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Waterfall Club: Course Review
- Atlanta Golf
- Jul 14
- 4 min read
An Atlanta Golf Course Review
Reviewed on 05/16/2026
Waterfall Club
Clayton, GA
Private
2 hours North of Atlanta
One of the most exclusive private courses in North Georgia and one of a kind. Waterfall is unlike any course I've played and it's hard to put into words unless you've been there... but I'll do my best.
Clubhouse
The clubhouse is awesome. Huge indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and basketball court. We didn't eat at the restaurant in the clubhouse, but it was beautiful with upscale cabin decor.
Pro-shop was fairly quaint, but had everything you need. Locker room was stylish with wooden lockers. The men's lounge had big leather chairs around a TV and of course a University of Alabama helmet signed by Nick Saban (one of the many celebrity members at Waterfall Club).
The course doesn't loop back to the clubhouse, but the halfway house had EVERYTHING. Hot dogs on a roller, food to order, frozen transfusions, and all the candy, snacks and drinks you could imagine.
Practice Facilities
You don't come to Waterfall Club for the practice facilities, but they have the necessities. Grass/mat range, putting green, and chipping green. The range is a little strange because you're hitting up a mountain face so it's basically impossible to figure out your distances. It's really there just to get your body warm. You also aren't allowed to hit anything more than 225yds-ish.
Everything is incredibly scenic though. There were multiple times I'd look up from the putting green and just take it all in.
The Course
The course tips out at just 6700 yards, but it's par 71. I always forget that means the course is going to play longer. Related... I made the very dumb mistake of playing from the tips. Another quirk is it's a par 34 on the front and 37 on the back featuring 3 par 5s.
The best way to describe playing Waterfall is to think back to a time you arrived at a signature hole - Maybe a big elevation drop or forced carry. Your adrenaline picks up a bit, nerves creep in... and the difficult thing is to control those emotions and still swing easy. That's 90% of the holes at Waterfall Club. Just banger after banger of unbelievable tee shots and golf holes. Unfortunately, my mental ability to stay calm was not up to task and my swing suffered greatly. Too quick, rushed, trying too hard. On a tight course with trouble everywhere and slope rating of 145... woof. Not a great day on the scorecard.
Luckily, the scenic views and sheer epic-ness of the course more than made up for it.
I really felt the course had EVERYTHING a course could provide. Forced carries over water, over ravines, over mountain faces. The par 3s were unbelievable, but I wish I hadn't played them from the tips. One 200+ yard par 3 is fun. But from the back tees you have to contend with distances of 211, 248, and 248 AGAIN. The elevation drop makes them not quite those distances... but I still hit a wood on multiple par 3s. Didn't love that. If I had played the normal blue tees I would have hit:
P Wedge, 7i, 5i, 50˚, 6i (much better variety)
The Par 3 Hole 2 gets all of the acclaim due to the 100+ ft drop off... but 17 was just as epic. The green looks like it's sliding off the cliff. I can't imagine what that hole looks like when the trees are popping in the fall colors.
I've seen some reviews talk about how in some cases the course is TOO quirky, and I get that. The two-tier green on 15 is a good example - it's crazy. However, in my opinion, mountain golf lends itself to the quirky. You're dealing with crazy land that makes it impossible for it to be traditional golf, so lean in to what it is.
Personally, I loved the layout and felt like I could play it every single day without getting bored.
But words really can't do this course justice... so just look at the pictures. It's stunning.
Conditions
Essentially perfect, minus a little bit of sod work they were doing along the edges.
The greens were playing at a speed seldom seen thanks to the dry spell. Apparently the greens usually play relatively slow.
Tee boxes were immaculate and the fairways lush and checkered(!).
It felt like playing on an exclusive course that doesn't get a lot of play - which it is!
Pace of Play
An uber-exclusive course in Clayton, GA - the pace is basically whatever you want. However, I will admit that we were too slow that day per my previous note about my swing basically falling apart under the pressure.
Value
Having played exclusive courses with top tier amenities, I would have assumed the guest rate to be pushing $300+. And while they have asked for their guest rate to remain unpublished, I will say that the accompanied rate is extremely reasonable. I've literally paid more to play some public courses around Atlanta. Even the unaccompanied rate is more than fair. So if you find yourself invited, you won't put yourself in a financial hole to experience it.
I highly recommend Waterfall Club.
Course video:
Glad you liked Waterfall Joe. Though it doesn’t get the same accolades as some of the more well known courses nearer ATL, it remains one of top 5 in the State that I’ve had the privilege of playing.