The Keep Debuts at No. 2 in Top Public Courses in Georgia List; Highlands Course in Top-10
(LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga.) – McLemore Resort, the destination resort located atop Lookout Mountain in Northwest Georgia, announces both of its championship golf courses, The Keep and the Highlands Course, were recognized by Golfweek in their latest rankings of the “Best Courses You Can Play, State-by-State” and “Best Modern Courses” in the country.
Presenting the top public access courses in each state, the Best Courses You Can Play, State-by-State rankings listed The Keep as the second best course in Georgia. Meanwhile, the Highlands Course finished seventh in these rankings.
The Keep received additional acclaim in the publication’s “Top 200 Modern Courses” rankings, as it was tabbed 80th in the nation. Recognizing the best public and private courses built in or after 1960, this ranking placed The Keep in an elite class alongside courses such as Desert Forest in Arizona, the Sedge Valley Course at Sand Valley in Wisconsin and Secession in South Carolina. The highly touted Bill Bergin-Rees Jones design was also the third-highest ranked layout in Georgia in these rankings.
Golfweek’s team of course raters determines the publication’s annual course ranking lists. Each year, the panel evaluates courses, grading each nominated layout based on 10 criteria. According to Golfweek, “[the raters] also file a single overall rating on each course. Those overall rankings on each course are averaged, then each course is ranked against other courses.”
The Golfweek Best Courses You Can Play State-by-State rankings for 2026 can be found HERE, while the Top Modern Course rankings can be found HERE.
“It is an honor to see The Keep and the Highlands Course held in such high regard by Golfweek’s course rankings,” says Mike Burton, President of McLemore Resort. “Our goal is to set the standard when it comes to golf and resort experiences, and achievements like this cement McLemore as one of the premier golf destinations in the country.”
Awards and accolades continue to roll in for McLemore. Sports Illustrated named The Keep the best new course for 2025, while Golfweek tabbed the layout the 25th-best resort course in the U.S.for 2026 and Golf Digest named The Keep the second-best new course for 2026. The Bill Bergin-Rees Jones design features five cliffside holes overlooking McLemore Cove that present golfers with breathtaking vantage points at every turn.
Golf Digest recently ranked McLemore as one of the 50 premier golf resorts in the U.S. Also ranked as one of the top-200 resort courses in the U.S. by Golfweek, the Highlands Course boasts one of the best finishing holes in golf according to both Golf Digest and LINKS Magazine. In addition to The Keep and the Highlands Course, McLemore boasts a six-hole short course called The Cairn.
In February 2024, McLemore introduced Cloudland – a marquee Curio Collection by Hilton hotel perched atop Lookout Mountain with stellar views of the surrounding North Georgia mountains. Considered the Southeast’s most anticipated hotel opening in years, the luxury resort property offers 245 guest rooms, including 21 suites and 20,000 square feet of state-of-the-art indoor meeting and event space.
At Cloudland, guests can enjoy a variety of amenities, including four exceptional restaurants and bars. One standout establishment, Auld Alliance, is named after the oldest alliance in the world between Scotland and France, which dates back to 1295. This restaurant is the only one in the United States that features a unique blend of rich Scottish and French cuisine. Cloudland also features a cliff-edge infinity pool and bar, along with a full-service spa. Additionally, guests have access to endless opportunities to explore Lookout Mountain and the surrounding area.
Stay and play bookings can be made by contacting the McLemore Golf Sales team via email at stayandplay@mclemoreclub.com, by calling (800) 329-8154 or by visiting McLemore’s Stay-and-Play packages online information page.
For more information, please visit www.mclemoreresort.com.
About McLemore
Located on Lookout Mountain, Georgia, McLemore is a resort community featuring The Highlands golf course, named the “Best Finishing Hole in America since 2000” by Golf Digest, and the cliff-edge course, The Keep. Cloudland, a member of the Curio Collection by Hilton, is the newest addition with 245 hotel rooms and state-of-the-art meeting and event spaces. Across the entire property, guests enjoy five restaurants and a spa that attracts visitors both regionally and internationally.
To learn more, visit: https://www.themclemore.com, and follow on social media: Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Robert Rodriguez
Buffalo Groupe
210.441.0952
rrodriguez@buffalogroupe.com
