Atlanta

The heart of the PGA Tour season essentially begins and ends in greater Atlanta. Many golfers in northern locales consider The Masters in Augusta, the first major of the year, as the signal to dust off their clubs for the pending summer. The annual TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club concludes the race to the FedExCup every September. Atlanta's public golf scene lives up to its tournament offerings, taking advantage of the scenic rolling countryside surrounding the city. Great golf resorts -- Barnsley Gardens Resort in Adairsville; the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro; Callaway Gardens Resort in Pine Mountain; the Chateau Elan Winery & Resort in Braselton and the Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort in Stone Mountain -- all reside within 85 miles of city limits. Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee boasts 117 holes, including two courses by Bob Cupp, Great Waters by Jack Nicklaus, The National by Tom Fazio and The Oconee by Rees Jones. Fazio's The Frog Golf Club in Villa Rica; Bear's Best, a Nicklaus replica course in Suwanee; the 27-hole Georgia Golf Club in Statham, Rees Jones' Echelon Golf Club in Alpharetta and the Cobblestone Golf Course in Acworth headline a strong pool of daily-fee golf courses in the Atlanta area.