Echelon Golf Club earns honors

Echelon Golf Club has been recognized as the No. 1 public golf course in metro-Atlanta and No. 11 in the State of Georgia, according to GOLF Magazine’s biennial ranking recently released.

Located in the north-Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta and managed by Affiniti Golf Partners, Echelon is a broad-shouldered, beautiful and formidable test designed by famed golf course architect Rees Jones in 2006.

The course rambles over 600-acres of rolling hills, and provides striking elevation change and dramatic views, especially on the back nine. And Echelon’s 32-acre practice and training facility is one of the finest in the state.

“We are thrilled with the national-class recognition gained from Golf Magazine,” says Echelon Golf Club General Manager Cary Perez. “Their evaluation echoes that of our members and daily fee players, who consistently marvel at the architectural excellence and immaculate course conditioning they encounter.”

Echelon’s defense against par is well-renowned in the region, and was confirmed when the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2011 Book of Lists rated it the “Toughest Golf Course in Atlanta,” with a course rating of 77.3 and a slope rating of 150. Stretching 7,558-yards from the back tees, Echelon is also the longest course on the Business Chronicle’s Top 25 list. Yet, multiple sets of tees level the playing field and keep the game fun and forgiving for all.

With a monthly readership of over 6 million, Golf Magazine is the second largest golf publication in the world. Every two years it ranks the best public golf courses in America, and also ranks the best courses you can play in every state.

Golf Magazine’s ranking panel consists of 100 voters from 17 countries, and includes LPGA Hall of Famers, golf course architects and photographers, and several British and U.S. Amateur winners.

According to the publication, “We have no specific criteria that our raters must follow: they tell us what constitutes "greatness" in a course. Still, among the architectural elements they consider are design rhythm, variety of terrain and holes, setting and conditioning, and how well the course tests a player's full arsenal of skills.”

Echelon shared top recognition in the Golf Magazine rankings with such other elite Georgia courses as Great Waters at Reynolds Plantation and the Seaside Course at Sea Island. No other Atlanta course made the Top 15 list. Echelon started out life as the Georgia Tech Club, but has since changed its ownership and name.