Chattahoochee Golf Club Course Review

An Atlanta Golf Course Review

Reviewed on 02/08/2026 by Joe Ellsworth (@golfnwitjoe)

Chattahoochee Golf Club Review

Public

Rates:$40-$105 (Varying Weekday/Weekend and if you're a Hall County Resident)

1h 10min North of Downtown Atlanta

CGC is a city-owned golf course in Gainesville, GA, and for an off-season round it’s in very good shape right now. However, the course is closing for 6 months starting in March for a major renovation, so play it while you can!

When you arrive, you’ll find the practice range located behind the parking lot with plenty of bays for warming up. There are also two putting greens behind the clubhouse, next to the first tee and the 9th green. The facility offers mats, grass, and chipping areas, and a small basket of range balls is available for an additional $4 with your round.

Entering the clubhouse from the side entrance gives it an older feel, but you’re still met with the usual offerings…course-branded apparel, balls, clubs, and more. The Chattahoochee Grill inside the clubhouse is a delight. The food was a step above average, and the drinks were well made without being overpowering. You can also stop at the turn to grab pre-made sandwiches if you’re in a hurry to continue your round.

This Robert Trent Jones Sr. design offers both fun and challenge for golfers of all skill levels. The course plays as a par 72, stretching over 7,000 yards from the tips and just over 4,000 yards from the forward tees. With eight different tee box options, players can choose yardages that best match their game.

The front nine plays wide open, with very few fairway bunkers in play. Most of the challenge comes around the greens, where well-maintained bunkers with soft sand protecting large greens.

Holes #3 and #8 are downhill par 3s with a big drop in elevation, creating a fun challenge that can really separate the pros from the Joes. Hole #5 features a blind, uphill tee shot that’s very rewarding if you stay just right of center. Miss left, however, and you may find yourself below the fairway, facing a tough uphill approach.

The back nine takes you up and down through noticeable elevation changes and offers great views of Lake Lanier as you approach the greens on holes #11 and #12. Hole #15 was especially challenging, from the blue tees, the par 5 played 579 yards, and in the cold conditions it was definitely a three-shot hole. Overall, the back nine demands a bit more accuracy, but it’s still fairly wide open off the tee.

The greens are where this course really shows its difficulty. They were in excellent condition for winter golf, and I didn’t notice a single bad spot. Most are large, undulating Tiff Dwarf Bermuda greens that are very receptive to spin, making approach shots both rewarding and demanding.

We played on a Sunday in the late morning, and the round cost $95 since it was before 11 a.m. and we were not Hall County residents. We were able to play at a comfortable pace, and the group ahead of us kept things moving, allowing us to finish in exactly 4 hours. That time even included a stop at the turn for wings, which we called in ahead of time on hole #7 so they were ready when we made the turn.

The only drawback I noticed was that a few areas just off the greens were soggy, likely where water runs off and collects. These spots, along with a few other items, will be addressed as part of a major $4 million renovation scheduled to take place from late March through September. 

Areas to be renovated during closure:

Modernize aging infrastructure, to include:

• Replacing the irrigation system on most holes (all but No. 15, No. 16 and No. 17 that were addressed in 2021).

• Replacing the irrigation system on both putting greens and the driving range.

• Extending the hole No. 12 cart path to the end of the green, eliminating the current turn.

• Extending the hole No. 16 cart path from the black tee on hole No. 17 to behind the 16th green.

Improve playability, to include:

• Renovating most bunkers on the course (all but those at holes No. 15, No. 16 and No. 17).

• Removing the fairway bunker on hole No. 2, the back-right bunker on hole No. 4 and creating a chipping area.

• Reshaping the 10th, 11th and 14th fairways.

• Removing or repositioning the front-right bunker on hole No. 11.

Beautify and improve course design, to include:

• Reshaping, expanding and re-grassing all par-3 tees.

• Smoothing out and re-grassing all fairways.

• Resolving wet areas in front of the first, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 14th greens.

This course is in great shape in its current condition, and once the renovations are complete, I’ll definitely be back in the fall of 2026. I paid $95 for a Sunday round since I’m not a county resident and my tee time was before 11 a.m.

For comparison, I’ve played semi-private courses at a similar price that weren’t in nearly as good of shape as this public course in Gainesville. It feels fairly priced even for non-residents, and for residents paying $70 or less depending on the time of day and whether it’s a weekday or weekend, it’s an excellent value.

I highly recommend this course.

Course video: