The Creek at Hard Labor Creek State Park

The Creek at Hard Labor Creek State Park occupies rolling terrain in the Georgia Piedmont, roughly an hour east of Atlanta near the small town of Rutledge. Designed by Denis Griffiths and opened in 1991, the course was developed as part of Georgia's state park golf program, which brought accessible public golf to scenic natural settings across the state. The layout takes advantage of the property's wooded character and elevation changes, with fairways carved through mature hardwoods and pines typical of this region. The routing works with the land's natural contours, incorporating several creeks and low-lying areas that come into play on approach shots and around greens. Griffiths, who designed numerous courses throughout the Southeast during the 1980s and 1990s, created a layout that balances challenge with playability for a wide range of golfers. The course features doglegs that follow the property's ridgelines and valleys, and greens that reflect the rolling topography beneath them. As a state park facility, The Creek serves both destination visitors staying in the park's lodge and cabins and local golfers from the surrounding counties. The course operates within the broader amenities of Hard Labor Creek State Park, which includes hiking trails, a lake, and camping facilities. The setting provides a wooded, relatively quiet round removed from suburban development, characteristic of Georgia's state park golf experience.