The McLemore Highlands Golf Course – Mountain Golf on a Cliff’s Edge
By Tim Cotroneo
Morning takes on a quiet, almost serene feeling for golfers preparing to tee off at The McLemore Highlands Golf Course located atop Lookout Mountain in Rising Fawn, GA. What you don’t realize is that your 2,000-feet above sea level breakfast view is a first glimpse into the ever-changing mountain scenery that bonds with your 18-hole golf experience.
The outdoor dining at the clubhouse is positioned so that your bacon and eggs entree provides plenty of visual food for thought. On your left is The Cairn, McLemore’s six-hole short course designed to sharpen your wedge game. Facing dead center, you’re gazing at the Lookout Mountains, an almost infinite range that can be seen in seven states. To your right is the well-manicured practice green. With pre-round views like these, a golfer’s morning joe and juice never tasted so good.
On this day, you are somewhat consumed by what might occur at the very end of your Highlands golf journey. Leading up to your McLemore Resort golf trip, you’ve heard that The Highlands’ 18th hole sends shivers through the steadiest of golfers, delivers amazing images for the most accomplished photographer, and is recognized as one of the finest finishing holes in the world.
Sneak Peek at What Lies Ahead
With a little lead time before teeing off on the Par 5, 575-yard first hole, you decide to set out on an early morning reconnaissance mission to get up close and personal with the main event. You follow the path at the base of the clubhouse leading to the 18th hole green.
Your gait picks up steam as you veer right past a huge boulder. You follow an opening that leads to a clearing and suddenly, there it is. Your eyes arch upward to a green that seems to be teetering on a 180-degree cliff. You stand spellbound as a greenskeeper skims left and then right on a John Deere roller that floats like a Stanley Cup Zamboni machine. You’re convinced that this rolling exercise is sure to add miles-per-hour to a green that already appears to present a marble tabletop putting challenge.
The greenskeeper waves, and you wave back. Breathing deeply, you collect your courage and your thoughts. That’s enough of an 18th hole moment for now. It’s time to see if the rest of this notorious Rees Jones and Bill Bergin design matches the golf industry buzz.
Start Your Engines
You check in with the starter who hails from Dalton, GA. Everything you hear about warm Southern hospitality rings true when conversing with this McLemore ambassador who you discover is a former Director of Golf at course located south of Savannah. His last words as you take off for the first tee are, “Be careful with your speed as you swerve down the hill.”
Your golf cart passes a couple of Mount Rushmore-sized boulders on your right as you catch a glimpse of the new Cloudland at McLemore Resort on your left. When you get to the base of the hill, your threesome looks out at a 575-yard, Par 5 first hole. You scan a forest and a sand trap jutting left, and a giant rock, plus more forest on the right. There’s plenty of fairway, but the tee shot visual can unnerve a golfer playing The Highlands for the first time. Once on the green, be sure and digest the amazing vista to the left. You’re looking at McLemore Cove, stretching as far as the eye can see.
You’ve tallied your first hole score and pause to catch your breath. Bring it on Mr. Jones and Mr. Bergin. Your confidence is buoyed until your cart approaches the 6th hole tee box.
6th Hole Skydive
The Highlands 18th hole gets all the love, but the 548-yard 6th hole is in a class all by itself. PGA Professional and Golf Channel Analyst Charlie Rymer’s voice echoes through your golf cart’s GPS with ample warning as to what will transpire on your second shot. Peer out beyond the tips of your Footjoys and note a 125-foot elevation drop-off for the ages. Whether you decide to reach the green in two, or play it safe with an iron, the best advice is to commit to your shot.
Once you get past the 6th hole, the balance of your golf adventure is all about canyons, highlands, and cliffs. In fact, it’s easy to get mesmerized by the scenery calling out from beyond The Highlands seemingly unending summits. Throughout much of your round you’ll be accompanied by a throng of eagles flying overhead. You learn that depending on the season, over 300 eagles call the Lookout Mountain region home.
During your Highlands experience, you’ll find that designers Jones and Bergin will tug at course playability heartstrings. This 7,000-yard layout transitions from generous fairways to approach shots that demand precision, smart decision making, or guts. On certain Highlands golf holes a golfer needs to summon all three of these talents.
What a Finish
Speaking of precision, smart decision making and guts, welcome to The Highlands Par 4, 435-yard, 18th hole. This grand finale has earned buckets of accolades including “What is likely to become one of the most recognizable holes in the game of golf.”
The phones come out on the tee box as your fellow golfers position themselves for a photograph showcasing the panoramic image of Lookout Mountain in all her glory. If your drive flares right, there is a giant boulder that comes into play at about 200 yards. Go too far left, and your ball vanishes deep into a neighboring Georgia zip code. That is unless an eagle decides to snare your Titleist in mid-flight.
Step up to your second shot and you’re looking at a carry over a ravine. Golfers are also staring at a view that’s at least as spectacular as your tee shot moments before. The depth of the drop off on the left side of the green would make Evel Knievel’s knees buckle. In other words, stay right if you want post-round bragging rights once you make it to the clubhouse.
Oh What a Feeling
As your threesome strides on to the green, you’re greeted by an attendant named Scott. How many golf holes are so acclaimed they have their own attendant?
Scott has been watching 18th hole putts from every angle throughout the day. He whispers that a 30-foot uphill putt is dead straight. With his brain on autopilot, a member of your threesome strikes a putt that rattles off the pin and stops 18 inches from the cup. With a sigh of relief, he taps in and there are high fives all around. A par on one of the most amazing golf holes on the planet is reason to celebrate.
As the threesome makes its way to The Highlands at McLemore clubhouse the silence of the early morning gives way to an afternoon of camaraderie and levity. In unison, your golf partners hoist their glasses skyward. What a day to play golf above the clouds at Cloudland at McLemore Resort. https://www.themclemore.com/golf/highlands-course
