Chateau Elan is a good choice for an Atlanta, Georgia golf vacation.
If there are no further rain delays, the PGA Tour will anoint its first $10 million dollar man on Sunday, when its Tour Championship — and new FedEx Cup playoff series — concludes in Atlanta.
Thankfully, you don’t have to have that kind of windfall to enjoy a world-class experience on an Atlanta, Georgia golf vacation; not when Chateau Elan Winery & Resort is less than an hour away in the town of Braselton.
Chateau Elan was created in 1981 by pharmaceutical magnate Donald Panoz and his wife, Nancy, when they acquired an estate on which to make wine. It quickly expanded from a winery and charming inn, and now includes four golf courses, a European-style spa with its own lodging, lavish equestrian and tennis facilities, and a rock-climbing wall.
Of the resort’s four courses (one of which is a nine-hole, par-three layout) The Legends Course is the best one to play on your Atlanta, Georgia golf vacation. Hall of Famers Gene Sarazen, Sam Snead, and Kathy Whitworth assisted architect Denis Griffiths in designing this championship track that integrates elements from the world’s great golf holes. For example, No. 15, the signature par three over water, is a replica of the 12th at Augusta National, with a narrow green only 15 feet deep.
Throughout the layout, deftly placed trees and fairway bunkers call upon players to exercise wise course management. The beauty of the routing is that it presents golfers with strategic decision that can lead to birdies or blowups. Pristine course conditioning, formidable rough, slick greens with subtle breaks, and a classic finishing hole that concludes at the attractive clubhouse add to the championship aura of this course.
Although it’s private, you can play the Legends Course on your Atlanta, Georgia golf vacation if you stay at Chateau Elan. The course is available to resort guests every day except Tuesday, and that’s only because it’s closed.
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