THE FARM GOLF CLUB

Course Architect: Tom Fazio
Year Opened: 1988
Location: Rocky Face, Georgia
Slope: 146. Rating: 74.8
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,012
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 361 Yds    10 - Par 4 388 Yds
                      2 - Par 5 601 Yds    11 - Par 3 153 Yds
                      3 - Par 4 445 Yds    12 - Par 5 498 Yds
                      4 - Par 4 459 Yds    13 - Par 3 169 Yds
                      5 - Par 3 167 Yds    14 - Par 4 442 Yds
                      6 - Par 4 403 Yds    15 - Par 5 518 Yds
                      7 - Par 4 354 Yds    16 - Par 4 367 Yds
                      8 - Par 3 243 Yds    17 - Par 4 461 Yds
                      9 - Par 5 566 Yds    18 - Par 4 417 Yds
                      Par 36  3,599 Yds     Par 36  3,413 Yds

Key Events Held: Carpet Capital Collegiate Tournament (1989-present),
                 USGA Senior Amateur Championship (2005),
                 Georgia Senior Amateur (1997),
                 Georgia Women's Amateur (1995),
                 Southern Amateur (1993),
                 Georgia Amateur (1990).

Awards Won: Ranked #9 by Golf Digest - Best-in-State rankings (GA) (2007-08),
            #12 by Golf Digest - Best-in-State rankings (GA) (2005-06),
            #79 by Golfweek Magazine - Best Top 100 Modern Courses (2005),
            #89 by Golfweek Magazine - Best Top 100 Modern Courses (2004),
            Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

Website: thefarmgolfclub.org

HISTORY:  Tom Fazio  has designed hundreds of courses around the United States
and  the world. In fact, he has 13 venues rated in the latest rankings by Golf
Digest  among America's  100 Greatest  Golf Courses.  Wade Hampton  Golf Club,
Victoria  National and  the incomparable  Shadow Creek  are just  some of  the
marvels that Fazio has crafted.

In  1988, Fazio  completed work on a Georgia "Peach," located north of Atlanta
and  south  of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  The Farm Golf  Club is situated in the
hills of a little town called Rocky Face, just due west of the "Carpet Capital
of  the World," Dalton,  Georgia. The Farm was the first course built by Fazio
in the state.

History buffs are certainly more familiar with the area than golf enthusiasts,
as  The Battle  of Rocky Face took  place in 1864 led by Union General William
Tecumseh  Sherman. Although  cries that  the "South  will rise  again" can  be
heard,  the  main talk around town  is about the sensational course that Fazio
designed.

The  Carpet Capital  Collegiate Tournament has been held at The Farm since its
inception  in 1989.  Past team champions include six-time winner Georgia Tech,
four-time champion Clemson and two-time victors Florida and Georgia. Even more
impressive  is the  list of  medalists at  this tournament.  PGA Tour  players
Stewart Cink, Tim Clark, Lucas Glover, D.J. Trahan, Bryce Molder and Bill Haas
have all earned individual honors.

In  1990, the  Georgia Amateur  was held  at The  Farm Golf  Club and  current
Champions  Tour  and  two-time  U.S.  Senior Open  champion  Allen  Doyle  was
victorious. Doyle was a six-time Georgia State Amateur Champion, capturing his
last at The Farm.

Justin  Leonard, who  played  his college  golf at  the  University of  Texas,
captured  the 1993 Southern Amateur at The Farm, the same year he was a member
of the Walker Cup team.

The Farm Golf Club has also served as the site of USGA qualifying for the U.S.
Women's  Open, and  in 2005 the USGA Senior Amateur Championship came to Rocky
Face. The final was between defending champion Mark Bemowski and Mike Rice.

After  the players halved  the first two holes, Bemowski took a 2-up lead with
pars  on  the third and fourth.  However, Rice got one  back with a par on the
fifth. Bemowski regained his 2-up advantage with another par on seven and held
that  lead through 11. Rice made the first birdie of the match on the 12th and
then  birdied again on  14 to square the match, as Bemowski conceded the hole.
Bemowski  reclaimed  the lead  with a  conceded birdie on  16. Rice once again
squared the match with a two-putt par on 17. On the last, both players reached
the  putting  surface in regulation,  with Bemowski 22  feet away and Rice 20.
Putting  first, Bemowski  knocked his  birdie  attempt four  feet past,  while
Rice's  birdie try slipped 2 1/2 feet by the hole. After Bemowski missed, Rice
sank  the putt  for the championship, becoming the fifth-oldest Senior Amateur
champion at the age of 65.

REVIEW: The course opens with a simple, but solid, par four of just 361 yards.
From  an elevated tee, this dogleg right is a great starting hole, as it eases
the player into the round. Just a three metal off the tee will set up a simple
wedge  to a  front-to-back sloping  green. The  putting surface  is open,  but
narrow,  as sand  guards  left  and right.  Pin  placement  will dictate  your
approach, with a front-right flag quite intriguing.

The  longest hole at The Farm, the second is a monster par five, a true three-
shotter  at 601 yards. The real test on this bear comes after the tee shot, as
your  first  play can attack  a very generous fairway.  A long iron or fairway
metal  is the next shot, as a large lake on the left and mounding on the right
needs  to be  threaded to  leave a  little wedge  to a  two-tiered, undulating
green. The putting surface, which sits off to the left, features a bunker left
by the water and deep mounding and sand to the right and behind.

Now that you've gotten your feet wet, so to speak, the course really begins to
heat  up with  the back-to-back rugged par  fours at three and four. First up,
the  third is a slight dogleg right, the first of six par fours over 400 yards
in  length.  Another wide  fairway, but  beware of  the right  side, as a deep
bunker  and trees could  create problems. A long iron or hybrid will be needed
to  reach the slightly  uphill green guarded by sand left, right and deep. The
putting surface slopes from right to left and is quite wide, but only 30 paces
deep.

The  most  difficult hole on  the course is  the fourth, a whopping 459-yarder
that  bends hard to  the left. The closer down the left you play, the more you
bring  the out-of-bounds  into play, so be  careful off the tee. You'll have a
long  iron left  to a  medium-sized and  slightly-elevated green.  The putting
surface  is  quite slick from back  to front, so  play below the hole for your
best shot at par. Birdie if you're lucky.

If  you think  at 167 yards that the  fifth hole would be a reprieve, you'd be
mistaken.  A  meandering creek runs down  the right side of the hole alongside
the  long, sloping green. Two tall trees stand guard on the left with a bunker
in  the rear. At 48 paces long, the putting surface features a ridge that runs
left  to  right, making two-putting  next to impossible.  This is the first of
four outstanding par threes.

There  are two keys  to the par-four sixth. The first objective on this fairly
straightaway  hole  is to  dissect the  fairway between  the bunkers on either
side.  A  short iron should  remain to  an elevated green  with a mound in the
center.  A front flag could present some difficulty, especially if you come up
short, as your play will roll back down the hill.

Take driver and let it rip on the par-four seventh. From an elevated tee, this
short  hole plays  uphill to the green.  Trees guard the right and a series of
traps  cover  the elbow  of the  dogleg right. It's  straight uphill with your
approach  to the  slimmest  green on  the  course, just  20  paces deep.  Club
selection  is of the utmost importance, as the climb is at least a club-and-a-
half  extra. A back-right pin is the most difficult, especially if you misclub
and end up in the deep greenside bunker.

The  longest  par three  on the  course, the  eighth, is  a downhill beauty, a
robust 243 yards from the gold markers. The putting surface is the grandest at
The  Farm, 50  yards in length with a  trio of traps on the left-front and one
back-right.  The  hardest part  is choosing  the correct  club to navigate the
elevation change, not to mention pin position. Make par here and you've stolen
one.

The  closing hole on the outward nine is a gradually-uphill par five. A narrow
fairway  with a creek down the right side, with mounding and sand on the left,
puts  a heavy premium  on your tee shot. The running stream pushes the landing
area  even  tighter for your  lay-up, but a successful  play will leave just a
short  third  shot to a four-club  green. The putting surface is quite narrow,
with  mounding and  sand left and pot  bunkers below and right, not to mention
water.

Similar to the opening nine, the back side starts with a short par four. Tree-
lined  on both sides, a driver should suffice, as the hole plays uphill to the
green  with a  pair of bunkers down  the right landing area. Just a short iron
should  remain to  a wide, but only  a 26-paces deep, putting surface. A front
pin  could be tricky,  especially if you under-club, as the ball will spin off
the green.

The  shortest hole on  the course, the 11th is a 153-yard par three, rated the
easiest  on the  course -- or so they  say. Built into the side of a hill, the
putting  surface  is quite treacherous  and undulating. Three deep bunkers sit
well  below the  green on the right, while  one trap and the slope of the hill
guard  the left. The landing area itself is the longest on the back nine at 46
yards long, so with a back-right pin, you might need two or three extra clubs.
Easy? I don't think so.

A  really  good chance  to get one  back comes  in the form  of the short, and
reachable,  downhill par-five 12th. Just 498 yards from the tips, the key here
is the opening shot, which must be threaded through a chute of trees to a very
accommodating  fairway.  A pair of  bunkers down the  right must be avoided to
have any shot at getting home in two. Fairway metal or hybrid will remain to a
small,  sloping green.  Another must: Avoid the enormous bunker short and left
of  the  putting surface,  otherwise it will  be a difficult  up and down. The
green  slopes swiftly  from  back to  front  and left  to  right, so  approach
accordingly.

One  of the many signature holes at The Farm, the 13th is one of the prettiest
and  most  challenging par  threes around. Playing  straight downhill from 169
yards, this one-shotter features an almost island green. Mill Creek forms a U-
shape  fronting  the putting surface, while  a pair of bunkers cover the rear.
With  the significant  elevation change,  wind can  wreak havoc  on your  club
selection.  The green is  fairly small, so when in doubt, play for the center,
two putt and move on.

After  rolling  through the  hilly section  of the course,  the next few holes
offer  very  little with regard  to elevation changes.  First up is the dogleg
left,  par-four 14th. A modest 442 yards, your drive must split the water left
and  sand right to  set up the best approach. The longer your second shot, the
harder  it will  be to hold the  smallish putting surface. Just 26 paces and a
lake fronting the left front will make you think twice with your second.

The  final par five  on the course, the 15th, is certainly reachable, but with
Mill  Creek  fronting the green, you  better choose wisely. The water meanders
down  the  left side of the  fairway and then  crosses in front of the putting
surface.  Reaching  the green  in two  will require a  precise strike, as tall
trees  guard  both sides  of the  fairway as  you near  the promised land. Two
bunkers  deep  could provide for  a difficult up-and-down  if you go long. The
green,  which  angles  to the  right,  is  quite  wide,  but very  narrow  and
undulating as it slopes towards the water.

The  last three  holes at The Farm  are among the hardest rated on the course,
but  not the  longest, as is evident  looking at the 16th. Just 367 yards from
the tips, 16 is a modest dogleg left with the creek running down the left side
through the green. From an elevated tee, just a three metal should suffice off
the  tee,  setting up  a short iron  to a very  challenging green. The putting
surface  is one  of the longest on  the course at 45 paces, but the difficulty
arises  with  the tight width and  bi-level slope. A back-left pin will create
fits for even the best of players.

In  contrast,  the 17th is  the longest  par four on  the course from the back
markers  and plays  more difficult thanks to  the uphill climb to the green. A
strong tee ball of 240 yards is needed just to reach the sloping fairway. Miss
left  off the  tee and you'll find  a difficult fairway bunker, not to mention
thick  woods. A  long iron or hybrid  will be required to reach the two-tiered
putting  surface. A deep bunker guards the left side of a green that sits well
above the sand. Two-putting here will be a real chore.

The closing hole is a sensational par four, built into a side of a hill as you
work your way toward the clubhouse. A series of bunkers protects the left side
of  the landing area,  while the fairway drops off to the right. A medium iron
should  be  enough to negotiate the  uphill nature of your approach to another
long,  undulating green. Miss right and you won't be able to see the flag with
your  chip.  Miss left  and let's  just say that  the two  bunkers are next to
impossible for a saving par.

FINAL  WORD:  When people talk  about golf  in Georgia, Augusta National, East
Lake,  Peachtree and Ocean Forest come to mind. Not to be overlooked, however,
is The Farm.

In  his beautifully-designed  layout, Tom  Fazio used  the dramatic  elevation
changes  to  provide golfers  with a supreme  test of golf,  not to mention an
aesthetically pleasing one.

Let's  begin with the practice facility. Certainly not the size of Sea Island,
the  range is  a standard area to  sharpen your skills prior to and after your
round.

The  course itself is one challenging hole after another. Each hole presents a
unique  design from  tee to  green. The  fairways are  generous and  framed to
perfection.  The bunkering  is rock-solid  and the  green complexes  are quite
mysterious.  Fazio used the lay of the land to craft a wide variety of putting
surfaces, each one as difficult and fair as the next.

The  mix of holes  is an integral part of the layout. Although the yardages on
three  of the  four par  threes are  fairly similar,  each play  significantly
different.  The par  fours feature  six  over 400  yards and  four under  400,
running  up  and down the hillside.  The big holes provide quite a risk-reward
opportunity  on two  of the four, while  the second and ninth are truly three-
shotters (unless you're John Daly).

With  such a diverse quality of golf, immaculate conditions, a wide variety of
tee  boxes ranging  from 5,300  to  just over  7,000 yards  and the  "Southern
Hospitality" charm, The Farm is a must play for all levels.

When  the  USGA picks  a course  for one  of its  championships, and when that
course's rankings continue to improve year after year, you know it's something
special.

Not well known by the general golf public, The Farm is certainly celebrated by
golf aficionados. This Georgia peach is really sweet.