7755 St. Marlo Country Club Parkway, Duluth; 770-495-7725; www.st.marlo.com
STAFF: (will insert info Tuesday)
PAR/YARDAGE: St. Marlo is a par 72 with four sets of tees: Gold (6,823) yards; Blue (6,405); White (5,933) and Red (4,969).
COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 73.7/140 (Gold); 71.9/135 (Blue); 69.1/128 (White); 70.2/121 (Red).
ABOUT THE COURSE: Considered one of the elite daily fee courses in metro Atlanta since it opened in the early 1990s, St. Marlo has recently joined the growing list of outstanding courses managed by Affiniti Golf Partners. From its name to location in a gated community on the north Fulton/Forsyth border to the superb course conditions to its clubhouse, St. Marlo is of country club caliber in almost every respect. But it’s a true daily fee facility, although local residents do get a slight break on fees. Designed by Atlanta-based course architect Denis Griffiths, who has compiled a sizeable and
impressive resume of Georgia layouts, St. Marlo is a scenic, diverse test with a terrific collection of holes. Griffiths mixes things up splendidly both from strategic and difficulty standpoints. With a few exceptions, the course is on the forgiving side off the tee, although OB stakes do encroach here and there. The difficulty begins with a trio of long and demanding par 4s that feature heavy doses of sand (2 and 12) and water (15), along with some testy greens complexes. The bent grass surfaces at St. Marlo are typically among the best around, with the areas around them among the best conditioned you’ll
play, easing the demands on your short game a bit. Along with the trio of long and demanding par 4s, Griffiths’ layout includes two intriguing and visually appealing shorter par 4s (6 and 14), with the latter sporting one of most intimidating short approach shots around. The par 5s are all on the short side by modern standards, with the narrow, sand-dotted 5th the lone one that does not present an excellent scoring opportunity. Both 10 and 13 are reachable by those who rarely can get to par 5s in two, as is the somewhat quirky 9th, although the sizeable boulder that guards the steeply elevated green may dissuade many from taking a chance. The par 3s are among the most aesthetically pleasing groups you’ll come across, with hazards in play on all four to varying degrees and just one (16) featuring much length.