Mountain-top and cliff-edge setting

Links inspired headland style course (mountain meets an ocean of sky)

Distant views from every hole up to 60 miles or more

2,300 feet above sea level and 1,500 feet above the valley floor below

The combination of elevation and unobstructed distant views of the blue ridge mountains approximately 60 miles away provides one of the grandest and grandest views in inland golf.

Mountain Plateau - Resting high atop scenic Lookout Mountain on a plateau like an island in the sky, The Keep is gently sloping and can be described as “Mountain Flat.”

Amphitheater Shaped - The land is a natural 200 acre amphitheater with the course as the stage and the view as a back drop.

Cliff Edge - 1.5 miles of uninterrupted cliff-edge form the shape of the amphitheater and create a focal point at the center of the property.

Open Views - The Keep is one of the best natural spectator courses in the world.

Mountain Streams - The large bowl shape of the property focuses five separate streams to a single convergence creating multiple waterfalls along the way. These falls are highly visible on the 11th tee and produce one of the more dramatic tee shots in inland golf.

Boulders & Outcroppings - Rock features with ancient patina are abundant across the property. In no way do these boulders and outcroppings interfere with play. In fact, they enhance the entire course by defining the area of play, provide framing for natural teeing ground, and even form a citadel around the sides and back of the 17th green.

Natural Areas & Mountain Wetlands – Careful thought has gone into preserving sensitive natural areas and mountain wetlands that form the headwaters of mountain streams in the cove below.

Nothing but Golf & Nature – The Keep is only 1.5 miles from the main entrance to McLemore but feels isolated and protected. There is not a home or other structure in sight with the exception of the distant farmhouses in the cove below. There is nothing to distract from the game and the majestic environment in which it is played.

Over 7,800 yards from the tournament tees

Land First - The land is perfectly suited and receptive to the course discovered by the design team, led by Bill Bergin and Rees Jones. The Keep is a true collaboration with input from the owner, contractors, management, staff, and development team. The design unfolded through a dedicated effort focused on constantly seeking the best and most authentic golf experience possible. Every idea was considered, weighed carefully, and ultimately filtered through the skill and experience of Bill Bergin and Rees Jones.

Walkable - The course is less than 5 mile walk from member tees with only a 500 foot total elevation change, up and down, along the 5 mile course. This is significantly less than most major championship venues and highly unusual for a mountain top golf course.

Open and Epic Views – The shape of the land combined with the links inspired design provides long and expansive views of the entire course. A vast majority of the holes can be seen from most every location on the course due to the amphitheater shape of the property. There are at least five locations across the course where you can see at least a portion of all 18 holes.

1st Tee

9th Fairway

10th Green

16th Green

18th Green

Ribbon Tees - Provides greatest flexibility in adjusting tee locations to account for weather and wind conditions. Some holes will be capable of moving tees as much as 100 yards or more.

Minimal use of formal “tee boxes.”

Flat spots along this incredible path through nature will be utilized as teeing ground.

Bunkers - Bold bunkering is utilized to frame the playing area and dictate strategy. The size and shape of the bunkering is in scale with the largesse of the property.

Five cliff-edge holes – In addition to having five cliff-edge holes, there is balance throughout the round as the starting and finishing holes on each nine are all on the cliff edge.

1st Hole – Par 4 with cliff on your right

9th Hole – Par 4 with cliff on your left

10th Hole – Par 5 with cliff on your left

11th hole – Par 3 with cliff in front and to your left

18th Hole – Par 4 with cliff on your right

Large Greens – The Keep has very large greens that match the grand scale of the property and allow for contoured elements to create interesting putting surfaces. Modern greens roll much faster than greens from the Golden Age of Golf Course Architecture. A green buly in 1920 would be un-puttable at speeds demanded by modern golfers. The contours would simply be too severe for the speed. The large greens at The Keep strike a balance with interest, strategy, speed, and scale.

Flexibility for Events – The Keep is designed to have maximum flexibility and championship conditioning for the golfers that play it daily. The setup of the golf course will vary significantly from day to day based on course and weather conditions. It is anticipated that most golfers will play the course at no more than 6500 yards. But the course will have the capability of stretching to over 7800 yards when needed.

Zoysia fairways and first cut - Most golf courses have 25 to 30 acres of fairway. The Keep will maintain over 50 acres of fairway in addition to 40 to 50 acres of first cut running to natural areas. The openness allows playability on windy days and assists with pace of play. It also provides an exceptional stage for strategic golf. A golfer must balance risk with reward and understand that angles are important. Even though the fairways are large, the best place to play from the 2nd shot varies from day to day based on hole location and weather conditions. A great example of this is the 18th hole which boasts a fairway with a width of over 100 yards. A large fairway bunker divides the fairway into a narrow strip on the left and a wide space on the right. The path to the green from the left offers up a shorter route and clear view of the green, while the path from the right dictates a longer approach that is blind.

Stadium Zoysia is a warm weather grass suited well for our southern region. The Keep will be the first course to use it on a full golf course including tees, fairways, and first cut. Use in the first cut will create a consistent look and allow the width of the fairways to be adjusted from year to year if required. Golf courses with Zoysia fairways and bermudagrass rough do not have this flexibility. Stadium is the latest cultivar in a long line of outstanding Zoysia grasses. Advantages and improvements in the line include a darker green color without minimal yellowing, heartier cold tolerance, greatly enhanced lateral growth rate that allows for divots to heal much quicker, and a shorter dormancy period allowing for a longer season on green turf. It has been well tested and will be a significant asset for The Keep.

Bentgrass greens - Bentgrass is a cool-season grass that thrives in northern climates. It is widely considered as the best putting surface in golf. The finely textured blades allow balls to roll with less resistance, for a smooth and fast roll. The demand for faster putting surfaces has made managing bentgrass in the south a huge challenge and many courses throughout the south have changed to bermuda grass greens. Our mountain-top location provides nearly ideal conditions for bentgrass greens due to cooler temperatures, lower humidity, and a nearly constant breezes. We have been thrilled with the performance of AU Victory bentgrass on our existing Highlands Course. Turf growing conditions are even better at The Keep due to a lack of shade and we expect that AU Victory will continue to excel. Developed at Auburn University, the turf is drought, heat, and humidity tolerant. AU Victory also requires less irrigation than other bentgrasses. The investment in this turf will produce the best possible putting surface for the greatest number of days in our climate.

Natural areas of fine fescues and broom sedge grasses - These grasses are native to our region and offer high drought tolerance with no need for irrigation once established. This combination also offers great contrast to our Stadium Zoysia year round. The peak of the season for these grasses is in the fall when the low and thick fine fescue reaches its deepest and darkest green while the taller and more scattered broom sedge turns a reddish golden hue. On breezy days the wispiness resemble waves on an ocean.

Create a course that is fun for high handicaps and challenging for low handicaps.

Create a course that limits lost balls and high scores but also limits easy scoring.

Create a course that allows for an appropriate pace of play.

Create a course that fits the land to produce an authentic golf experience.

Create a course that allows for the best possible conditioning on a daily basis.

Create a course that maximizes the drama of the property.

The result is big and bold. The Keep has large greens and wide fairways. And some of the most dramatic inland views in the game. The Keep is a strategic golf course. There is more than one way to play each hole. The best way varies from day to day based on the setup, conditions, and ability of the player. Thoughtful and precise play is rewarded, yet it is possible to recover from errant or reckless golf shots. The heroic line is available, but you better execute. Augusta National is the shining example of strategic golf. Bobby Jones masterminded the concept based on his acquired love of the Old Course at St. Andrews and his relationship with Alister MacKenzie. This Bobby Jones quote is the essence of what is being accomplished at The Keep. “The difficulty of the 2nd should be in direct proportion to the excellence of the 1st.”

Nothing is lacking, nothing is wanting. The land and the design have been brilliantly blended to create a unique venue in the game of golf. The Keep is welcoming to golfers of all abilities. It offers strategic challenges, drama, beauty, and pure fun. It’s a golf course that overwhelms the senses and leaves an impression that will last a lifetime. It is truly a golf course, experience, and place that is divinely inspired.

The Keep would not exist if not for the work of Bill Bergin and Rees Jones on the 18th hole of The Highlands Course. The Keep is effectively the 18th hole as an entire course.

Play is Limited to 125 Member/Investors that receive blocked tee times and other privileges.

In addition to Member/Investors and their Guests, the course will be accessible to Members of McLemore, Resort Guests, Stay & Play Guests, & Friends of McLemore on a limited basis.

The Keep will constantly build anticipation before you arrive and will grow them to their greatest heights. From the moment you enter, through-out the round, from the first tee to your final putt, the Keep will deliver above expectations with an experience and memories that will last a lifetime.

The design effort was studied, thoughtful, and thorough to minimize physical grading and capture/memorialize the great natural features and character of the land. The designers humbled themselves to surrender the design first to the land while brilliantly applying the greatest combination of experience and skill. Holes were not forced but instead were discovered. The routing unfolded like a flower’s bloom as the team patiently observed the land through maps, surveys, aerial images, and multiple day long excursions across the uncleared terrain for more than a year before work ever began.

The McLemore management team and board are careful to direct our team and communications to under promise and overdeliver but in the case of the Keep we have asked them to be as open, excited, and even aggressive in their efforts to share what the Keep will become because we know the words and mastery of vocabulary does not exist to adequately describe the experience this course will provide.

There is no doubt a sense of majesty on this place but beyond that, there is something even more grand that appears to be present to our team. We are hopeful, if not confident, this sense of divineness will also be felt by all that play. Space and matter have come together at this exact moment of time to a people and a community seeking to honor the land and enjoy each other through service and hospitality. The passion seen in everyone’s eyes, heard in their voice, and felt through their execution cannot be denied.