University of Georgia Golf Course

• Format: 18 holes; par 71; 7,258 yards from the Bulldog tees, rated approximately 75.4/141.
• Design/history: Robert Trent Jones Sr. original, opened in 1968. Love Golf Design renovated the greens and added 21 tees in 2006.
• Access: Public. Afternoon tee times are released online seven days ahead; a separate advance-request portal covers roughly eight days to two months and requires at least two players.
• Current general-public rates: Monday–Thursday walking $69/riding $98; Friday–Sunday walking $77/riding $106; nine holes walking $44/riding $60. Rates include tax. Twilight with cart is $52 weekday and $63 weekend.
• Important event pricing: Higher home-football rates are posted. General-public riding reaches $125 on affected Fridays/Saturdays. Check the Georgia football calendar before planning the drive.
• Practice/amenities: Full grass range, target greens, putting and large pitching/bunker areas, golf shop, rentals and a cashless grab-and-go market. Carts have GPS and weather-alert technology.
• Contact/location: 2600 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA 30605; 706-369-5739 or 800-936-4833.

18Birdies shows 4.7/5 from 289 reviews, with value 4.4 and conditions 4.5. The course is consistently characterized as hard, with fast greens and pace. GolfPass shows an even stronger 4.9/5 from 207 reviews. The broad signal supports the course’s reputation as serious public golf.

This is not a campus novelty with a bulldog logo slapped on the scorecard. It is a long Robert Trent Jones test that has hosted college championships and professional events, and the back tees look like a terrible way for a 20-handicap to spend five hours. From the correct tees, though, it has one of the strongest public-golf cases in the EDGE list.

The catch is price and timing. Riding on a normal weekend is already $106, and a home-football weekend costs even more. Walk it on a regular weekday and the value argument gets much better—assuming the group is ready for the terrain.

Our Call: WORTH THE EXTRA DRIVE for serious public golf. AVOID HOME-GAME PRICING unless the Athens weekend is part of the plan.

• Architecture and college-golf nerds
• Strong walkers who want the better-value public rate
• Athens weekends where the group wants golf with real tournament pedigree
• Better players looking for a full back-tee test

Check the football schedule, live rate, booking window, cart/rental availability, aeration and whether the group is comfortable walking the property. Rental sets require at least two days’ notice. The market is cashless.