2600 Riverbend Rd., Athens; 706-369-5739; www.golfcourse.uga.edu
STAFF: Dave Cousart is the PGA Director of Golf; Matt Peterson is the PGA Head Professional.
PAR/YARDAGE: The UGA course plays to a par 71 (72 for women) with five sets
of tees: Bulldog (7,240 yards); Red (6,825); Silver (6,444); White (5,997) and Black (5,186).
COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 75.2/142 (Bulldog); 73.2/136 (Red); 71.4/125 (Silver); 69.4/120 (White); 71.1/124 (Black).
ABOUT THE COURSE: The University course, which was renovated several years ago, will again be in the national spotlight early next month when it serves as the host for the Nationwide Tour’s Stadion Classic at UGA. The course gave the Nationwide Tour’s top players a serious test last year, and was among the most difficult courses the tour visited. The combination of significant length, a reasonable number of hazards and some demanding greens complexes make it a challenge for the tour players, with the extension of a number of tees adding more than 400 yards in length from the tips while reducing par from 72 to 71. For its regular visitors, the biggest change to the course was the addition of new forward tees that reduced their yardage by almost 500 yards and made it much more playable for women, juniors and those new to the game. The three middle sets of tees remained relatively unchanged, but the extensive work done to the putting surfaces has made a major difference for everyone who plays the course. Davis Love’s design group introduced a variety of ridges, tiers and bowls to the putting surfaces, giving them considerably more character and increasing the demands on all aspects of your short game. For the non-tour players who tee it up, tee selection is vital, with the length of many of the par 4s making it a major challenge for those who try to tackle a set of tees that may be too long for them. For the most part, the UGA course is relatively open off the tee, but a sufficient amount of the tree lines are easily within reach to make accuracy
almost as much an asset as length. The rolling terrain is also a factor, especially on two of the par 3s and some of the approach shots, which several greens including some sharp drop-offs along the edges. The course includes a wonderful group of par 3s, most notably the all carry over water 13th, which teams with the risk/reward par-5 12th to form one
of the most memorable back-to-back holes on any course in the state. The Robert Trent Jones design, which dates back to the 1960s, is a classic traditional style layout which remains a challenging but playable Georgia gem.