RiverPines Golf Course, John's Creek

A lush labyrinth pressed against the banks of the Chattahoochee River, River Pines Golf Club's 18-hole, par 70 Championship Course spans 6,602 yards of bucolic, tee-to-green terrain. Fortify club-flailing skills before taking to the fairways with a stint at the club's driving range, which deftly emulates course challenges with grass hitting areas, contoured target greens, a practice sand bunker, and a loitering gang of feral flagsticks. A nimble golf cart accompanies golfers throughout the round, helping track down flush power-draws that bisect the course's immaculate, bermuda fairways or precise approaches that halt pin-high on the slick surfaces of bent-grass greens.

A haven for those in need of shoring up their short games, the club's 9-hole par 3 course demands apt control of mid- and short-irons throughout 951 yards of compressed clubbing. Duffers still searching for the elusive hole-in-one will have ample chances throughout the round, particularly on the 82-yard sixth hole, where a full swing with any non-noodle-based club may send the ball sailing over the wide-open, bent grass green.

Championship Course at a Glance

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Bermuda fairways, bent-grass greens
• Length of 6,602 yards from the furthest tees
• Course rating of 71.1 from the furthest tees
• Slope of 132 from the furthest tees
• Five sets of tees

Par 3 Course at a Glance

• 9-hole, par 27 course
• Bent-grass greens
• Length of 951 yards from the furthest tees
• Two sets of tees