The Frog, Villa Rica, GA. Tom Fazio, 1998.

Far enough west of Atlanta that it doesn’t seem to get as much press as other courses, this is a typically solid Fazio layout with more local character and quirk than I generally expect from him.

I liked the long par 3 eighth where you can try to bounce one in from the slope front right, but you have to beware of the lake just long left of the green, especially when the grass is dormant and running fast.

The back nine has a good mix of longer and shorter holes, raised greens and low profile ones. There’s a creek that comes into play on several holes on the back to good effect.

The reachable par 5 18th is a fun finisher with a creek in front of the huge three-tier green that makes reaching the putting surface far from the only challenge. But I think the greensite at the 17th was my favorite spot on the course, squeezed between woods and a creek with a bailout area left of the creek for those who can’t fly it in.

Most rankings don’t put this among the top 10-15 public courses in the greater Atlanta area. Granted, this is the only course I’ve played in the ATL, but if there really are that many better public courses in the city then its public golf scene is much better than I’ve been led to believe.

#2 (of 2) in Southeast [2013]