Ohoopee Match Club
A modern American original, Ohoopee Match Club is Gil Hanse's 2018 design on sandy soil near the Ohoopee River in rural Georgia, an hour west of Savannah. Built entirely around the match, it carries 22 holes and flexible routings, with the championship eighteen playing to a par 72 of about 7,325 yards.
Photo via Google, contributed by Mike Stover.
The verdict
Ohoopee is one of the most talked about clubs built in America this century, and it earns the attention by refusing the usual template. Gil Hanse and his partner Jim Wagner found sandy, rolling ground near the tiny town of Cobbtown and built a course not for medal scoring but for match play, the oldest and most sociable form of the game. There are 22 greens and a web of alternate routings, so members and their guests can stitch together the match they want rather than a fixed card of 18.
Our verdict: this is a connoisseur's club, firm, fast, walking only and gloriously free of clutter, where the golf is the entire point. The terrain plays like an inland links, the wide fairways tempt and the angles and contoured greens do the defending. It is deeply private and hard to see, which only sharpens its mystique. For the wider region, see our guide to golf in Georgia.
Ohoopee Match Club at a glance
- Opened
- 2018
- Designers
- Gil Hanse, Jim Wagner
- Holes
- 22, match play
- Par
- 72 (championship)
- Yardage
- About 7,325 yds
- Type
- Private, sandhills
Designer, opening year and layout verified June 2026 from Ohoopee Match Club, Hanse Golf Course Design and course records: a Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner design opened in 2018, built for match play with 22 holes and flexible routings, the championship eighteen playing to a par 72 of about 7,325 yards with a shorter par 69 option around 5,610 yards. Ohoopee is a private club with no public daily fee play and no published visitor green fee; access is by member invitation. Always confirm details directly.
The holes worth the trip
The genius of Ohoopee is in what Hanse left out. There are no tee markers in the conventional sense and no fixed scorecard at the heart of the experience, because the club is organized around the match, not the medal. With 22 greens and multiple routings, two players can build a contest that suits their game and the day, choosing lengths from a par 69 of about 5,610 yards up to the par 72 championship test of roughly 7,325 yards.
The ground does the rest. Sandy, free draining and gently rolling, it plays firm and fast like an inland links, with wide fairways that invite a confident line and contoured, running greens that reward the player who reads the angle correctly. There is little water and less rough in the manicured sense; the strategy lives in the tilt of the land and the placement of the sandy waste, exactly as Golden Age design intended.
Ohoopee is a destination unto itself, but on a wider Georgia trip it sits between the coastal resort golf of Sea Island and the historic city tests of Atlanta at East Lake, with Savannah the natural staging point an hour to the east.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | A deeply private match play club; play is by membership or as the invited guest of a member, with no public access |
| Green fee | No published visitor green fee; guest play is arranged by a member, so confirm any fee and policy directly |
| How it plays | Walking only, caddie supported, and organized around the match rather than a fixed eighteen, with 22 greens and flexible routings |
| Lodging | On site cottages support overnight member trips; ask your host about availability |
| Getting there | Near Cobbtown in rural Tattnall and Candler counties, about an hour west of Savannah and its airport |
| Best months | Spring and fall are ideal; the sandy ground plays firm and fast for most of the year |
Access details verified June 2026 from Ohoopee Match Club information. As a private club, policies are set by the membership and can change; there is no public tee time and no published green fee, so always confirm access arrangements directly through a member before planning a visit.
Where to stay nearby
Ohoopee maintains on site cottages for members and their guests, which is the intended way to experience the club, with evenings as much a part of the appeal as the matches. Because the club is so private, an overnight invitation from a member is effectively the whole logistics plan.
For visitors building a wider Georgia itinerary, Savannah an hour east is the practical hub, with a deep choice of hotels and the nearest major airport, and the coastal golf of Sea Island a comfortable drive south.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts around Cobbtown and Savannah.
Build a Georgia golf trip
Ohoopee is a rare private invitation rather than a tee time, but it anchors a memorable Georgia golf trip alongside the Sea Island coast and historic Atlanta. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge helps shape the rest of the trip around it, with no obligation.
Ohoopee Match Club questions
Who designed Ohoopee Match Club and when did it open?
Ohoopee Match Club is a Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner design that opened in 2018 on sandy ground near Cobbtown, Georgia, about an hour west of Savannah.
What is the par and length of Ohoopee Match Club?
The championship layout plays to a par 72 of about 7,325 yards, with a shorter par 69 routing of roughly 5,610 yards, and the club uses 22 greens and flexible routings rather than a single fixed eighteen.
Why is Ohoopee called a match club?
Because it is built around match play rather than medal scoring. With 22 greens and multiple routings, members and guests assemble the match they want, which is the oldest and most sociable form of the game.
Can the public play Ohoopee Match Club?
No. Ohoopee is a deeply private club with no public access and no published green fee; the only route to play is as the invited guest of a member.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year and layout verified June 2026; Ohoopee is a private club with no public access, and policies are to be confirmed through a member. Last reviewed June 2026.