White Columns Country Club Review

An Atlanta Golf Course Review

Reviewed on 12/27/2025 - Offseason

White Columns Country Club

Private

Guest Fee: $155-$177

1hr North of Atlanta

White Columns is a tier 2 private club north of Alpharetta featuring one the few Tom Fazio designs in the area. In June 2025, the club was purchased by Arcis from Club Corp, and while there were some bumps in the aftermath (literally on the greens), the course has rebounded nicely. This year a multi-million dollar renovation has been initiated which is exciting for members, but will force the course to close for a considerable amount of time, perhaps until late in the year.

The clubhouse is pretty much what you would expect for a club at this caliber and the restaurant is very nice. And yes, there are actual white columns at the front door entrance.

At private clubs, it's all about the little things that separate the good from the great, so here's my list of nitpicky issues: carts are old, cart paths are pretty poor, no shoe cleaners (from what I could find), no food in the bev cart, bridges are noticeably rickety, and the halfway house, while convenient, is often closed at odd times and the options aren't amazing anyways.

The practice area is solid. Grass range with 2 levels to allow for more golfers. They have a chipping green, medium size putting green, and a large practice bunker. However, it's a little annoying that the chipping green is off to the right of the range and the practice bunker is left. Pretty much just have to pick one or other during your warm up. At least the putting green is on the way to the first tee.

The course stretches to about 7,000yds, but I usually play the Blues at 6200 or the Fazio tees at over 6600. Something I appreciate about Fazio designs is that each hole feels separated from the others. Additionally, it's fairly rare to see a house - unlike nearby The Manor.

The layout is traditional North Georgia golf with tree lined fairways on a straw bed and the holes provide a little bit of everything: elevated tee shots, uphill and downhill par 5s, and a near even mix of right and left doglegs. The par 3s also provide 4 very different challenges. The long, uphill 2nd with a forced carry is the toughest of the bunch. The downhill 8th offers a beautiful view of Bell Lake, but don't miss left! 12 is the most forgettable of the bunch, although the visual can be tricky. While the signature, downhill 17th is one you won't forget. My personal favorite is probably the Par 5, 13th. The hole plays downhill back towards the lake, but you don't see it off the tee. The reveal happens as you're walking up to your tee ball (see cover photo).

Signature hole 17

Hole 14 Fairway Bunkers

Course conditions were very good. The greens were NOT good shape in the late summer (July/August), but it appears some cooler weather has really helped the bent grass. Tee boxes are cut short, but a few were uneven and the tees on hole 3 were literally on the back slope of the tee box that day. Bizarre. The greens rolled quicker than your local public course but it was a comfortable pace. Some of the collars around the greens seemed a bit unhealthy. Fairways were great, but around the edges there are definitely some washed out areas. One element that really stuck out to me was how the bunkers were used. At the very least there was a bunker in play off the tee for essentially every hole, but I also appreciated that a mechanism of bringing something different to the look and feel of a hole was the bunkering. Hole 14s bunkers are infamous for catching a wayward tee shot. I also love the bunkering on 3 and how it encroaches into the fairway off the left. That said, some of the bunkers could use a fresh batch of sand as the concrete base feels just a few inches below the surface on a few.

Pace of play has been great every time I've played.

To join White Columns it's a $30-$35k initiation fee (but not for long). As part of the Arcis purchase, membership includes restricted access to The Manor and CC of the South:

• For $50-$75 extra/ month to play the other courses for just the cart fee

• Limited to bookings within 2-3 days in advance

• Allows for access, but limited to protect the tee sheet for the members of each club

As previously mentioned, Arcis is undergoing a multimillion dollar renovation on the course. The highlights include clearing out a ton of trees for better sight lines and most importantly, replacing the greens and expanding them to their original size/shape. Over time, the greens have gotten increasingly smaller. In the wake of this renovation project, it's believed that dues will increase to $50k and perhaps even as high as $75k once the course is fully grown in from the renovation.

Unfortunately, the monthly dues and guest fee is already priced as if it already is a $75k membership club. A $177 Fri-Sun guest fee isn't far off of Dunwoody CC levels! While I can appreciate the club wanting to move into that echelon, it's not there yet and won't be for awhile (if ever).

While the course is fun, very playable, and the conditions are very good, I think it is overpriced. Comparable courses nearby such as The Manor and Atlanta National are $150 and $160 respectively. This severely handicaps my ratings for the course. I believe the weekday rate is around $155, which is about the max I think anyone should pay for White Columns.

If you can visit on a weekday, go play it. You'll have a lot of fun. But steer clear of weekends if you're paying the guest fee.

Course video: