🔘 The Silver Tees

Competitions for “Average” Senior Golfers in Metro Atlanta

By Jim Penman

Jim playing hole 15 at The Manor

Some events you remember forever — the birth of your children, your wedding day, your other wedding day when you both picked the wrong person… and, for me, the day I was first called a Senior.

It was 2015. The captain of my club’s senior team rang to invite me to join his “band of merry men.” I politely explained that I’d only just turned 50.

“That’ll work just fine,” he replied.

As with all such landmarks, faced with life’s days of reckoning like these, you have two choices – embrace them or enter into some sort of mid-life crisis and purchase a motorbike for the first time. I chose the former.

A New League of Our Own

What I’ve discovered since that call is that Atlanta has a thriving senior-golf scene. Far from marking the beginning of the end, becoming a “Senior” presents an opportunity for a new beginning.

This column isn’t about, or written for, the scratch seniors who still travel the world and hit 280-yard fades for breakfast. Instead, it’s targeting average golfers of a certain age, who still enjoy competition and camaraderie.

The Senior Golf Societies of North Georgia

The following is a list of the various competitive golf societies I’ve discovered so far. Some are exclusive to seniors whilst others have senior flights within their events:

Society	Typical # of Events/Year	Annual Fee	Event Entry Fee	Best courses in 2025	Website
Northeast Georgia Senior Men’s Golf Assoc. (NESSMGA)	26	$110	$45 - $65	Crystal Falls, White Columns,The Georgia Club	Site
Georgia Mountain Golf Society (GAMS)	21	$40	$30 - $70	Legends at Chateau Elan, Currahee Club, Achasta	Site
Northwest Georgia Senior Golf Association	14	$65	$55 - $65	Cartersville CC, Dalton CC,The Frog	Site
Senior Golfers Association of Atlanta	2 to 4 per week	$25	Not Stated	Cherokee Run, Chimneys	Site
Georgia State Golf Association One-Day Series	11	Incl.	$95	Sky Valley, Eagles Landing, Achasta, Crystal Falls	Site

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

After competing in more than 150 events over the past decade, here’s what I’ve learned.

The Pros

1. Great company: Most players are good-humored and welcoming. Sure, there is the odd jerk or slow poke here and there, but they are rare.

2. Access to new courses: The very top end exclusive courses in the area remain just that, but certainly I’ve gained access to many “middle to higher end private courses” I wouldn’t have otherwise.

3. Competition: The competitive element to these events is appealing, but that said, we are not playing for The Crown Jewels here. Entry fees and prizes remain modest.

The Cons

1. Slow play can happen: Take an older gentleman and add in a competitive element; the normal 4-hour rounds I enjoy with my buddies at my home course, tend to turn into 4½- to 5-hour rounds at most of these events. Organizers emphasize the importance of speed of play, but this often falls on deaf ears, literally in some cases!

2. Travel time: Expect 45–90 minutes each way for most events, but the drive’s not bad with a buddy or a good podcast.

3. Playing partners tend to be determined by random draw. For those that enjoy playing with the same old blokes most of the time, these groups are likely not for you.

My Take

Most seniors stick to one society and chase the year-end leaderboard. I prefer more of a pick-and-mix approach — jumping between Societies and choosing events based on course quality and travel distance.

For those “Senior Golfers” out there not already involved, I’d encourage you to give at least one of these Societies a try. Most allow newcomers to play as a visitor at one of their events, so you have the opportunity to see what you are getting into before paying an annual subscription.

A Quick Apology to the Ladies

I would like to offer sincere apologies to all the senior lady golfers out there. My wife does not golf and therefore for obvious reasons, my knowledge of senior golfing opportunities in the area tends to have a strong gender bias. I did reach out to the State’s Senior Women’s Golf Association but haven’t heard back from them so far. I will try again in the coming weeks and if there is a similar “Scene” for the fairer sex here in the Atlanta area, an update will be provided in a future article.