Post by Richie3Jack on Jun 1, 2010 12:27:18 GMT -5
Lanier Golf Club is a public course that is not part of the Canongate Golf group. Lanier at one time was known as the ‘player’s course’ in the Atlanta area with the reputation of having the most amount of scratch golf members of any course in Atlanta. That’s a good distinction when you think of the prestigious courses in the Atlanta area like Atlanta Athletic Club, Country Club of the South, City Club, etc.
Ironically, Lanier Club was originally owned by Canongate back in the 60’s, but Canongate sold the club and it became a popular place to hold big tournaments such as NCAA events and US Open local qualifiers. Eventually the ownership tried to tear down the course and build condos since it’s within walking distance of Lake Lanier. But the county refused to let them do so, thus the course got rid of its membership base and because a truly public golf club. The course is trying to be sold with Sequoia Holdings (the group that actually owns Canongate) being one of the bidders for the course, but no deal has been reached.
The problem that Lanier Club has is that whomever buys the new course will have to tear down the ‘clubhouse’ and strike a deal with the driving range. The clubhouse looks like it’s about to collapse on you at any second. The range is right next door, but I believe it is owned by somebody else and the club has a deal where golfers can go to the range. But, that deal would have to be worked out by whomever purchases Lanier Club. The problem with Canongate is that they will certainly want to rebuild the clubhouse and will certainly want ownership of the range.
It’s too bad because Lanier Club is actually a fine course. It’s a Joe Lee design that plays 6,700 yards from the back tees and to a 135 slope. But don’t let the lack of distance fool you, it’s a superb old-school designed course and there’s plenty of holes where the distance will be all you can handle.
Lanier is pretty hilly, but actually a walkable golf course. Despite the dilapidated clubhouse, the course is usually in excellent shape with very fast and well conditioned greens. And while it’s a 135 slope, holes 5 thru 10 are a challenge for any golfer, regardless of skill or length off the tee.
Lanier only has water on 2 of the 18 holes, which is odd since it’s so close to Lake Lanier. But Joe Lee did a nice job here of still making the golf course look picturesque with the rolling hills and the trees. If you are new to golf, you’ll see what I mean that today’s golf course designs are really ‘carry golf’ oriented as Lanier Club is anything but ‘carry golf.’ The reason why designers love the ‘carry golf’ approach is it makes the course look beautiful. However, Lee shows with Lanier Club you can accomplish designing a beautiful course if you are a skilled designer.
The best holes on the course are #3, #4, #9, #11, #12 and #18. The weaker holes are #2, #7 and #14.
The par-3’s are very tough after you finish with the rather easy 2nd hole. #8 is about 190 yards to a very narrow green that is surrounded by bunkers. Even if you hit the green and go by the cup, you can very well 3-putt. #10 is a 215 yard par-3 and plays all of that yardage. #17 is a 220 yard par-3 and can easily require a 3-wood if the wind is blowing a bit into your face.
Probably the best hole on the course is #9 as it’s a 412 yard par-4 where a big drive can help a lot in decreasing the amount of club you need on the approach. That’s big because the green has two tiers and the closer you get to the green, the easier it is to avoid hitting that bottom tier if the pin is placed on the top tier. The conundrum starts with the big drive usually leading to a very downhill lie. And overall it’s a very pretty golf hole.
I highly recommend giving Lanier Club a try as the rates are very affordable. In fact, on Monday’s for $38 you get all of the golf, with cart you can play. I’ve seen guys play there on Monday and get 72 holes in!
Hopefully the course will be bought out by Canongate as the two courses nearby that are Canongate courses, Windermere and Olde Atlanta Club, do about 50,000 rounds a year a piece, so they could really use an extra course to spread out the traffic. Plus, this is too good of a course to not be taken care of properly.
3JACK