Why is a city golf course giving up half its holes for the winter? At Chastain Park Golf Course, the answer starts with a new public park next door. Between November 2026 and March 2027, the back nine will close in stretches. During those closures the course stays open for 18-hole rounds, and golfers play the front nine twice.
Atlanta City Golf's notice reads like routine off-season maintenance, but the work behind it comes from three different groups. The Chastain Park Conservancy, the city's Department of Watershed Management and Atlanta City Golf each have work on the course this winter, and the two largest back nine projects both reach down to Nancy Creek. The course that reopens in spring will be a different course, and the work to change it will still have a full growing season to go.
Four Jobs, Three Agencies
The work spreads across holes 9, 13 and 15 and every green on the course.
| Project | Run by | Where it touches the course | Funding on record | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Palisades Project | Chastain Park Conservancy | New road near the 13th tee | $13 million campaign | Start set for early November 2026, 12 to 16 month build |
| Stream stabilization and restoration | Department of Watershed Management | Hole 15, where the stream meets Nancy Creek | Up to $2 million, approved September 8, 2026 | Back nine work window, November 2026 to March 2027 |
| Storm drain repair | Atlanta City Golf | Across hole 9 from the old gravel lot | Procurement underway | Temporary green on 9 during the work |
| Full greens renovation | Atlanta City Golf | All putting greens | Bid closed October 21, 2026 | Next growing season |
Atlanta City Golf says it is grouping these projects on purpose. It put most of the work in the non-peak season so golfers face one disruption and not several. To see why the timing lines up, start at the 13th tee.
Hole 13 Gets Shorter So Cars Stop Crossing It
The Palisades Project is the Conservancy's plan for about 30 acres of underused parkland between the course's 16th hole and Nancy Creek. According to the Conservancy's July project update, the plan includes:
- a one-mile forest trail
- a native tree arboretum and plant garden
- a natural play area
- overlooks
- a 153-foot pedestrian bridge over Nancy Creek
- a new entry drive and parking area
Lord Aeck Sargent designed it, and SG Contracting is building it.
The golf course feels this project before anything else. Today, the maintenance access road off Powers Ferry Road near the 13th tee sends vehicles through the middle of the hole. As part of the Palisades construction, that road will be realigned and rebuilt. The 13th tee box moves with it, and the hole gets about 25 yards shorter. Atlanta City Golf calls the change a safety improvement because cars and golfers will no longer share the same stretch of ground.
The Conservancy set November 1 as the construction start, followed by 12 to 16 months of building. In August, WSB reported that the Conservancy had raised more than $12 million, with about $1 million still to go. In June, Rough Draft Atlanta described it as a $13 million campaign and reported that the Conservancy, led by president and CEO Rosa McHugh, hoped to break ground in November.
So the shorter 13th is permanent. It is the first visible change to the course from a park project that will keep going after the golf work ends.
Hole 15: The Stream Gets Rebuilt, and the Bridge With It
Two holes later, Nancy Creek is the reason for the work again. The city's Department of Watershed Management is running what it formally calls the Chastain Park Golf Course Stream Stabilization and Restoration Project on hole 15. The work includes rebuilding the stream channel where it approaches Nancy Creek.
The funding went through City Hall in two steps:
- On August 25, 2026, the City Utilities Committee voted 5–0 to recommend adding up to $2 million for the Chastain stream project to an existing green infrastructure contract with the ECL/RAC joint venture.
- A companion ordinance moved $2 million from completed water and wastewater projects that had money left over into the Chastain work.
The full City Council adopted both, 26-R-3983 and 26-O-1412, by unanimous consent at its September 8, 2026 meeting.
Golfers will see a second change on this hole. Atlanta City Golf will rebuild the first bridge crossing on hole 15 while Watershed is working there, so the course does not have to close the hole again later for a separate bridge job.
Hole 9 Picks Up a Temporary Green
Some of the work is on the front nine, which is the half that stays open. A storm drain runs from the old gravel parking lot across hole 9, and it needs repair. That job is in procurement. Once it starts, hole 9 will play to a temporary green. Because golfers will be playing the front nine twice during back nine closures, they may play that temporary green twice in one round.
The Greens Are Next
The winter work fixes the roads, the stream and the bridge. The putting surfaces come after that. Atlanta City Golf plans to rebuild every green on the course next growing season, with improved subsurface drainage and new TifEagle ultradwarf bermudagrass. The city says TifEagle was bred for faster, more consistent ball roll and better tolerance of heat, drought and heavy foot traffic.
That project is already further along than the city's October course update suggests. The update said a request for proposals was "being prepared." Meanwhile, the Georgia Procurement Registry shows the city's bid, IFB/DPR/2608-1270040, "Chastain Greens Renovation," opened October 14 and closed October 21, 2026. It is listed as under evaluation. To bid, a contractor had to have finished greens renovations at three or more golf courses.
The back nine work ends around March 2027, and greens construction is planned for the growing season that follows. The Palisades build runs 12 to 16 months from its start date, which carries park construction into late 2027 or early 2028. Chastain's course and the land around it are in the middle of a long rebuild that started with this winter's closures.
Playing a Round Through March
For regulars, the day-to-day details are:
- Layout. During back nine closures, 18-hole rounds are two trips around the front nine. Atlanta City Golf says it will post specific closure dates once construction start dates are firm. Its course updates page is where those dates will appear.
- Card payments. Since October 1, 2026, all four city golf courses add a 2.5% service fee to credit and debit card transactions. The city says the fee covers payment processing and the city does not profit from it. The change is under City Ordinance 26-O-1347.
- Food and pro shop. Since September 1, 2026, food, beverages and merchandise sold at the courses carry an 8.9% sales tax.
- Green fees. The city's posted rate table for Chastain lists weekday green fees of $23.50 for residents and $28 for nonresidents. Weekend and holiday rates are $26.50 and $32. The power cart fee is $13.50 per person.
- Questions. Megan Jamieson, Chastain's operations manager, is the course contact for conditions and closures at [email protected] or 404-230-4580.
The Rest of the Park Keeps Its Calendar
The construction is mostly confined to the course and the Nancy Creek edge, and the rest of Chastain's fall and holiday calendar goes ahead as planned. This weekend, the Chastain Park Fall Arts Festival brings about 175 artists to 4469 Stella Drive on November 7 and 8. Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. On December 5, the Conservancy's free Holiday Chastain at the playground will have hot chocolate, cookie decorating and family activities.
Once the Palisades is built, the Conservancy's plans call for a forest trail and a footbridge over Nancy Creek, the same stretch of creek that sets this winter's back nine schedule.
If you live near the course and want to talk through how the Palisades and the golf course work could affect your block, from the realigned road to the year of construction ahead, Josephine Traina is glad to share what she's watching in Chastain Park. Book your 15–30 minute consultation.
