Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club Review

Atlanta Golf
5 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

An Atlanta Golf Course Review

Reviewed on 11/21/2025 - Offseason

Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club

Public

$36-$80

45mins South of Atlanta

For those on the south-side, Crystal Lake consistently comes up as a go-to course and for good reason. Fun layout, solid conditions from tee to green, and a great bang for your buck on most days.

It's somewhat of a challenge to figure out what price point to judge the course on because of the disparity of pricing, but the average is ~$50. We paid $43 for a Friday morning.

Clubhouse had a very homey feel to it. Loved all of the local brands in the shop - IronKings, Renegade, Grip Golf, and I'm sure there were others. There was a full bar and kitchen off to the side that had a really friendly vibe. Got the feeling there were a lot of regulars that hang out there.

PSA: The course does not loop around to the clubhouse at the turn. So make sure you get there early enough to order something to bring along.

The practice facilities were solid overall. The range was a medium size with grass and mats (mats only currently for the offseason). Wouldn't surprise me if it get's a little packed during the weekend. Range balls are $5 for small, $8 for medium - great prices. On the other side of the first tee is the putting green and "technically" a chipping green, but it's not well kept. There's also "technically" some sand, but tough to call it a practice bunker. So it's nothing special, but was above average compared to courses in this price range.

The layout is fun but not overly memorable. The par 3s were 50/50. 2 and 17 are pretty blah, but 5 is long (200 from blues, 240+ from tips) and flat which you don't see often in ATL, and 15 is just a fantastic par 3 on the water with water is lurking all around the green. I really liked the flow of the holes. First 3 are relatively easy - nice warm up to start. But get ready because 4, 5, and 6 slap you in the face. Then 7, 8, 9 ease up again. The back 9 is very similar. I didn't love the finisher. There's a hazard that runs across the fairway, but it's at a distance that is impossible for 90% of golfers to cover. And even if you do, there's a needless bunker right after it that you could find yourself in. That said, in general I felt the fairway bunkers were very well placed. They only feature on 7 holes, but they always had me thinking off the tee. My favorite hole was probably 16. Beautiful elevated tee shot over the lake, leading to an elevated green.

The conditions were well above average for the price point. Tee boxes had plenty of grass to tee off of and the Crystal Lake Logo tee markers are a nice touch. The fairways were firm and fast, but a little rough on the edges. There were also a couple bare spots in the fairway, but it was relatively rare. One unique feature are the amount of grass bunkers sprinkled throughout many of the holes. The sand bunkers were well kept. Bermuda greens were very healthy + quicker than I thought they were going to be. I came away very impressed with the greens, especially at the price.

Pace was fine. There was a little waiting around on the front 9 due to the group ahead, but they left after 9 and we quickly made up for any lost time. Finished in about 4 hrs, which for a Friday round and good weather, that was a touch faster than my usual expectations for a 4-some.

The weekday afternoon pay-ahead rate of $36 is an AMAZING value. One of the best around. There's even golf now deals as low as $20, which is crazy. That said, the top end $80 is a probably $10 overpriced, but that's limited to weekend morning tee times. After 12 it drops to $69 or $62 if you pay ahead, which is right back in the sweet spot.

I would recommend playing Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club.