Achasta is a tough course for me to rate. Like many courses in Georgia (https://bit.ly/3OtHDQZ) and…read morebeyond, this is a golf course and country club that looks like it's seen better days. Achasta opened in 2000, during the American golf boom. Despite the resurgence in rounds booked thanks to COVID, many courses just aren't what they used to be. I think Achasta falls in that category. Based on what I've heard and read, I hold Achasta to a higher standard. It's semi-private, co-designed by Jack Nicklaus (marketed as a "Jack Nicklaus Signature" course), and has been the site of qualifiers for the US Open, Georgia State Amateur, Georgia State Mid-Amateur, and the PGA Tour's old AT&T and BellSouth Classic tournaments. Impressive. When we played (2022), the Friday-Sunday rate was $90, slightly above average for a daily fee course, but not high-end either. I called the golf shop to book. I believe it's the only way you can book. They don't appear to do online tee times. I was told non-members, a.k.a. the public, could book weekend tee times beginning at 12pm. Twilight rates ($74) started at 3pm. Unlike some courses, booking our tee time at Achasta was simple. All they asked for was my name and number of golfers. I don't recall them asking for my phone number and they didn't ask for a card number to hold the reservation or anything like that. As a non-member, the furthest in advance I was able to book was seven days out. I made it a point to call around 8am on a Saturday morning to get on the tee sheet for the following Saturday afternoon. It sounded like the afternoon was wide open. I put us down for 2pm and we ended up being one of the last groups to finish that day, shortly after 6pm. Great pace of play. We had a foursome too. The foursome ahead of us let us pass at the 14th tee and we let a twosome pass us after we teed off on 15. We never saw a starter nor ranger. For the booking, I spoke with Austin. He was very nice and polite. The fellow who checked me in was friendly as well. The cart girl was nice, but we only saw her once, after we finished the 3rd hole. She said it was her last round. To me, that meant there weren't enough golfers on the course in the afternoon to make it worth her being out there. Also, the clubhouse restaurant, bar and grill was closed for a wedding reception that evening. There was a sign at the bar that said: "We cannot fill coolers with ice until further notice. Our ice machine is not working. Sorry for any inconvenience." When I left the clubhouse just before 6:30pm, it was arranged for the reception. The DJ booth was set up and there were fans all over the place. I think the air conditioning was broken. Yikes. The cooler on our cart didn't have a lid. Not that a cooler without ice was much use to begin with. Our cart didn't have a GPS device either. The other twosome in our group had a lid on their cooler and a GPS device. Our foursome wasn't given any attention by the cart attendants upon our arrival at the bag drop nor cart staging area. Preference appeared to be given to the members. The members I saw were older and more elderly/retirees. They were on average older than what I typically see. The Yamaha golf carts were old and beat up. The Achasta sticker logos and front of the carts were scuffed and scratched. The golf bag covers on the back of the carts had Reunion logos on them, making me think perhaps the fleet was "handed down" from Reunion Country Club in Hoschton: https://bit.ly/3QXZAJl. Curious. Complimentary Achasta logo tees and a compressed air blower/shoe cleaner were plusses. The hole makers were mostly in good condition, but there were no ball washers (probably a holdover from COVID) and no water coolers. The flags were weathered and worn out. Men's and women's restrooms are located at 8 and 14 tees. As for the course itself, when I called the golf shop two weeks before we played, I asked when the greens were last aerated. They told me they punched their greens nine weeks ago (11 weeks by the time we played) and the greens were in "great shape." When we played, the greens definitely had holes in them and were bumpy. However, it wasn't full-on aeration and sand (topdressing). The tines were smaller. Still, a little disappointing, especially since I had asked. Overall, I thought the course conditions were good, but not great. The course has several large bunkers and they were in good shape, which I appreciated. The tee boxes were hit or miss. Some looked fine while others (e.g., 3 white, 18 blue) looked awful with lots of sand and/or weeds. The fairways were satisfactory. Aside from the aeration, 11 green had a large "gash" on the front half. I really liked the layout with scenic views of the hills and the Chestatee River. This course has several relatively big (and loud) bridges. At $90 though, our group agreed that the value wasn't there for what we experienced. It was more comparable to a $60-80 suburban metro Atlanta course experience.

Far too many stipulations that are there just to line their pockets…read more Community is not worth the cost and poor investment choice.

Great course! The layout was excellent! The conditions were were excellent! I would highly…read morerecommend this course.

I really enjoyed playing this course. Although a little off the beaten path for golfers within or…read moreon the outskirts of North Atlanta, I believe a longer trip to play this course is well warranted. The condition of the course were excellent tee to green. The only reason I didn't rate the condition with 5 stars was because the greens had been recently sanded a little - not enough to cause a major problem of any kind though. I found the tee shots to be very reasonable, even of a shaky driver like myself, but there are certainly enough challenges to demand respect. In fact, the same could be said for the course in general. Crystal Falls is definitely worth a try if you can find the time!

Love C.L.GC for several reasons: 1) it's a challenging…read morecourse, don't let looks deceive you; 2) the staff are friendly and laid back; 3) they serve up an EXCELLENT homemade breakfast biscuit--better than most I've tried in the local area! 4) they work hard to keep the fairways and greens in good shape 5) they got a new fleet of carts last year. Now, I'm reserving a 5th star for when they re-pave the cart paths, and provide us with some sand/soil containers for the carts. Otherwise, love this course! Cheers! RS

I went here to golf with some friends. It was kind of confusing to find the first hole until we…read morewere a little behind schedule. The staff made it clear that we were behind schedule by stopping us and talking to us on the second hole which slowed our game down. Seems like they book people close together and it doesn't get people enough time to move between the holes. We had four people and mixed gender so it takes time going to the different spot. There's also a charity sales pitch I'm one of the later holes which even delayed us more. We end up having someone ahead of us we had to wait for us so just felt like we have a question and we will have to wait between the other people so I really feel like they need to spread them out more. Also someone hit that ball close to us and then did not give a warning so it doesn't seem like a good community of golfers here. We had one of the husband's wife joined with the kids and they charged us extra for riders. Grounds are not well maintained so it make putting difficult. It is a very pretty course with the hills but I think the lack of space between and the overall quality of the greens makes it not ideal.

I recently got married at a lovely little place called Big Canoe, about an hour north of Atlanta…read more It's a woodsy resort community with lakes, cabins, hiking trails, and a big golf course. We booked the venue a year in advance, since we got married over Memorial Day weekend and venues in May tend to fill up fast. It was a beautiful setting for our wedding ceremony and reception - and I loved having the ceremony and reception at the same venue. (I'm just glad it didn't rain, since the ceremony was outdoors!) We got married on a stone patio overlooking the lake, and the reception took place inside The Chimneys reception hall right next to the patio. My only complaint about the venue was the heat. We had the AC going full blast, but it still got awfully hot. There were many pros, though, in addition to the gorgeous setting! We were able to bring in our own alcohol, and whatever caterer we wanted. We had the entire venue to ourselves for the whole day, which gave us extra time for set-up. Marilyn Zember, the Big Canoe wedding coordinator, was always responsive to our questions and requests, and was helpful throughout the planning process. And The Chimneys was more affordable than most places I looked at in/around Atlanta, too! All in all, it was a fabulous day in a beautiful setting, and I definitely recommend Big Canoe and The Chimneys as a great place to get married or host a fun event! (P.S. There is also a chapel just up the street for those who prefer a chapel setting for their ceremony.)

The event space is mediocre at best. We had to wait on staff to unlock the building each time we…read morehad paid to use it. The parking is horrible and no one from the location was present to help. In the next building was a party that blocked all the roads, but the staff kept blaming us. The catering staff was rude. I would definitely pass. Too many venues available that want your business.

They have a great setting with the patio overlooking the grapes and mountains. We thought the wine…read morewas fantastic, wife and I each got a tasting with is four 2oz pours and a glass you keep. The tastings are $35 a piece which is higher than most we've seen. As much as we liked the wine the cost per bottle was out of our normal range so we passed on grabbing anything to go. If you want to treat yourself, this would be a great place to do so n

Good service, great wine. One friend did a white wine flight and liked most of the wines and the…read morelineup. I had a heavy red that was delicious. The view here is what really sells it. Absolutely amazing!! It feels like you are in a different country. The patio is so nice and well kept with a firepit at every table. We would come back

If Tuscany and the North Georgia mountains had a love child…read more.. A visit to Montaluce Winery in Dahlonega feels like a little escape to Italy. The winding drive up to the vineyard is breathtaking, and the views only get better from there. Treat yourself to a wine tasting, then enjoy an authentic Italian meal at Trattoria di Montaluce. Reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends. I only stopped by this time, but next visit? I'm staying for golden hour, watching the sunset over the vineyards, and ending the evening with a beautiful dinner.

Gorgeous and dreamy!…read more We came here on a Saturday evening around 7:30pm for our reservation. We didn't realize how grandiose the property was as we drove down a winding path throughout the estate to get to the restaurant. The restaurant was so beautiful. The front area has a gift shop filled with amazing smelling candles featured in their repurposed wine bottles and great sugar scrubs that'll leave your hands as smooth as a baby - they let you sample it in the bathroom. We were escorted to our table that overlooked the patio of the casual restaurant below, the vast vineyard and pond. I couldn't stop looking out there. Overall, our food was delicious but our waiter was super slow. He was nice but quite odd to us and disappeared for several long moments at a time. The dining room was mostly occupied but not entirely packed. I had the Amalfi dream, Greek salad and the shrimp scampi. All was great. The almafi dream was sweet but not too much, it was smooth. The shrimp scampi was so flavorful and cooked well. The Greek salad was such a fresh and flavorful start to our meal. We were celebrating my partner's new job, so I requested for a celebratory dessert for him. It took a while to come out and when it finally did, the ice cream was melted to the point where it looked more like milk floating atop as if it was sitting there for a while until it was served to us. They didn't even say anything or make it special. It was just silently placed on the table - QUITE UNDERWHELMING. It was still very delicious regardless but that diminished the presentation and joy of the moment. Since the food and beverage were quite pleasing along with the ambience, I'd love to come again but to have a more efficient and attentive waiter who wouldn't drag out our dinner for 2+ hours. I'd expect more attentive and focused service at such a nice establishment.

Beautiful facility. Large location. Very well maintained and friendly staff. The inside rooms are…read morebeautiful. This place can handle a very large crowd.

My fiance and I came here for a free tasting sponsored by "Talk of the Town." The "farm" is owned…read moreby the catering company and wow does it look amazing. You first drive down a short dirt/grass road before entering the parking lot (grass). From the hill you can see the venue and the small barn behind it. The venue itself is very easy on the eyes and can supposedly fit up to 200 guests (if you include the walk way on each side). The tasting event itself was fantastic. There were plenty of other couples and families there at the same time but because the venue can fit up to 200 people you have plenty of room. I won't mention what he tasted here since it may be private to the catering company but their food was great. Some foods outshone others but overall I would be happy to consider them as my main caterer for my future wedding. The decor inside the venue was probably the best part of the experience for me. It had a real southern look to it while still keeping it classy. The venue is real tidy and you can tell they keep it very well maintained. I myself would consider having a reception or rehearsal dinner here in the fall but in the summer it would probably get real hot (ATL outdoor wedding in the summer? oh boy...) since there isn't any AC. Overall, this experience has definitely set the bar high! If you're into outdoor weddings or want to have some sort of event with a barn I would highly suggest Silver City Farm!