The best public golf deal in the Southeast might be in Northeast Georgia. Tucked inside the Richard B. Russell State Park, the Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course (6,800 yards, par 72) features elevation changes and immaculately maintained rolling Bermudagrass fairways and TifEagle greens.
The deal? Stay and play packages in one of the park’s 20 cottages begin as low as $233 per person (based on four golfers) and includes greens fee and cart, range access, one meal (breakfast or lunch) per round and a must-have park pass.
Designed by Bob Walker, Arrowhead Pointe is one of eight courses within the Georgia State Parks system. Located just outside Elberton, it is one of the great finds for golfers and golf buddy trips looking for a destination golf locale that’s off-the-grid just enough to create a memorable experience.
“You don’t wake up and say, ‘I want to go play Arrowhead.’ You have to plan it,’’ said Arrowhead Pointe GC Manager MJ Wardingley. “We are getting better and better known – and the rankings (as high as No.2 in the state among public courses) are helping. We’re getting more people who book return trips while they’re still here.’’’
In his 16 months as course manager, Wardingly has helped increase Arrowhead Pointe’s playing experience and visibility through attention-to-detail items such as a welcome gift for each player and name cards on each golf car and on the practice range. The course’s 10-minute tee time intervals add another layer to the playing experience. Arrowhead Pointe also has concierge service for golfers on stay and play packages.
A cottage inside Richard B. Russell State Park
“I was in the military for a long time,’’ said Wardingly as he sat inside the course’s grill room. “I worked logistics for 12 years – finding a process or a different or better way of doing something and executing it. Here, we just took an existing process and made it better.’’
The course, Wardingy said, receives approximately 14,000 rounds of play annually, – most of them between March to May and September and October. Arrowhead Pointe is open 364 days per year – closed only on Christmas Day.
Ten holes (beginning with the fifth and sixth holes) on Arrowhead Pointe play alongside Richard B. Russell Lake. Take notice that on holes 13, 14, 15 and 16, you’re playing on a peninsula with spectacular views of the lake. That’s particularly true in the late Fall months when the leaves change to bright orange and yellows that seamlessly contrast with lake’s blue waters.
“Gorgeous,’’ Wardingley said. “This is not a typical country club layout where every hole is straight. “You have to hit a lot of different shots.’’
If there is a “signature’’ hole, it could be the 15th, a par-3 that plays as long as 145 yards and as short as 93 yards downhill to a two-tiered green sloped from back to front. If you’re looking for the best view of the lake, the 15th green might be it.
While Arrowhead Pointe GC, which opened in 2004, is the centerpiece of the 2,508-acre Richard B. Russell State Park, it’s by no means the park’s only attraction. The lake (26, 650 acres) dominates the area and is one of the state’s more popular boating and watersports destinations. Each of the park’s 20, two-bedroom cottages is clean, roomy and equipped with full kitchens that come in handy because the nearest dinner options are in Elberton and Hartwell.
The cottages, whether it’s for golf buddy trip or families, fill up fast during the park’s peak seasons, so it’s wise to plan well ahead to reserve a location.
In addition to the cottages, the park has tent, trailer and RV sites, six miles of well-marked hiking trails, boat ramps and a group shelter. On summer weekends, the front part of the park often fills up with Frisbee Golf enthusiasts.
Regardless of the season, Arrowhead Pointe GC and Richard B. Russell State Park each are fantastic finds.