been carved from land, and not simply dropped on top of it.  I've posted more pictures after the jump: