The full ranking
Year-round golf, from beloved city munis like Bobby Jones and Browns Mill to the metro's top daily-fee layouts. The best public courses around Atlanta, ranked across local guides and live golfer ratings.
Echelon Golf Club (Alpharetta)
A dramatic Rees Jones layout in Alpharetta routinely named the best public-access course in metro Atlanta, playing to a 149 slope from the tips across five sets of tees. Demanding, beautifully conditioned, and the highest-rated big course on the north side.
The Chimneys Golf Course (Winder)
A city-owned gem northeast of Atlanta beloved for elevated tee shots, drivable par 4s, downhill par 3s, and a memorable finishing hole. Beautiful stonework on the tee boxes and excellent conditioning come at an affordable, municipal price.
Cherokee Run Golf Club (Conyers)
An Arnold Palmer championship design on the 1996 Olympic equestrian grounds in Conyers, wooded and secluded with rock outcroppings, long par 4s, and one of metro Atlanta's best collections of par 3s. A serious test that stays in great shape.
Bear's Best Atlanta (Suwanee)
An upscale public course in Suwanee stitched together from 18 of Jack Nicklaus's favorite holes worldwide, with arguably the best collection of par 4s in Atlanta and private-club conditioning. The closest thing to a bucket-list round you can simply book.
Bobby Jones Golf Course (Buckhead)
Atlanta's intown flagship muni, reimagined in 2018 as a reversible nine, the Magnolia and Azalea routings, honoring the city's most famous golfer. Strategic, walkable, and minutes from Midtown, with a major practice facility and the Georgia Golf House.
Cobblestone Golf Course (Acworth)
A scenic Ken Dye design on the shores of Lake Acworth, county-owned and long rated four stars by Golf Digest. Memorable lakeside holes, white-sand bunkers, and strong greens make it one of the metro's best public values.
Alfred "Tup" Holmes Golf Course (Southwest Atlanta)
A historic Southwest Atlanta muni named for the golfer whose lawsuit desegregated the city's public courses, offering a walkable, accessible layout close to downtown. One of the area's most affordable rounds, with genuine civil-rights significance.
Brown's Mill Golf Course (South Atlanta)
A respected south-side city course of moderate length and difficulty, with sizeable greens, gentle terrain, and a long, demanding par-4 third that ranks among the area's stronger holes. A popular, affordable muni for everyday Atlanta play.
Stone Mountain Golf Club (Stone Mountain)
Thirty-six holes inside Stone Mountain Park with views of the mountain and lake, headlined by Robert Trent Jones Sr.'s tree-lined, strategic Stonemont course. A resort-style public facility wrapped in a state-park setting.
North Fulton Golf Course (Chastain Park)
A classic city muni inside Chastain Park, shaped with input from Chandler Egan, Walter Hagen, and Bobby Jones, with tree-lined parkland fairways, creeks in play, and a brutal 446-yard par-4 18th. The most central traditional muni in Buckhead.
Ranked across 5 sources: Discover Atlanta · 13 Best Public Golf Courses In & Around Atlanta (alphabetical) 2021; ATL Golfs · Top 5 Public Courses (metro Atlanta) 2026; GolfDay · Top 20 Public Courses in Georgia (metro Atlanta) 2024; GolfPass · Golfers' Choice Georgia, Reader Reviews (metro Atlanta) 2026; Google Reviews · Ranked by Rating (June 2026). Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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