The Best Golf in the Georgia Mountains: McLemore Resort, The Keep & The Highlands Course
If you’re looking for the best golf in the Georgia mountains, there are a few places that immediately stand out — and McLemore Resort belongs near the top of the list.
Located on Lookout Mountain in Rising Fawn, Georgia, McLemore has quickly become one of the most talked-about golf destinations in the Southeast. The combination of dramatic mountain scenery, elevation changes, unique green complexes, and two completely different golf experiences makes it a destination worth traveling for.
McLemore is home to The Keep and The Highlands Course, giving golfers the opportunity to play two mountain golf courses in the same resort.
And while the golf is excellent, the setting is what makes the experience stand out.
McLemore Resort: Georgia Mountain Golf at Its Best
McLemore Resort sits high above the surrounding landscape on Lookout Mountain, offering some of the most dramatic golf-course views in Georgia.
This isn’t traditional flatland golf.
The elevation changes are noticeable, the terrain is rugged, and several holes feel like they were built directly into the mountainside. From elevated tees to dramatic approach shots and expansive views, McLemore delivers the type of golf experience that feels completely different from what you’ll find at most public courses in the Southeast.
For golfers looking for a Georgia golf resort, a mountain golf getaway, or a destination that combines golf and scenery, McLemore checks a lot of boxes.
But the real reason to visit is the golf.
The Keep at McLemore
The Keep is McLemore’s newer golf course and one of the most visually dramatic courses in the Georgia mountains.
Designed by Rees Jones and Bill Coore, The Keep takes advantage of the natural mountain terrain and incorporates the surrounding landscape into the course rather than trying to hide it.
The result is a golf course that feels like it belongs exactly where it was built.
The fairways move through the mountain terrain, elevation changes affect nearly every shot, and the views can be just as memorable as the golf itself.
The Signature Experience
The most memorable part of playing The Keep is the combination of golf and scenery.
There are holes where the fairway appears to fall away into the landscape, elevated tee shots where you can see for miles, and approach shots where elevation becomes a major factor.
It is the kind of course where you may find yourself stepping out of the cart simply to look around.
And that’s what makes The Keep at McLemore different from a typical resort course.
You’re not just playing golf in the mountains.
You’re playing mountain golf.
Why The Keep Is Worth the Trip
If you’re traveling to Georgia specifically for golf, The Keep offers something that is difficult to replicate.
The course provides:
Dramatic elevation changes
Mountain and valley views
Unique hole designs
Challenging approach shots
Natural rock and terrain throughout the property
A true destination-golf atmosphere
For golfers traveling from Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Chattanooga, or other parts of the Southeast, McLemore makes for an especially interesting golf trip.
The Highlands Course at McLemore
While The Keep gets plenty of attention, the Highlands Course at McLemore provides a completely different golf experience.
The Highlands Course is the original course at McLemore and is known for its mountain setting, elevation changes, and dramatic finishing holes.
Where The Keep feels like a newer interpretation of mountain golf, the Highlands Course has its own identity and history within the resort.
The course takes advantage of Lookout Mountain’s natural contours and creates a golf experience where the scenery is impossible to ignore.
The Highlands Course Experience
One of the biggest appeals of the Highlands Course is how much the landscape influences the round.
You’ll encounter elevated tees, downhill shots, uphill approaches, and plenty of situations where understanding the elevation is just as important as choosing the right club.
It’s also a course where the views can change dramatically from hole to hole.
One minute you’re focused on a difficult golf shot.
The next, you’re looking out across the mountains.
That’s part of the appeal of playing mountain golf in Georgia.
The Best Golf in the Georgia Mountains?
There are plenty of excellent golf courses throughout Georgia, but McLemore offers something particularly unique.
You get two mountain golf courses, a destination resort, dramatic scenery, and a golf experience that feels completely different from the typical Georgia golf trip.
If you’re building a Georgia golf trip, McLemore should absolutely be on the list.
And if you’re specifically searching for the best golf in the Georgia mountains, The Keep and the Highlands Course are two courses that deserve serious consideration.
McLemore Golf Trip
A trip to McLemore can easily be built around multiple rounds of golf.
Play The Keep one day.
Play the Highlands Course the next.
Then spend the rest of your trip enjoying the mountain scenery and resort.
For golfers traveling from the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, or surrounding states, McLemore is also a relatively easy destination to turn into a long weekend golf trip.
Final Thoughts
The Georgia mountains aren’t necessarily the first place that comes to mind when golfers think about destination golf.
They should be.
McLemore Resort, The Keep, and the Highlands Course showcase just how good mountain golf can be.
The courses are challenging, the scenery is incredible, and the terrain creates a completely different experience from traditional resort golf.
If you’re searching for the best golf in the Georgia mountains, McLemore is a destination worth putting on your golf-trip list.
Two courses. One mountain. A completely different golf experience.
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