Echelon Golf Club: In-Season Course Review

Atlanta Golf
Jul 29
5 min read

An Atlanta Golf Course Review

Reviewed on 07/20/2026

Echelon GC

Semi-Private

Rates: $104-$124

1 hr North of Atlanta

Huge thanks to Golf Envy-Alpharetta for sponsoring this review. If you're in the Alpharetta area, you won't find a better indoor option to dial in your game.

(Here's a video I did highlighting the experience: CLICK HERE)

24/7 access
Golfzon technology is the most immersive sim on the market
Moving floor plates simulate various terrain
Locker rentals
No distractions - they are dedicated to skill enhancement
Tournaments, league play, and other social events so you can meet like-minded golfers
Plus you get access to all of the Golf Envy facilities around the country

SCHEDULE A FREE, COMPLIMENTARY HOUR

For the first time ever, I walked away from Echelon disappointed.

Echelon is widely considered one of the the top 3 public courses in the Atlanta area. Many will have it as their number 1. I like to say it's about as close to feeling like a private course as a public course can get. It's also one of the most expensive tee times in Atlanta which means expectations are very high.

Ultimately, I still recommend Echelon, but it can be SO much better.

Clubhouse

The clubhouse is classy, yet comfortable. A traditional Georgia golf feel. Pro-shop was fully stocked and the bar had everything you might expect.

I was there for a tournament so I didn't order any food, but I have in the past and it's solid.

Practice Facilities

Really nice grass range, albeit a little annoying to get to. Range balls are included, which is expected at this price range. They also have two separate chipping greens, both with bunkers. They also have a great pitching area to dial in your 100 and in distances - LOVE when courses have that.

The practice green by the range is pretty small, but there is another one near the clubhouse that is much larger. So if you're running behind, you can still get your putts dialed before teeing off. Nice touch.

The Golf Course

Echelon is massive test for the average golfer. It tips out at over 7500 yards and feels like it plays even longer. I always recommend playing a tee box up from what you normally play.

I've always enjoyed the layout. Some fun elevated tee shots, beautiful par 3s, and a great variety of par 4s. My main complaint is that I wish one of the par 5s was gettable in 2 for the average golfer. From the Blues, the par 5 distances are: 586, 526, 561, and 481 that plays severely uphill with bunkers guarding the green

Par 3 distances:

160 (8i)
135 (PW)
208 (6i)
149 (9i)

I always appreciate when I get to use a different iron for every par 3. The weakest of the par 3s is definitely 17. A relatively benign, flat, short par 3 with some bunkers. Kind of a bummer for the final par 3, however, the other 3 more than make up for it. Especially 8.

Favorite hole has to be 13. Epic elevated tee shot where you can see for miles. That said, they've let a lot of the vegetation grow up around the back tee boxes so it's essentially a blind tee shot. Personally I don't love that. There's something very satisfying about nailing the elevated tee shot and seeing it hit the fairway.

Conditions

We'll start with the good... tee boxes and fairways were immaculate. Exactly what I've come to expect from Echelon. If I'm being nitpicky, the tee markers are the basic wooden markers, but I think a course like Echelon doesn't feel like they have to try too hard on that kind of stuff, which I get.

The bad were the bunkers. I had actually heard from someone a few weeks ago that many of the bunkers weren't in great shape, but we had just had a big rain, so I thought for sure they'd be fixed by the time I played... I was wrong. Many green-side bunkers were washed out - especially on the back 9. Now, I wouldn't say MOST of the bunkers were in bad shape, but enough for our group to notice it multiple times to the point we agreed on a rake and place rule. At this price point during peak season I expect every bunker to at least be in good shape, if not great. That wasn't the case.

The greens fall somewhere in the middle. They rolled well and kept a true speed throughout, but I've never seen Echelon's greens so marked-up. I understand that this time of year is rough for bent-grass greens - the heat and moisture make for extremely soft greens that can get beat up, but I expect a course like Echelon to handle that much better than other public courses.

I spoke to a member and they agreed. The greens are probably the worst they've ever been in many years. Doesn't help that there were some tournaments this month, but again, a course like Echelon should know how to handle that with better care.

I have no doubt they'll bounce back and be in top shape once the weather cools down a bit, but I would recommend lowering expectations until that happens.

Misc.

The pace of play at Echelon can be rough on the weekends due to the difficulty of the course and 10 minute tee times. In my opinion, this is a course that really needs to be at 12+ minute tee times on the weekend.

One other disappointing aspect were the little touches. If you'd read my reviews you'll know that I pay close attention to the little touches that elevate experiences, especially when spending over $100. Echelon misses the mark here. No tees in the cart or towels on what was a very hot day. The carts were basic with no GPS or ball/club washers. If the course was in top-tier shape, it's easy to ignore these things. But when it's not, the little things stick out a lot more.

I will say the staff were extremely nice and attentive throughout.

Value

When Echelon is at it's best, it's well worth $124, but I would say that it's a little steep considering the current conditions.

The weekday $104 is a solid value. The weekday, after 4pm twilight rate of $84 is awesome if you can get all 18 in.

If you live in the area and aren't cost-conscious, then definitely keep it in the rotation. But if you're driving an hour out of the way and wanting to splurge at a top-end course, I would suggest holding off until the weather cools off so the greens can recover.

I'm sure the bunkers will be fixed soon and I hope the greens recover faster, and if they do, make sure you're following my Instagram account where I share lots of course updates on my stories @atl.golfs

I still recommend Echelon Golf Club, but adjust your expectations accordingly.