By Mike Blum
Atlanta has more than its share of outstanding private clubs, most of which are well known to those active in the metro area’s golf community.
But there are a few clubs that for one reason or another have managed to remain under the radar, escaping much attention outside their immediate area.
Perhaps the best, and one of the best examples of those mostly unknown country clubs is Smoke Rise, which has been around for a little over a decade without making much of an impact on the metro Atlanta golf scene.
Smoke Rise Country Club opened for play in 1998 and has kept a low profile for most of its existence. That is about to change, however.
The club, which is under new ownership, has entered into an agreement with the Canongate family of clubs, which will manage Smoke Rise and offer reciprocal golf privileges that will benefit both the membership at Smoke Rise and the members of Canongate’s 20-plus private clubs in the metro area.
Smoke Rise members will have access to all the Canongate courses, including those out of state, at very reasonable rates. Canongate members will be able to play Smoke Rise during the week, with weekends reserved for those holding memberships at the DeKalb club.
Conveniently located in Smoke Mountain just a few miles from one of Atlanta’s most famous landmarks, Smoke Rise CC is part of one of the metro area’s most scenic communities, with its rolling terrain producing some gorgeous views along the way.
Smoke Rise is a full-service private country club, offering the full range of quality amenities found at the metro area’s other top-flight private clubs. In addition to its thoroughly playable and enjoyable golf course, Smoke Rise offers a first-rate tennis facility with one of Atlanta’s top teaching professionals; an Olympic-size swimming pool that is a big part of the club’s strong family orientaton; a fitness complex; and a 25,000 square foot colonial style clubhouse with a full service restaurant and a verandah that offers a wonderful view of the 18th green.
The golf course was designed by Gary Roger Baird, who has a history of working on mountain-style layouts. Smoke Rise is not a mountain course, but its terrain is among the most dramatic in the metro area. Baird did an excellent job of keeping the course player friendly while incorporating the occasionally rugged landscape into the layout, although the slope rating is on the high side for a course without serious length.
Smoke Rise measures just 6,850 yards from the back tees and a little over 6,300 from the next set. But with a number of elevated tees, the course plays a little shorter than its listed yardage.
However, with the combination of rolling terrain, relatively narrow corridors, a healthy number of hazards in play and some of Atlanta’s more challenging putting surfaces, Smoke Rise doesn’t need a whole lot of length to provide a sufficient challenge.
Smoke Rise is rated at 73.1/142 from the back tees and 70.8/136 from the golds, with the senior tees 5.834 on the scorecard (68.7/131) and the forward set 5,027 (70.2/125).
As a relatively tight course with a general absence of length but a good number of dogleg holes, the Smoke Rise layout is not one designed for big hitters, who will leave the driver in the big for much of their rounds. Only two par 4s are longer than 400 yards from the back tees, with the longest par 4 from the golds right at 400. The five par 5s vary considerably in length, with only one of the five par 3s on the short side, but just one measuring longer than 170 from the golds.
With an exception or two, the primary aim at Smoke Rise is to find the fairway, a task that is challenging but not excessively demanding. With most of the fairways bordered by thick tree lines and/or sizable mounds, errant tee shots will not meet a kind fate, although the mounds can be your friend if you use them properly.
If you can keep it in play, Smoke Rise is definitely susceptible to some low scores with its absence of length and minimal number of forced carries over hazards. But you first have to solve the puzzle of the large greens, which have a healthy amount of undulation and have been known to roll on the quick side.
Although there aren’t many holes where you have to carry a hazard to reach the putting surface, a number of the greens are well protected by sand. A large variety of pin positions determine how seriously in play the bunkers are, while also significantly changing the nature of the approach shots from one day to the next, making Smoke Rise a course its members do not tire of playing.
Smoke Rise opens with a short but narrow dogleg right par 4 that rewards an accurate tee shot with a downhill second to a green surrounded by sand but open at the front. Avoiding the mound down the right side is key, a pattern that will return at differing stages of the round.
Placement off the tee is crucial on three of the other par 4s on the opening nine, with only the par-5 sixth and par-4 ninth offering much of a respite from the necessity for accuracy. The short eighth requires a lay-up to avoid thick brush and a ravine/wetlands, with one of the smaller greens on the course protected on three sides by sand.
Both par 5s going out have some length, with the second also featuring a ravine that crosses the fairway in front of the green and the sixth more of a grip-it-and-rip-it style hole.
The back nine includes several extremely interesting holes that can produce a wide array of numbers on the scorecard, beginning with the 10th, one of three par 5s coming in.
The 10th turns sharply to the right, and is reachable in two by those capable of cutting the dogleg and carrying the mound on that side. The narrow lay-up is no picnic, but two well-positioned shots will produce a birdie opportunity if your wedge game is sharp.
The 11th is the signature hole at Smoke Rise, with the all-carry-over-water par 3 one of the prettiest holes in all of Atlanta. At 188 yards from the back tees, the 11th is as dangerous as it is scenic, with its picturesque but unforgiving lake and shallow green requiring precise distance control.
The 14th is another visually appealing par 3 with Stone Mountain in the background, but the downhill nature of the hole can be deceiving with the wind in your face.
Measuring under 500 yards from the back tees and 470 from the golds, the 16th appears to be an excellent scoring opportunity, but is among a handful of holes where length is a definite asset. Shorter hitters have to thump it off the tee to carry a ravine through the fairway with their second shot, and there is not a great deal of lay-up area for those capable of clearing it. The putting surface is hidden behind a bunker, making it a testier than expected hole from tee to green.
Smoke Rise features an experienced group of professionals in its key positions. Joe Russello has moved over from Canongate’s Whitewater Creek to take over as General Manager, with Canongate veteran Tom Reid the club’s personable Membership Director. Dominic Stephens is back for a second stint as the club’s PGA head professional, with Mike Lawrence remaining as the superintendent.
The club’s new web site (www.smokerisecc.com) is in the process of being re-launched, with information about Smoke Rise also available on the Canongate site (www.canongategolf.com). The phone number is 770-908-2582.