Old Toccoa Farm – Played January 2021
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 596 Curtis Switch Road, Mineral Bluff, Georgia
- Year: 2019
- Architects: Dan Proctor & Dave Axland
- Course Access: Semi-Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Persimmon: 6,707 yards, Par 72, 73.8 Rating/149 Slope
- Black: 6,261 yards, Par 72, 71.0 Rating/145 Slope
- Blue: 5,911 yards, Par 72, 69.3 Rating/141 Slope (Men’s), 75.1 Rating/144 Slope (Women’s)
- White: 5,250 yards, Par 72, 66.5 Rating/131 Slope (Men’s), 71.3 Rating/136 Slope (Women’s)
- Lavender: 4,525 yards, Par 72, 67.2 Rating/123 Slope
New golf courses aren’t exactly popping up all the time in the US these days. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing overall, but it does make it exciting when new courses go come around. Old Toccoa Farm fits the bill, with the added bonus of being semi-private. The public can play the course 6 days a week, as of now, with a call to the pro shop.
Old Toccoa Farm is situated on 125 acres of rollicking terrain. I knew I was in for an interesting course during the drive in. Cruising through the Chattahoochee and Cherokee National forests was a fun mix of elevation change and winding roads. It set the tone for the 280 feet of elevation change we’d encounter on the course.
The weather wasn’t conducive to scoring with temperatures in the 30s, but we had a fun group and were ready for the challenge!
We chose to play the black tees. Let’s get into this course tour!
Hole 1 – 313 yards – Par 4
The first is a short, uphill start. Longer hitters can definitely challenge the green.
Hole 2 – 403 yards – Par 4
On this blind fairway, the inside information is to keep it up the left side since the slope pitches tee shots hard to the right. I thought my tee shot was too far left, but I ended up in the right side of the fairway.
Hole 3 – 362 yards – Par 4
With the drop-off left, hitting this fairway is a prerequisite for scoring on this hole. If you hit the fairway, most of the heavy lifting is done.
Hole 4 – 311 yards – Par 4
This is my favorite hole at Old Toccoa Farm. Long hitters can challenge the green but you also have options if you lay back. The fairway is split between upper and lower portions that let you approach the green differently.
Hole 5 – 402 yards – Par 4
As you can see, this hole is all uphill. If you find the fairway, the challenge continues with a small green guarded by deep bunkers.
Hole 6 – 363 yards – Par 4
You can hug the left side more than it appears here. With the downhill slope this hole plays much shorter than the yardage. I like the view from this tee.
Hole 7 – 514 yards – Par 5
On this right bender, the main thing is to stay out of the many fairway bunkers or it could be a quick bogey.
Hole 8 – 141 yards – Par 3
Properly judging the distance is the difficult on this shot. I can advise that left up on the hill is not good.
Hole 9 – 314 yards – Par 4
A fade just feels right from this tee. Like some of the other holes, you don’t want to miss the green long.
Hole 10 – 381 yards – Par 4
The trouble along the left side comes into play much quicker than you think and a couple of us flirted with it. As a result, I suggest staying up the right so you can attack the tiered green.
There are some slick putts on this green.
Hole 11 – 309 yards – Par 4
Precision is a requirement here. If you lay back, make sure it’s to a preferred yardage because the green is semi-blind and it can be an awkward second shot.
Hole 12 – 112 yards – Par 3
Try not to be distracted by the mountain views on this shorty. Long is absolutely dead.
Hole 13 – 584 yards – Par 5
If you get the right line on this tee shot you ball will scoot down the hill for a really long drive. I only had five iron in and I am not a long hitter. It was a nice surprise to see my ball that far down the fairway.
Hole 14 – 195 yards – Par 3
You have to step up and hit a solid shot here, plain and simple. I do like how the green is connected to the 16th hole. More on that later.
Hole 15 – 390 yards – Par 4
This flat, straight hole is a change of pace from the elevation change we’ve seen on the rest of the course. It makes sense though since this is the tamest part of the routing.
Hole 16 – 328 yards – Par 4
This shorter hole is a definite birdie chance. Beware though, because the fairway bunkers on the left are definitely in play.
The view below shows you what I was talking about earlier regarding the shared green complex with 14.
Hole 17 – 379 yards – Par 4
This hole bends hard to the right. I found it to play much longer than the yardage on the card. Of course, the farther right you go the shorter the approach.
Hole 18 – 460 yards – Par 5
There is apparently some discussion about changing this hole. That makes sense to me because you either have to go for it in two or hit a very short, awkward layup. With the green site, coming in with a wood is a scary proposition.
Here is the view back up the hole to the tee.
Old Toccoa Farm is a rollicking course on a very interesting piece of property. I liked the elevation change throughout and I found that the shorter yardage made the course playable despite its scale.
I’d venture to say it would be even more fun to play it when it’s running firm and fast. The greens would have plenty of slickness to them and you’d have a fun time trying to put up a score. With access to the public, I’d suggest getting down to North Georgia to check out Old Toccoa Farm for yourself.