By David Luis 
Verdict: Good Value, Demanding Layout, Greens Are the Variable
Best For: North Georgia golfers who want a hilly, test-you public course at a modest price
Avoid If: You want flat ground, fast rounds on weekends, or bunkers you can count on
Key Facts: City-owned public course in Sugar Hill, GA; Willard Byrd design (1992); par 72, 140 slope; rounds from $25 on GolfPass; $125 Sugar Hill Golf Association.
Last Reviewed: 2026-10-04
Sugar Hill Golf Club is owned by the City of Sugar Hill, Georgia. GolfPass lists a 140 slope and a 71.6 rating on a par 72 of about 6,500 yards from the back tees.
This Sugar Hill Golf Club review is built from the city’s own pages, GolfPass player data and the course scorecard, not from a round I played. The course rates better than its star score suggests. One problem recurs in player reviews: bunker and green upkeep.
Sugar Hill is in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Compare it with every public and private club we have reviewed.
Club Overview
The course sits at 6094 Suwanee Dam Road in Sugar Hill, Georgia, about 40 miles north of Atlanta and a short drive from Lake Lanier. The City of Sugar Hill says play began in spring 1992, and it runs the club as a parks and recreation service.
| Club Type | Public golf club, city-owned |
|---|---|
| Location | 6094 Suwanee Dam Road, Sugar Hill, Georgia 30518 |
| Opened | 1992 |
| Designer | Willard Byrd (GolfPass also credits Nai Chung Chang) |
| Layout | 18 holes, par 72, about 6,450 to 6,520 yards from the blue tees depending on the source |
| Slope and Rating | 140 to 141 slope, 71.6 to 71.7 rating from the blue tees |
| Membership Type | Daily-fee public play; optional Sugar Hill Golf Association |
| Initiation Fee | Not publicly disclosed (no club initiation fee listed) |
| Monthly Dues | Not publicly disclosed (no club dues listed) |
| Green Fee | GolfPass lists rounds from $25 and up; the club site posts no rate table |
| Best Time to Visit | Spring and fall, weekday mornings |
| Dress Code | Collared shirts required, no denim |
| Reservations Required | Tee times open one week ahead |
| Official Website | sugarhillgolfclub.com |
| Phone | 770-271-0519 |
What I Liked
The routing is the reason to go. The ground tumbles through mature trees, and the course does not let you stand on a flat lie for long.
- A 140 slope on a course under 6,600 yards, so difficulty comes from the land and not from length
- Two water holes with real consequences: the par-4 fifth and the par-3 12th both put a lake in front of the green, per the GolfPass scorecard notes
- A short list of tees, with a 4,231-yard red set, so the course is playable for beginners if they pick the right box
- Heavy local use, which counts for something: the city says rounds climbed from roughly 20,000 a year before 2020 to about 33,000 since
- Prices that reviewers call fair, which is the most repeated positive in the GolfPass write-ups
What I Didn’t Like
Complaints cluster around upkeep, and they are specific enough to take seriously.
- Bunkers draw repeat criticism for thin sand and weeds, and some have been marked as ground under repair
- Greens have been called bumpy in older reviews, even though newer ones describe a clear improvement
- Hilly terrain makes it tiring if you walk, and tough for first-timers who play from the wrong tees
- No public rate sheet on the official page, so you find the real price only when you book
Our key takeaway: the 140 slope comes from hills and water, not length. The course measures under 6,600 yards.
Membership & Fees
Sugar Hill Golf Club is a daily-fee course, so there is no private initiation fee or dues schedule to quote. I could not find an official green fee table, and the club page lists no rates.
What the city does publish is the Sugar Hill Golf Association at $125. That buys a GHIN handicap, discounted rounds and meals after each monthly event. It is a handicap and tournament group, not a membership that guarantees tee times.
| Item | Published detail |
|---|---|
| Green fee | From $25 on GolfPass; confirm when you book |
| Golf association | $125, per the City of Sugar Hill |
| Initiation fee | None published |
| Booking window | One week ahead |
If you are weighing a city course against paying private dues, the section on Private and Invitation-Only Clubs shows how wide that gap runs. Another city-owned example is our Tega Cay Golf Club review, where the same ownership model raises similar questions about upkeep.
Facilities & Amenities
It is a full-service muni, minus the frills.
- Driving range and practice green
- Full-service pro shop with professional instruction
- Bar and grill, plus banquet and conference space for events
- Free Wi-Fi on site, per the club page
- Dwarf Bermuda greens and tight Bermuda 419 fairways
The facility leans on events. The city runs a monthly association tournament, youth programs and tournaments,.
Best Time to Visit
Aim for April and May, or late September through November. Bermuda grass grows best in warm weather, but July and August afternoons in Georgia are hot, humid and tiring on this much slope.
Weekday mornings are the safest bet if pace matters to you; GolfPass reviewers rate pace at 3.8 out of 5, so it is fair rather than fast. The course opens at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday and at 11 a.m. on Mondays, per the club page.
Dress Code & Etiquette
The club states it plainly: collared shirts are required and denim is not allowed. No outside food or drink either, so do not bring a cooler.
For a general primer on what golf clubs expect, see our private golf club dress guide. It is written for private clubs, but the basics carry over.
Who Is This Club For?
This club is a good fit if you want a layout that makes you think and you are happy to pay muni prices for it.
This club is a good fit if you live in Gwinnett, Forsyth or Hall County and play often enough to value the association events and handicap.
Skip this one if you need pristine bunkers every round. That is the complaint reviewers repeat most.
Skip this one if you want an easy walk. Our Westchase Golf Club review covers a much flatter Florida option.
People Also Ask: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sugar Hill Golf Club public?
Yes. Sugar Hill Golf Club in Sugar Hill, Georgia is a public, daily-fee course owned and run by the City of Sugar Hill. You do not need a membership to play, and tee times open one week in advance through the pro shop or the club website.
Who designed Sugar Hill Golf Club?
Willard Byrd designed Sugar Hill Golf Club, and it opened in spring 1992. GolfPass also credits Nai Chung Chang as a co-designer. The par 72 course plays about 6,500 yards from the blue tees with a slope near 140.
How much does it cost to play Sugar Hill Golf Club?
The club does not post a rate table on its public page. GolfPass lists rounds from $25 and up, and prices change with day and time. Call the pro shop at 770-271-0519 or check the booking page for the current rate before you plan.
Is Sugar Hill Golf Club hard?
Yes, for its length. The course carries a slope of 140 to 141 from the blue tees, which is harder than most Georgia courses, per the Stymie.golf course database. Elevation changes and water on the fifth and 12th holes drive that number, not distance.
What is the dress code at Sugar Hill Golf Club?
Collared shirts are required and denim is not allowed. The club also asks that you leave outside food and drink at home. Those rules come from the official club page, so check it again before a tournament or event day.
Verdict & Score
I rate Sugar Hill Golf Club 3.7 out of 5. The land is strong, the slope is real and the price is fair. I take points off for bunker upkeep and inconsistent greens, which are the same two issues in review after review. See how we score in our review methodology.
If you like hard, hilly golf and do not mind imperfect sand, book it on a weekday. If conditioning is your first filter, look somewhere else.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04.
Author Note
I score a public course on golf per dollar and on how plainly the owner publishes its rates. Sugar Hill is strong on the first measure. The city page posts no rate table, which costs it on the second.
