The Best Public Golf Courses to Play on an Atlanta-to-Augusta Golf Vacation

Whenever the Masters approaches, we get questions about where to find the best public golf courses in Atlanta or in Augusta, Ga., itself.

This year, we were asked about the best public golf courses to play when traveling from Atlanta to Augusta, a well-worn route by many who attend the tournament (or "toonamint," as they say down there).

If we were making the journey, below are the golf courses and resorts that would be on our radar screen. Again, they aren't necessarily the best public golf courses in Atlanta, but if you're heading out of the city on I-20 toward Augusta (and want to play golf while you're there), these courses may provide the best combination of worthwhile golf and minimal highway detours. 

Heading east on I-20 from Atlanta to Augusta:

• Cherokee Run, Conyers, Ga. (cherokeerungolfclub.com)
• Ashton Hills Golf Club (formerly Indian Creek), Covington, Ga. (ashtonhillsgc.com)
• The Creek at Hard Labor Creek State Park, Rutledge, Ga. (hardlaborcreekgc.com)
• Reynolds Lake Oconee, Lake Oconee, Ga. (reynoldslakeoconee.com)
• Cuscowilla, Eatonton, Ga. (cuscowilla.com; private with possible access on Masters week))

In Augusta, we'd recommend Jones Creek Golf Club (jonescreekgolfclub.com).

Other good options are:

• Bartram Trail Golf Club, Evans, Ga. (bartramtrailgolfclub.org)
• Forest Hills Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. (theforesthillsgolfcourse.com)
• Goshen Plantation, Augusta, Ga. (goshenplantation.com)

And, just over the border in South Carolina, some of the better public golf courses are:

• The River Club, North Augusta, S.C. (rivergolfclub.com)
• Cedar Creek Golf Club, Aiken, S.C. (cedarcreekgolfclub.net)
• Mount Vintage Plantation, North Augusta, S.C. (mountvintage.com)
• Midland Valley, Graniteville, S.C. (playmidlandvalley.com)

A full list of Augusta golf courses and practice ranges can be found at: augusta.com/masters/courses.