Pinetree Country Club, Kennesaw, GA

The good- very, very nice staff that went out of their way to make me feel at home. The course from tee to green is superb with a lot of doglegs that require accurate shots.

The bad-some of the neighborhood houses look run down. The greens are super nice yet super fast. If you ever wanted to feel the glass like, Augusta speed that you see on tv, this has to be close. these speeds can be frustrating and very intimidating, but they do roll true, so if you are able to play here alot and get use to the greens I can see where you would come to love them. my only other complaint was having to pay $85 plus tax as a guest which i thought was a little high. Would have felt better paying $60, but at least i was able to experience Masters like speed.

Played Pinetree for the first time since the course has been renovated several years ago and also looked into membership for this private club. First the course......this course is in one of the best conditioned of any club in Atlanta, and their greens may in fact be some of the best I've ever played - the new Champion Bermuda greens are pretty flawless and fast. The course has been lengthened for better players (7100 yds) and the men's tees are around 6600 - but the course doesn't play as long as that given the great firm condition of the fairways. Yes, the fairways are just about as nice as the greens. Clearly this club has made a decision to spend their money on the course rather than the clubhouse and other standard country club amenities - and the course shows it! The front 9 and the back 9 are like two different courses. The front 9 rambles through some dated homes through a few of the middle holes which feels a bit awkward because the course condition warrants being in a million dollar community. It's a bit tight on a few holes but it's very player friendly. The back 9 is the gem of the course. No homes, much more open and scenic and some pretty interesting holes. The back 9 feels more like a top-notch country club course although they do have one quirky par 5 on the back. Don't get me wrong, the front 9 is just as nice, just the surroundings are not quite as in sync as with the back 9. The course is starting to host several local and state PGA tourneys, and it's a really challenging course, and fun to play. The entire course is easy to walk and the average round is under 4 hours - nice! You won't find a much better conditioned course in Atlanta anywhere.

The clubhouse and other amenities are a different story. As I mentioned, they've intentionally invested in the course (which I like) rather than all the other country club-ish stuff. But the clubhouse is very dated and seem worn in certain areas - not at all consistent with the quality of the course. Eating areas, locker rooms, dining, etc. feel like you're back in the early 1980's I know they will eventually update all this and have in fact in certain areas but just be aware this is the trade-off of joining this club - absolutely great course with sub-par clubhouse. They do have a nice pool and nice tennis facilities however. If golf is your thing, you'll love the course. If you want all the trappings, then you will be disappointed. However, this is where the value is for the club. You get to play a $50,000 quality initiation fee type of course for a lot less that comparable clubs. But the give is on all the other stuff. It feels like more of a laid-back working man's country club than the stereotypical posh and stuffy country clubs you may be used to. Depends what you want, but if golf is your number 1 priority by far, you should check this place out. I'm sure they're offering some good membership deals to get people in the door in this economy.