History of the Canongate Name
Our founder, William Roquemore, was inspired to name the club Canongate after visiting Scotland and hearing the following story about a place called Edinburgh. Edinburgh, capital city of Scotland, is the home of golf. There you will find the Royal Mile, dating back to 1128. The Royal Mile runs from Edinburgh Castle, a fortress built on a craggy volcanic hill, to Holyrood Palace, which is still occupied each summer by the British Royal Family. Like streets in many cities, the Royal Mile changes names three times – High Street, Lawnmarket, and The Canongate. In 1682 the Duke of York, who later became King James II of England, was in residence at Holyrood Palace. Legend has it that the Duke was challenged to a golf match by two confident noblemen. Offered the partner of his choice, he opted for John Paterson, an Edinburgh cobbler. Winning the match the Duke gave Paterson the entire purse wagered. The cobbler of modest means used the money to build a home on The Canongate. The thrifty Scots were duly impressed and in time The Canongate became known throughout Scotland as “Golfer’s Land.”
Creation of Canongate
Following the Canongate tradition, Canongate I opened for play in September of 1965. Located in Sharpsburg, about 15 minutes south of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the course was designed by legendary architect Dick Wilson who created such gems as the renowned Blue Monster at Doral and Laurel Valley Country Club, site of the 1965 PGA Championship. Like most good courses, Canongate I was designed to be a test for the scratch player while being fun to play for the novice. Decades later, it is still highly regarded by the members and their guests alike and remains one of our most popular courses.
One of Wilson’s most talented protégés, Joe Lee, created the 27-hole Flat Creek Club three years later in nearby Peachtree City. Rocky Roquemore would later demonstrate his skills with White Oak in Newnan. White Oak has expanded to 36 holes over the years and annually hosts the Georgia Women’s Open, among other events. In 1988 Lee and Roquemore collaborated on the highly regarded Braelinn in Peachtree City.
Later additions to the Canongate menu have included three projects of Roquemore and his associate, Jeff Burton. Chapel Hills opened a decade ago in Douglasville and has the most elevation changes of any Canongate course. Next came Planterra Ridge in Peachtree City, a layout that has been selected on numerous occasions to host local qualifying for the U.S. Open. A more recent completion was Canongate on Mirror Lake where scenic beauty and large, undulating putting surfaces make for an always enjoyable round.
Growth of Canongate
A member’s decision of where to play has become even more difficult as two new clubs opened in the fall of 2004. Canongate at Heron Bay is a Jeff Burton design that is the longest in the Canongate family, stretching out to more than 7,300 yards from the back tees. This spectacular course is located in Henry County and has the potential to mature into one of the best courses in all of Atlanta. Canongate at Pinecrest was the second new location added in 2004. This Rocky Roquemore design is a resort style layout located in the Hilton Head area, which provides members with the perfect excuse to get away and enjoy the beach.
Canongate has continued to grow with the addition of some spectacular courses on the north and south sides of metro-Atlanta. Windermere in Cumming became a part of the family in January 2005. This Davis Love, III design rolls through the Piedmont Plateau with stunning views. March 2005 brought the addition of Fred Couple's first signature course, Hamilton Mill, in Dacula. In the fall of 2005, the Rocky Roquemore designed River Forest and the Denis Griffiths designed Georgia National joined Canongate and provide both challenging and enjoyable golf for all skill levels down the I-75 corridor. In November 2005 Whitewater Creek in Fayetteville was a welcome addition, featuring great golf on the Arnold Palmer designed course and a beautiful antebellum style clubhouse. Another Arnold Palmer course, Canongate at Eagle Watch was added in March of 2006 and includes a number of dramatic elevation changes and water features to enjoy.
The fall of 2006 brought three additions to the Canongate family. Master architect Arthur Hills developed Olde Atlanta in his signature style, creating a fun, picturesque, and challenging course in the rugged terrain of North Georgia’s foothills. Summergrove in Newnan is a signature member of Audobon International with Jeff Burton’s layout of 2 loops of 9 holes winding through both community and wildlife areas. Created by Gary Player, Healy Point in Macon was added in November 2006, and its gently rolling terrain offers a unique course with no parallel fairways.
Summer of 2007 saw Canongate expand into a new state, adding The Woodlands Oaks and Panther Trail Courses in The Woodlands, Texas. The Oaks features large undulating greens, huge greenside bunkers and generous fairways. This great test of golf was designed by Joe Lee and Robert von Hagge in 1975, with a 1999 Jay Morrish redesign. Panther Trail delivers a sleek course, new contours, water features and fairways framed with over 20 acres of Texas wildflowers. Panther Trail was originally designed by Joe Lee and Robert von Hagge, with a 2002 renovation by Roy Case.
Canongate closed 2007 by adding Traditions of Braselton in December. Just outside the quaint small town of Braselton, Traditions showcases a rolling, tree lined countryside that has been skillfully molded into a championship caliber layout reminiscent of a traditional northeast links course. The course is designed by Mike Dasher, an Arthur Hills protégé.
What do all of the superb Canongate course designers have in common? They all possess an innate ability to create courses that are fun to play round after round, year after year. The Wilson, Lee, Roquemore and Burton philosophy from the very outset was that a course should be pleasing to look at, challenging to play, and most of all, enjoyable. The twenty-five courses at all twnety-two Canongate locations fit that philosophy to a tee. And the ultimate winners are Canongate’s members who enjoy exceptional, well-conditioned facilities at a great value throughout the year.
