The first hole begins with an unbelievable view of the Atlanta city skyline that momentarily takes your thoughts away from a difficult opening tee shot. With the hole bordered on the right by Montgomery Ferry Drive, on the left by a hazard, and in front of the tee by another hazard, a very accurate tee shot is demanded. If you find the fairway with your tee shot, you will need another accurate shot to hit the tiny green surrounded in the front by two large bunkers. If you make it through this hole with a par and avoid hitting your golf ball into the road, you should be on your way to a great round of golf.
 

The hazard in front of tee on the first hole now lays in your landing area for a slightly missed tee shot. If you are lucky, it will bounce through into the fairway. If not so lucky, your drop will leave you with a shot over 200 yards to the green. Even though the trees to the right seem to line you up to the left, you have room to the right after the trees. The driving range is on your right with generous open spaces. Once you have crossed the creek, you must pick the right club into an uphill, two tiered green. There are three bunkers around the green, but none in the front to stop any shots that happen to run up the hill. Do not go over the green, because the green is sloped back toward the fairway, and it will be tough to make par.
 

The first of the par threes is a tough test. This hole is not called “Train Wreck” by many members just because it runs parallel to the tracks. You will have a long iron or wood in your hands, depending on the wind, and you are hitting into a small, three tiered green. A big valley between the tee and the green make the hole look shorter than the yardage. TRUST THE YARDAGE!! If you are short of the green, the ball will roll back down the hill and make for a difficult pitch. The tiers in the green will tend to stop a shot that you think will go over. There are also severe drop-offs left and back, and out of bounds all along the right side of the hole. If you are still even par through the first three holes, you are in for great round.
 

Your tee shot will need to favor the right side of the fairway. This is where your ball will roll the farthest, but you must be careful of the out of bounds that is only 15 yards to the right of the fairway line. Once you are over the hill, you will see two greens. Your target is the very small green in the right half of the fairway, guarded by two bunkers on the left. Favor the right side of the green because everything rolls back to the left once you are on the green. The green is surrounded by bunkers.
 

This is your best opportunity for a birdie. There is a large hill in the landing area for the longer hitters. Be careful when the course is dry. If your tee shot is not down the left side of the fairway, your shot could roll into the rough or trees to the right of the fairway. If you can see the green from the location of your tee shot, you can reach the green in two. You are better off short and in the bunkers because there is a creek behind the green. The green has four sections for the pin placements. If the flag is in the back, right corner, do not go right at the pin unless you can put a lot of spin on the ball. It will roll over into the creek. This hole should give you a middle of the round birdie boost.
 

The fairway is narrow with bunkers all down the left side and trees down the right side. You need to hug your drive just to the right of the bunkers for a perfect angle into all portions of the green. If you try to stay away from the bunkers and push your tee shot to the right side, there are overhanging trees that will make you alter your shot into the green. From the right side, it is very difficult to get your second shot close. If the pin is on the left side of the green, favor the middle of the green with your shot. The green slopes towards the left and will put a pulled shot into the rough left of the green. Also, add a half club to left pin placement to guard against the grass bunker just short of the green.
 

This is a very short Par 5, and a great shot at an eagle. With a good drive towards the target bunker on the left, the longer hitters will be able to hit the green with an iron on their second shot. If you hit a bad tee shot, you may not be able get your second shot over the lake that is perfectly positioned. The longer hitters need to be careful not to hit their tee shot into the lake. The shorter hitters will have a second shot that brings in length and water. When trying to reach this green, there is a creek up the left side, next to the green that will gobble up any shot that is slightly left of the mark. Add at least a half club to your shot to the green because it is slightly uphill all the way to the green.
 

These holes have the only blind shots on the course. If you look down the left side of the fairway, you will see a patch of trees. That is the Johnson Grove, named after a long time member. A three wood or long iron is all that is needed for most. Do not hit your tee shot to far or you will go down a large slope with heavy rough at the end of the fairway. If you have hit the perfect drive, you will be standing at the top of the hill, on the 150 yard marker, looking down on the green. The ditch that you encountered on Holes #1 & #2, is now in play in front of the green. It is also better to be a bit long and avoid the deep bunker that you must carry to the middle and right pin placements.
 

Right behind this difficult Par 3, is the beautiful Ansley Clubhouse. Once again, the creek is a danger for any missed shot. The farther right the pin placement is the farther the shot is from the tee. Be careful about going straight for the pin on the right because you could find the bunker or even worse, the creek. And if you try to play safe and go to the middle of the green, be careful not to go to far to the left and over the green. It will probably take more than a chip and a putt to hole out from there. But one of the great things about finishing your round with a Par 3, one great shot could end your round with an easy birdie or a Hole In One!!! That will always bring you back to the friendly confines of the Ansley Course.