By Jason Bruno
“Golf in the Clouds” is a catchy tagline, but at McLemore Resort in Rising Fawn, Georgia the phrase ideally describes the experience. Located just two hours north of downtown Atlanta, and 40 minutes south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, McLemore Resort and Residential Community may have the most dramatic topography of any inland golf destination we’ve ever seen. Recently, we visited the resort on the first leg of a three-state golf odyssey through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The resort offers 42 holes of Bill Bergin/Rees Jones golf – The Keep (the newest 18-hole course at the resort), the original 18 hole layout, the Highlands, and the Cairn six-hole short course.
Cloudland at McLemore
When Duane Horton bought the course that was to become the Highlands Course in 2017, he had much grander plans for the property that would become McLemore Resort… he built Cloudland, which opened in 2024 (the first hotel built on Lookout Mountain since the Great Depression). It’s quite a stunning facility, with 245 guest rooms, including 19 suites and 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space.
The world-class accommodations at Cloudland (part of the Hilton portfolio) range from intimate guest rooms to spacious suites, with both offering awe-inspiring views of Cloudland Canyon (below). The resort is a bit off the beaten path, but that allows for the natural elements that surround the lodge at Cloudland to provide a one-of-a-kind experience. For example, the pool is situated at the edge of Cloudland Peak – which provides a thrilling infinity view.
Dining choices include :
The Creag – The Creag draws inspiration from both the area’s Scottish heritage and the rugged, natural landscape. The Creag offers elevated comfort food in an elegant mountaintop setting 2,300 feet above sea level along with a seasonal dining menu, craft cocktails, and the finest spirits and wines from around the world.
Auld Alliance – Inspired by the spirit of McLemore’s Scottish heritage and its influence in the region, the Auld Alliance is the first Scottish/French fine dining restaurant in the country.
Croft – Named for the small farms sprinkled across Scotland’s landscape, Croft focuses on simple, fresh ingredients. Designed with a high-country picnic top of mind, Croft is rooted in American fare with a twist
The Pocket Café – Begin your morning at The Pocket Café with fresh coffee, croissants, and numerous other breakfast items available into the early afternoon.
Skyside – Situated high above the clouds, Skyside is a stylish poolside oasis that offers guests a relaxed, cliff-side experience. With grand panoramic views overlooking mountain scenery, this open-air lounge serves an array of handcrafted cocktails, beverages, and bar bites including snacks, salads, bowls, handhelds, and more.
The view from outside our room at Cloudland goes for miles and miles… stunning.
Golf – Highlands
The golf at McLemore features 36 holes of Bergin/Jones championship golf along with the Cairn Short Course. The Highlands, is a par 71 design that features dramatic elevation changes in and out of tree-lined corridors, along the hillsides, lakes and several massive rock formations. The 18th hole runs along the edge of a bluff, offering a spectacular view overlooking the valley (photo above). The Highlands was formerly Canyon Ridge when Duane Horton and Scenic Land Company purchased it in 2017 and chose to rebrand it to “McLemore.”
According to McLemore – The design team was tasked with exposing the natural drama of the course while making it more conducive to enjoyable golf. A new eighteenth hole is perched on a cliff edge. “Hole eighteen may become one of the most photographed holes in the Southeast” said Bergin. “By moving the clubhouse site to the ground occupied by the original eighteenth, we were pushed to discover and build a golf hole on an amazing lower shelf along the eastern rim of the property.
“The new clubhouse now sits on the edge of the upper brow, looking over the eighteenth all the way to the base of McLemore Cove some one thousand feet below. The old fairway area has been completely repurposed as a delightful six-hole short course – the perfect spot to start or end an amazing day at McLemore.”For the remaining seventeen holes, existing hole corridors have been used, with the team reworking green complexes, optimising angles to green locations and overhauling fairway and greenside bunker placements.
“All new greens complexes and bunkering throughout the course presents an original style and increased playability,” said Bergin. “The area around every green complex has been expanded, offering diverse recovery options and allowing players to attack or navigate their way around the many challenges natural to this rugged site.”
“We first worked together with Bill at the Country Club of Winter Haven in 2013,” said Jones. “And when the opportunity to work with him again at McLemore arose, we saw it as a chance to really deliver something special for [Scenic Land Company president] Duane Horton and the entire team.
“The collaboration works because we share common ideas about strategy, playability and the way a golf hole should fit the land.”
The Keep
The Keep, a new original design by Bergin and Jones, that sits atop Lookout Mountain, featuring open spaces, bolder contours, outcroppings, streams, and cliff edges throughout the property. It was the aim of Bergin and Jones to provide width, and strategy through the use of angles. Where the Highlands is mostly tree-lined corridors, The Keep is an open venue with infinity views and extreme contours… and with firm n fast playing conditions. Mountain golf with a links ethos.
The Keep is a pioneer of sorts, ushering in a new turf variety, as the first ever course to use Stadium Zoysia tee to green. This turf features better cold tolerance and a shorter dormancy period. The course officially opens for public/resort play in September of 2025.
The Keep is a fun course to play, but it’s the surroundings that will have you saying “Wow” several times throughout the round – the property and the views are second to none. However, in order to play well here and get the maximum enjoyment from your round, you must be aware of the winds, at elevation everything gets exaggerated. 30 mph gusts are not unusual on The Keep, choose the appropriate tee box to maximize your enjoyment (the tips are 7800 yards and they weren’t created with you in mind).
Both The Keep and The Highlands have AU Victory Bentgrass green surfaces – developed at Auburn University, the turf is drought, heat, and humidity tolerant. On the sustainability side, AU Victory also requires less irrigation than other Bentgrass varieties.
While the Highlands course, the driving range and the Cairn short course are within walking distance of your accommodations at Cloudland, those playing The Keep will take about a 10-minute shuttle to get there.
Cairn Short Course
The Cairn Short course is a fun six-hole walker that will test your partial wedge game with its tiny greens well contoured greens. Slot in the Cairn as your opening or closing act to your stay n play vacation at McLemore Resort.
For those who may want to make McLemore more than a destination, it’s also a residential community with golf memberships available.
For more information, visit: https://www.themclemore.com
