Every Hole at Atlanta Athletic Club Riverside Course

Overview

The Atlanta Athletic Club is home to two eighteen-hole golf courses. The most well know of the two for the average golfer in the state of Georgia is The Highlands Course, as it has a prestigious record of hosting golf tournaments, including a U.S. Open and multiple PGA Championships. The second course, Riverside, can get lost in the shuffle at times. While Riverside plays as a completely different eighteen-hole ride than Highlands, it is still a special golf course in its own right. It plays on the less difficult side than Highlands, but is still more than a fair challenge. The current Riverside layout contains less bunkering and water hazards than Highlands. By way of comparison, Riverside blue tees hold a 137 slope rating compared to 142 on Highlands from the same tee set. One sign for me personally that Riverside is a great golf course is that when I bring a guest to play at the club, I usually struggle with which course to bring them out to if they have not played either one.

Riverside was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1966. It underwent renovation in 2003 led by Reese Jones. It went through a large-scale renovation in 2022 led by Tripp Davis. The 2022 course view and analysis will be captured here in this post. The re-design led to some drastic course changes, including a handful of completely new golf holes and a number of water hazards completely removed from the course. The course is set up on a beautiful segment of the expansive property. It has a very walkable layout and a nice flow, with many greens set near tee boxes. The holes are lined with tall Georgia pines and there are sections of holes on both the front and back that run along the Chattahoochee River. Especially since the greens have softened up since first opening, I think Riverside is a very playable course golfers of any skill level, which is probably part of the idea of a second on-site course to complement Highlands. I have always found it hard to find any complaints on a nice Georgia day on Riverside.

Hole-by-Hole Analysis

Hole 1: Par 5 , 547 Yards

The opening hole on the Riverside course is a proper introduction to the beauty that the course carries throughout the eighteen hole journey with tall pine trees lining the long green fairways. It is a demanding start for a golf course playing a sizeable 547 yards from the white tees. The noticeable changes from the 2022 redesign on the first hole are relatively minimal. The hole itself plays straight away. Keeping your tee shot and second shot in the short grass is a key to escaping the first hole with a five or less. Bunkers cover the middle front left and right of a large green. Shots that travel long are usually not in major trouble but can play to a tricky downhill chip or putt to try and get close for a first hole par.

The opening views of the Riverside course are foreshadowing of many well-designed and beautiful golf holes to come.

Hole 2: Par 4 , 398 Yards

The second hole is the first par four on the course and one of my favorite holes from a beauty and aesthetics standpoint. Similar to the par five opener, this par four plays long and straight. The tee boxes are elevated so the hole does play slightly shorter than the on-paper yardage. The ideal tee shot here will take you in the middle right of the fairway. No issues with an approach shot from the left hand side of the fairway — it just makes for a tricker angle into the green. The approach shot here is a tough one and this can be one of the harder greens to stick even if you land the ball on the green (GVIR = green visited in regulation). The greens have finally started to soften up some; for the first year and a half of the course being open, they played almost like cement on approach shots. The primary change to this hole is the lake on the left side of the green was taken more out of play for the approach shot. This is a recurring theme to the redesign as there are now much less water hazards on the course. Escaping the par four second with a par is a great score.

Standing on the second hole tee box between the large pines with an open fairway is one of my favorite views on the Riverside course.

Hole 3: Par 3, 125 Yards

The first par three of the day is a completely new hole to Riverside. A hole that once stretched as a long, difficult par five has now been transformed into a moderate par four and this short par three. This is the one hole on the front nine where I do not know if I see its place on the golf course. The added holes gives the front nine three par threes — a departure from the traditional two on the first nine. Additionally I thought the hole they took out here was a great hole. The new Riverside number three is a very short par three playing just 125 yards and comes in as the second easiest hole on the course. Hitting the green here for a par is really key as the green has a false front and a large slope off on the backside. Very tall grass on the far left side of the green is a recipe for a lost ball. Bunkers surround either side of the green. The green is not nearly as large as the first two holes and a birdie is usually in play if you are within twenty feet or so of the pin.

The short par three third is the first completely new hole added from the 2022 course redesign.

Hole 4: Par 4, 348

The par four fourth is the second hole in a series of three completely new holes to the Riverside course. The previous hole played as a long and difficult par five with an elevated green over water. Now with no water hazard directly in play on this hole, this moderate length par four dogs slightly to the left and plays to an open fairway and rough. A play up the left side hugging the tree line can shorten the hole. Misses right are usually safe but if you put it past the second cut you are likely to be dropping three. The approach shot here plays to a large sloping green. A bunker guards the front left of the green. Misses off the back will slope down a hill and provide the first view of the Chattahoochee River. The river should not come into play. If you find a ball in the drink you likely thinned an iron or may want to hire a caddy for your next round.

Stay left off the tee to take a few yards off the fourth hole, though a approach shot from the right side of the fairway plays at a better angle.

Hole 5: Par 5, 540

Similar to the prior two holes, the fifth hole is a completely new hole on Riverside. The second and final par five of the front nine is a challenging one. The play off the tee here plays straight away with a large bunker placed strategically in the middle of the fairway about 280 yards out — not something I have to worry about. The second shot here can be critical to success on the fifth. A missed approach shot can leave your third shot blocked by a cropping of trees even if you are slightly in the second cut. Landing your second shot on the middle to left side of the fairway is critical here especially with a right pin placement. The green here is absolutely brutal with a very small landing area and false fronts nearly on all sides of the green and bunkers guarding the front left and right side of the green. The tight fringe areas make for difficult pitches and chips, as is the story on most of Riverside. If you are on in three here, consider it a win. The fifth hole is where Riverside starts to show its teeth and is the start of a difficult set of golf holes to close out the front nine.

The left side of the fairway is the place to be on the fifth playing into one of the most difficult greens on the course.

Hole 6: Par 3, 148 Yards

The second of three par threes on the front plays over only the second sight of water on Riverside. Similar to several of the first holes, this is a very nice golf hole to take in from the tee box from a visual standpoint. Upon carrying water this hole plays to another large green with a large sand trap on the left side. Not that I play the blue tees often, but this becomes a much more difficult hole on most days from one tee box back. The hole is also about as open as any on the course so on a windy day usually expect a head or cross wind carrying over the water. Saddle up for two of the hardest holes on the golf course out of the last three on the front.

Catching the seventh hole on a clear day with no wind is a nice sight.

Hole 7: Par 4, 397 Yards

One tee box I never necessarily feel comfortable on is the seventh and that is strictly due to the difficulty of this golf hole. Playing as the number one ranked men’s handicap and just a tick under four hundred yards from the whites, a good drive is critical to having any chance of a good score on this hole. A play up the right side will usually leave a much more difficult angle for approach shot. A drive up the left side brings much more risk into play with woods on the far side of the hole and a series of bunkers lining the driving landing area. Even a good drive here leaves the golfer with one of the more difficult approach shots on the course as you are required to play up a hill to a green and pin on most shots that play as blind with the nature of the hole. Misses to the left are more favorable than to the right, where several deep bunkers sit. As if the hole wasn’t hard enough, it has a very difficult green with a ton of slope. Two putts or less is always a solid victory; a par feels like a birdie.

Even with a favorable moved up tee box, the seventh hole is still a brute

Hole 8: Par 3, 160 Yards

The third par three on the front nine plays straight away with trouble to the left and right in the form of sand traps. A miss right can be extra brutal if you are to the right of the traps as it requires a very difficult pitch over the traps onto a tricky green with some slope. A miss off the back can be rough as well with a fairly decent size slope. If you’re going to miss here, the best spot is short of the green which carries a flat lie and leaves you in good position to try and pitch one in tight to the hole. Just get it on the green and you won’t even have to worry about all those lovely aforementioned options.

A right pin placement should not be taken lightly.

Hole 9: Par 4, 423 Yards

The ninth may be the third hardest handicap hole on the scorecard, but it is the number one in my book. The hole is a straightaway but earns it difficulty status in length. If I am sitting 185 yards out on my approach shot on this hole, I am usually feeling pretty good about myself. There are a few small rolling hills within the first part of the fairway and a set of large bunkers that can come into play off the drive on the left side of the fairway. This green was formerly incredibly difficult before the redesign (it was a two tier setup) and is much easier to stick and get out with a lower score now. Out of all the holes on Riverside, I have hit this green in regulation the fewest amount of times.

Hole 10: Par 4, 362 Yards

The tenth tee is a short walk from the ninth green, crossing over one tee box along the way. I think Davis did an excellent job on the back nine combining fun and challenging holes. Because I more often play nine holes than eighteen, I have not played the back nine of Riverside all that much since the 2022 redesign. Out of the two nines, I prefer the back. The tenth is a moderate length par four. The fairway slopes downhill and on dry days you can get a pretty nice roll to take some yardage off the approach shot. Keep the tee shot to the right side of the fairway, as trouble lurks to the left with woods. If your tee shot is far left it can even end up in water. I really like the approach shot on ten, as it plays slightly downhill to a large green. The miss to stay away here is to the left. Shots long or to the right of the green typically make for fairly safe shots to try and get up and down.

The approach shot on ten is one of my favorite shots on the course.

Hole 11: Par 3, 141 Yards

The first par three on the back nine is one of the prettiest holes in the course. The below picture was actually taken before the redesign but one of the best I have ever captured on the Riverside course. The tee shot on this relatively short par three requires carry over a large lake that expands to the left side of the hole. This is actually the only lake carry required on the back nine outside a few creeks that comes to play on the eleventh hole. The green here is another large one that slopes from top to bottom. A miss to the left side can lead to a water ball, and a miss to the right leaves a tough sand shot. The start to the back nine is a nice way to ease in to a new nine after a really difficult stretch to close out the front. Par four, three, and five is a fun and very different start than the front nine.

Though the age of the picture does not transfer well, this is one of may favorite Riverside course photos I have taken, pre re-design.

Hole 12: Par 5, 499 Yards

This is one of my favorite holes on the course. The twelfth is the first completely new hole design on the back nine. It is a hole with much adventure that can be played a number of different ways. From the tee box, a larger bunker sits right in the middle of the target landing zone similar to the par five fifth; make plans to avoid that bunker. This green is always a challenging one to hit and sits guarded by a creek and several bunkers. It sits on the right-hand side of the hole, so playing up the left-hand side of this hole provides for a more ideal angle to get to this green. Wish I knew what that was like.

The twelfth hole is a fan favorite on Riverside.

Hole 13: Par 4, 499 Yards

Similar to the front nine, the first three holes on the back are very playable with the tenth playing as the lowest of the three handicap holes. Things start to get more difficult on thirteen, which is another completely new hole design. This is a long par four which requires a well-placed tee shot for success. The hole dogs to the left with the Chattahoochee coming back into view here off to the distant right. I find this to be one of the tougher approach shots and greens on the course, though on the surface it does not look hard.

The thirteenth brings the Chattahoochee back into play and it is in play with a errant approach shot.

Hole 14: Par 4, 276 Yards

Fourteen is a classic risk, reward golf hole. Easily the shortest hole on the course, this par four plays only 276 yards from the white tees. There are really two plays here off the tee. The safe option, the one I have had the most success with, is a mid-iron off the tee to set up for a short approach shot. The riskier option for the big hitters and low handicappers is a wood or driver to stick one on or close to a green. I really have no business hitting the driver on this hole because I cannot hit a driver 280 yards. If I hit a perfect drive 240 yards, that is where all kinds of trouble comes in to play. There are a number of sand traps where you could wind up faced with the always awkward thirty to forty yard sand shot. Also, this is the first hole where the Hooch’ really come into play as even a slight miss right and you’ll be looking for your ball between anglers and rafters. I really like this hole and think it was a solid add to the Riverside redesign.

Approach shot view when you take the David Simms route of taking the ‘safe play.’

Hole 15: Par 4, 409 Yards

Fifteen tee box marks the furthest point on Riverside away from the clubhouse as this hole starts the move back towards home base. This is another difficult par four. The play here off the tee is middle to left side of the fairway. Though the golfer must be careful to not go too far left or you can be blocked out by a large pine tree. A play up the right side is fine here — it can just make the approach shot longer. The scorecard has this as the number two handicap, but I would personally rate its difficulty behind hole seven and nine.

Hole 16: Par 4, 390 Yards

The last par four on the course is a beautiful golf hole. I love playing this hole in the twilight hour because of the amazing shadows from the pine trees. It also runs parallel and has a similar play and feel to Highlands’ sixteen. Stay middle left here off the tee to avoid a series of sand traps lining the right side of the hole. There is nothing wrong with a drive middle or right — just appreciate taking that piece of the hole out play. The approach shot here plays to an elevated green. Almost all approach shots will be blind. You will not know where you ball ends up until you crest the hill and step onto the green.

Evening shadows luminating the sixteenth hole, pre re-design.

Hole 17: Par 3, 181 Yards

More times than not you will be standing on the seventeenth hole with a long iron in your hand, even from the white tees. This par three almost always plays long and is quite the challenge. A series of bunkers line most of the front side of a long green. Any pin placement to the far left part of the green should be avoided, in my humble opinion. Pin placements in the middle or right side of the green make a par more likely, though this green is a challenging one. Hitting it in regulation is no guaranteed par.

Seventeen is considered the hardest par three on the course; pin placement above is especially difficult.

Hole 18: Par 3, 508 Yards

The final stop on Riverside comes in form of the par five eighteenth. Davis elected to make this an easier closing hole in large part by removing another lake from the course that previously bordered the green. The new design plays as a solid finishing hole. There are a fair amount of sand traps that can come into play, but otherwise there are no huge obstacles. The green here is slightly elevated and though it shouldn’t be a hard one to hit, it has given me my fair share of issues.

Closing drive on eighteen.