Some courses you play once; others you immediately start planning a return trip to before the round is over.
At McLemore Resort, perched along the eastern edge of Lookout Mountain in Rising Fawn, Georgia, the newly opened Keep feels designed for that second category. The course, created by Bill Bergin and Rees Jones, officially opened in October 2025, giving McLemore Resort, Stay & Play guests, and Keep members access to one of the most talked-about new golf experiences in the country.
For Nashville golfers, the draw begins before the first tee. Cloudland sits just over two hours from Nashville, close enough for a long weekend, yet far enough to feel like a true escape. The road climbs toward a mountaintop resort where fog settles into McLemore Cove, ridgelines stretch into the distance, and the language of the property starts to make sense: golf above the clouds.
The Keep is a par-72 championship course that can stretch beyond 7,700 yards from the tips, with five sets of tees that allow the round to shift from playable to demanding. Its setting is what gives it soul. Five cliffside holes overlook McLemore Cove, bringing the drama of the mountain directly into the rhythm of the round. Bergin and Jones used the site’s elevation, rock outcroppings and natural movement to create a course that feels both polished and wild, equal parts strategy and spectacle.
That balance matters. The Keep was built to challenge skilled players, but not punish the everyday golfer simply for showing up. Each hole has its own personality, yet the course holds together as one experience: walkable, scenic, and quietly intense. It asks for thoughtful shots. It rewards patience. And every so often, it asks you to stop, look over the edge, and remember where you are.
The arrival of The Keep also deepens McLemore’s identity as a serious Southeast golf destination. The resort already includes the Highlands Course, known for its dramatic elevation changes and unforgettable cliff-edge 18th hole, along with The Cairn, a six-hole short course designed for a faster, looser round. Together, the three courses give guests several ways to play the mountain, from a full championship test to a relaxed loop before dinner.
It is an ideal setting for a men’s getaway, a couples weekend, or the kind of father-son trip that becomes family lore. You come for the course, but the mountain does its part too. The views slow you down. The spa and pool make a second day feel earned. Dinner tastes even better after 18 holes.
In an era when so many golf trips feel overbuilt or overprogrammed, this one feels grounded in place. The luxury is there, but the landscape leads. That is the part: The Keep does not compete with the mountain; it listens to it.
For those who love golf, The Keep is reason enough to go. For those who simply love a beautiful place, McLemore makes it even easier to say yes.
Make a weekend of it at Cloudland, McLemore’s mountaintop Curio Collection by Hilton hotel. After a day on The Keep, the resort gives guests plenty of reasons to stay put: a full-service spa, cliffside infinity pool, library, fitness center, Peloton room and four dining concepts with views that rival the golf.
Start the morning at The Pocket Café with coffee and a croissant before your tee time, then end the day with cocktails at Skyside or dinner at Auld Alliance, where Scottish and French influences meet in a polished, cliff-edge setting. Croft offers a more relaxed option for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with hearty, fresh dishes made for lingering.
The property is also built for groups. With 245 guest rooms, including 21 suites, and more than 20,000 square feet of indoor event space, Cloudland works as well for a corporate retreat as it does for a milestone birthday, golf weekend or guys’ getaway. Outdoor adventure is close by too, from hiking and waterfalls to Chattanooga excursions.
Beyond the luxurious hotel, choose to stay throughout the resort property in a private home rental ranging in size from 3-5 bedroom homes. With mostly new construction throughout the property, enjoy all the comforts of home with the benefit of resort amenities just steps away from your private escape. Private homes are ideal for groups, couples trips, or a guys getaway providing access to shared common space, the golf practice facilities & short course, and resort swimming pool, and all resort dining outlets.
For Belle Meade readers, the sweet spot is the distance. In about two hours and fifteen minutes, you can trade traffic and calendars for mountain air, championship golf and a little room to breathe. It feels elevated, scenic without feeling remote, and refined in a way that still leaves space for muddy shoes and post-round stories. Pack the clubs, book the room, and let the weekend rise above the clouds.