Golf in Georgia
The home of the Masters, and a great deal more besides. Beyond the hallowed pines of Augusta, Georgia offers two of America's finest golf resorts, the marshy links of Sea Island on the Golden Isles and the lakeside courses of Reynolds Lake Oconee, plus Atlanta's championship clubs. The courses that matter, the season, the costs and how to plan a trip.
Photograph: Seaside Course, Sea Island, Georgia, via Google
Why golf in Georgia
Georgia's golfing fame begins and ends with one name, Augusta National, the Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie course that has hosted the Masters every April since 1934 and is the most revered piece of golfing ground in America. It is also, famously, one of the most private clubs in the world, so for the travelling golfer Georgia is really about the superb resort golf that surrounds the legend. On the coast, the Sea Island resort on St Simons Island has built one of the most complete golf experiences in the country, while inland, an hour and a half from Atlanta, Reynolds Lake Oconee spreads six courses around a vast lake.
The appeal is the blend of quality, comfort and southern hospitality. Sea Island pairs its Tom Fazio reworked Seaside links with a Forbes five star hotel and a famous golf academy, and Reynolds offers a Ritz-Carlton on the water and a week of golf without repeating a course. Atlanta, a major international hub, adds the Donald Ross gem of East Lake, home of the Tour Championship, and a clutch of historic private clubs. From the marshes of the Golden Isles to the pines of the Piedmont, Georgia rewards the golfer who wants a polished, warm weather resort trip with real architectural pedigree.
The regions
The Golden Isles
St Simons Island and the Sea Island resort, where the Seaside, Plantation and Retreat courses thread through tidal marsh and live oaks beside the Atlantic, the heart of Georgia's resort golf.
Lake Oconee
The Reynolds Lake Oconee resort an hour and a half east of Atlanta, six courses by Nicklaus, Fazio and Rees Jones around a huge lake, anchored by the Ritz-Carlton on the water.
Greater Atlanta
The state capital and a major air hub, home to the Donald Ross designed East Lake, host of the Tour Championship, and a cluster of historic championship clubs such as Atlanta Athletic Club and Peachtree.
Augusta
Two hours east of Atlanta, the home of the Masters at the ultra private Augusta National, a pilgrimage town for golfers even though the great course itself is admired from outside the gates.
Savannah and the coast
The historic port city and its barrier islands, with resort and club golf at the Westin Savannah Harbor and The Landings on Skidaway Island, a characterful add to a Golden Isles trip.
The north Georgia mountains
The cooler Blue Ridge foothills north of Atlanta, where mountain and lake courses offer summer golf away from the coastal heat, a scenic detour for those touring the state.
The courses that matter
Sea Island, Seaside Course
The headline round on the Golden Isles, a links style course of low dunes, marsh and Atlantic breeze that Tom Fazio fused from a Colt and Alison nine and a later nine, and the co host of the PGA Tour's RSM Classic each autumn.
Reynolds Lake Oconee, Great Waters
The flagship of the Reynolds resort, a Jack Nicklaus design whose back nine runs spectacularly along the shore of Lake Oconee, widely rated among the best Nicklaus courses open to the public.
East Lake Golf Club
Bobby Jones's home club and the permanent host of the Tour Championship, a classic Donald Ross parkland restored by Rees Jones, steeped in history and one of the great courses of the American South.
Ocean Forest Golf Club
The private companion to the Sea Island resort, a Rees Jones design of genuine dunes and coastal exposure that hosted the 2001 Walker Cup, consistently rated among the finest courses in Georgia.
Sea Island, Plantation Course
The resort's second championship course, renovated by Rees Jones to make the most of the live oaks and tidal creeks, the other half of the RSM Classic and a fine, more sheltered complement to Seaside.
Reynolds Lake Oconee, The Oconee
One of the strongest of the six Reynolds courses, a Rees Jones layout that mixes lakeside drama with pine framed parkland, a reliable highlight of a Lake Oconee golf week.
Designers and years verified June 2026. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Augusta National, East Lake and Ocean Forest are private. Always confirm access and packages directly before booking.
When to go
| Season | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| March to May | Warm, settled spring, around 20 to 28 degrees | Prime golf, Masters season, courses at their best |
| September to November | Cooler and drier, the RSM Classic at Sea Island | The other prime window, quieter and fine value |
| June to August | Hot and humid, afternoon storms inland | Early tee times, mildest on the coast, best prices |
| December to February | Mild on the coast, cooler inland | Coastal golf playable, the quietest, cheapest months |
Spring and autumn are the prime seasons across Georgia, with the Golden Isles coast playable nearly year round and the inland courses around Atlanta and Lake Oconee cooler in winter. Always confirm tee times and resort availability before you travel.
Indicative costs
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sea Island resort green fee, guest | Around $250 to $350 | Usually within a stay and play package; cart included |
| Reynolds Lake Oconee, guest | Around $200 to $325 | Resort guest rate, season dependent |
| Public and daily fee courses | From around $50 to $150 | Across the state, the value option |
| A week, all in | Around $3,000 to $6,000 per person | Good resort, golf and meals, excluding flights |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown in US dollars to set expectations only. Resort golf is typically sold as a stay and play package rather than a posted green fee. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Getting there and around
Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest airport in the world, with direct flights from across North America, Europe and beyond, and it is the natural gateway for the inland golf and a ninety minute drive from Reynolds Lake Oconee. For the coast, the Golden Isles have their own regional airport at Brunswick, and Jacksonville in Florida and Savannah are both within easy reach of Sea Island by car. A hire car is essential for any Georgia golf trip, both to move between the resorts and to reach the spread out courses.
Where to stay
The two great golf resorts are also the two great places to stay. On the coast, The Cloister and The Lodge at Sea Island offer Forbes five star comfort steps from the courses, the classic Golden Isles base. At Lake Oconee, the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds sits on the water with the six courses fanning out around it. In Atlanta, the city's hotels put you close to East Lake and the championship clubs, and Savannah's historic inns suit a coastal add on. One planner can match the resort to your courses, your group and your dates, and combine a coastal and an inland leg.
Plan your Georgia golf trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when, whether that is the Sea Island links on the coast or a week at Reynolds Lake Oconee. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Georgia golf questions
When is the best time to play golf in Georgia?
Spring, from March to May, is the prime season, with warm, settled weather and the courses at their best, which is also when the Masters is played at Augusta. Autumn, from September to November, is the other fine window, cooler and quieter. Summer is hot and humid, especially inland, with afternoon storms and the best value, while winters are mild on the coast at Sea Island and cooler inland.
What are the best golf courses in Georgia?
Augusta National, the home of the Masters, is the most famous course in Georgia and one of the most revered in the world, but it is ultra private. The best you can realistically play are the resort courses at Sea Island, led by the Tom Fazio reworked Seaside, and at Reynolds Lake Oconee, led by the Jack Nicklaus Great Waters. East Lake in Atlanta, the Donald Ross course that hosts the Tour Championship, and Ocean Forest are also top tier but private.
Can you play the best golf courses in Georgia as a visitor?
Yes, the two best golf destinations, Sea Island and Reynolds Lake Oconee, are stay and play resorts whose courses are open to guests, with green fees folded into golf packages. Augusta National, East Lake, Ocean Forest and the leading Atlanta clubs are private and run through a member. So a Georgia golf trip is built around the Sea Island and Reynolds resorts, with the famous private clubs admired from afar.
How much does golf cost in Georgia in 2026?
At the resorts, golf is usually sold as part of a stay and play package rather than a posted green fee. Indicative 2026 resort green fees at Sea Island and Reynolds Lake Oconee run roughly $200 to $350 a round for guests, and a week with a good resort, golf and meals typically lands between $3,000 and $6,000 per head excluding flights. Public courses cost far less. Always confirm directly before booking.
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