Barnsley Inn & Golf
About Barnsley Inn & Golf
Golf Club Overview
Address: 597 Barnsley Gardens Rd Adairsville Georgia 30103-5712, Bartow, Georgia, 30103-5712 United States
Tel: (770) 773 7480
Golf Pro: Jeff Spencer
Golf Club Facilities
Click the following link to find out what facilities are available at Barnsley Inn & Golf and read frequently asked questions.
Visitor Information & Green Fees
Resort
* Any prices shown are guide prices, please confirm with the course prior to booking.
Courses & Scorecards
| Course | Tee | Par | SSS | Yards | ||
| Barnsley Inn & Golf | Blue | 72 | 73 [134] | 6679 | ||
Barnsley Inn & Golf Reviews
Read independent Golfshake reviews from golfers who have played Barnsley Inn & Golf in Georgia. Explore ratings, recommendations and detailed feedback to help plan your next round.
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Reviews for Barnsley Inn & Golf
Reviewed Oct 26 2026
Where Georgia's Blue Ridge Foothills Meet Fire, Fountains, and Fairway
As I exited I-75 and drove through the North Georgia hills, past the old stone walls toward Adairsville, I got the sense that Barnsley Resort is becoming something new while never losing what made it special in the first place. Nowhere is this more evident than in the resort's new logo, which weaves together flowers, fountains, and fire, three elements that, once you spend a few days on property, you realize aren't just design flourishes. They're the whole story of Barnsley in miniature. The flowers nod to the resort's famous gardens and the horticultural legacy of the Barnsley family. The fountains reference the estate's romantic, ruin-strewn landscape, where water still trickles past the bones of the original manor house that burned decades ago. And the fire speaks to the warmth of the place itself, the hearths in the cottages, the fire pits at dusk, and the sense that you're always welcome to pull up a chair and stay a while.That warmth starts with the staff; from the management and staff who remembered my name on day one to the servers who steered me toward the restaurant's best dishes, everyone here seems genuinely glad you've come. It's the kind of care that can't be manufactured overnight, and it's the thread that ties together everything else on property, from the golf course to the dinner table.
A lot of that energy traces back to new Managing Director Mark Spadoni, who's now steering the resort through its next chapter. Spadoni comes to Barnsley with a résumé built for exactly this kind of transformation. He made his mark at the Westin Savannah Harbor, and he led the renovation of the Omni Homestead Resort, one of the great grand dames of Southern hospitality. That experience shows in the details here, from the logo threading together the resort's history with its future, to the sense that every corner of the property is being thought through with real intention.
The Barnsley experience begins with your room selection: either a hotel-style room at the Inn or one of the freestanding cottages. Having stayed at the Inn on a previous visit, we opted for a cottage. Although the cottages are scattered across the property, they are within easy walking distance to the Village Green and the restaurants. The Village Green is the main walkway through the resort and is where you will find many of the large firepits Barnsley is known for. Our cottage suite had been through the same top-to-bottom renovation the rest of the collection recently underwent, with rich fabrics, soft plaids and florals, and cozy touches that felt more like a well-appointed Southern home than a hotel room.
For many guests, golf is the main attraction. Barnsley's championship course was designed by Jim Fazio and opened in 1999, and more than two decades later it remains one of the most complete tests of golf in this part of Georgia. From the back tees, it stretches to 7,189 yards, playing to a course rating of 75.3 and a slope of 138, numbers that tell you this is not a course to be trifled with. I found the White tees at 6,238 yards, with a 70.8 rating and 127 slope, to offer a good challenge and still let me leave with a little dignity.
What struck me most this round, though, wasn't the length. It was the par 3s. Fazio didn't give players a breather anywhere on this card, and the one-shotters here are where the course really shows its teeth. Each plays to a different club, a different wind, and a different flavor of trouble: huge drops in elevation from tee to green, carries over water, tightly bunkered greens, and false fronts that will send a well-struck shot rolling right back down at your feet if you don't commit to enough club. I stood on more than one tee squinting at the pin position and reconsidering my club selection before finally pulling the trigger. These aren't pretty little pitch shots designed to pad your scorecard. They demand real commitment off the tee, and they punish hesitation just as thoroughly as they punish a poor swing. By the time I played the last of them, I had more respect for Fazio's routing than I did when I started.
After a round on a course of this caliber, you've earned a nice, relaxing dinner. Barnsley has quietly become one of the more interesting culinary destinations in the Atlanta area. Woodlands, the resort's longtime signature restaurant overlooking the fairways and the Blue Ridge foothills, recently underwent its own interior transformation at the hands of notable Charleston-based restaurant designer David Thompson Studio, and it now feels as elevated as the food coming out of the kitchen, without losing the clubhouse warmth that made it a gathering place in the first place. For something newer, Jules has taken up residence in a lovingly restored 19th-century farmhouse (a transformation also envisioned under Thompson’s direction), pairing Southern ingredients with global technique in a space that feels both historic and thoroughly current. And when you want something more casual, the reimagined Biergarten and the easy energy of Dugan's Pub provide the perfect low-key evening.
If golf isn't your game, there are still a lot of activities to keep you busy. Barnsley has built its reputation as much on its sporting life as its golf. The equestrian center lets you ride the wooded trails on a gentle mare as your guide points out where the old estate roads once ran. Then there's the sporting clays course at the Barnsley Sporting Grounds, where my instructor, Joe, patiently corrected my shooting technique until I finally started breaking clays with some consistency. And Barnsley's new pickleball courts have quickly become one of the liveliest corners of the resort, with laughter and the pop of paddles carrying across the lawn well into the evening.
Also new to the resort is the Lazy River Pool. The zero-entry layout features a winding lazy river, a corkscrew-style waterslide, and an activity island, all designed to enhance your summertime enjoyment at the resort. All of this is an addition to the existing pool, which debuted a refreshed look and name as the heated Relaxation Pool last year, which has become the gathering point for guests 21 & over visiting the resort, many of whom enjoy the luxurious poolside cabanas with their prime golf views.
If you're looking for something a little more whimsical, check out The Merger, a new Himalayas putting course. It's an 18-hole, wildly undulating green modeled after the famous Himalayas at St Andrews, and it's every bit as fun and maddening as that sounds. Bring along your favorite beverage and watch as the humps and swales of the well-undulating green leave you scratching your head as the ball curves away from the hole. It's the kind of activity that gets the whole family out together under the stars, and it's become one of my favorite ways to unwind after a real round of golf.
Barnsley Resort has always understood that a great golf trip is about more than just the golf course, and this visit only reinforced that. Between the accommodations, the sporting pursuits, the reimagined dining, a putting course that will humble you in the best way possible, and a golf course whose par 3s alone are worth the trip, there's a reason this place keeps finding new ways to earn a return visit. Under Spadoni's guidance, it's clear Barnsley is only getting started. If you're planning a Georgia golf getaway, I'd put Barnsley near the top of the list.
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Reviewed Oct 20 2020
(Round played: Oct 2020 - Score: 78 Handicap: 5.4)
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Reviewed Dec 23 2019
Get Into the Swing of Things
The history of the Barnsley Resort is very poetic, if not sad. Godfrey Barnsley, a businessman and cotton broker who became one of the wealthiest people in the southeastern United States, built Woodlands, the original manor, in the North Georgia foothills for his wife, Julia. Woodlands and its elaborate gardens were inspired by the work of Andrew Jackson Downing, a pioneering landscape designer. Construction began in the 1840s on land that the government took from the Cherokee nation and divided into 160-acre homesteads, of which Barnsley purchased three. Julia would never see the home built for her and passed away before its completion. In 1906, long after Godfrey had passed away, the roof of the main house was blown off by a tornado and the family moved into the kitchen wing. The main house was never restored and is part of the “Ruins” you find on the property, just beyond the Rice House restaurant. The entire property is gorgeous and meticulously maintained.Barnsley Resort offers visitors the pleasures and pursuits of a fine Southern estate: exceptional cuisine, a championship golf course, a sporting club, relaxing spa, excellent horseback riding and wilderness trails for hiking, walking and biking. It’s perfect for leisure vacations, business meetings, and romantic getaways and is just a short drive from either Atlanta or Chattanooga.
If you’re checking in to Barnsley Resort with nothing specific in mind to do for the next few days, trust me, you won’t be bored. Want to relax and take it easy? Consider the seasonal swimming pool, a relaxing canoe ride on the lake or a nice leisurely stroll around the grounds. If you want something a little more strenuous, how about biking, hiking or horseback riding? Shooters will find the Beretta Shooting Grounds by High Adventure Company to be one of the top wing shooting and sporting clays facilities in the Southeast with two 14-station clays courses that feature a diverse layout of shots.
For many guests, Barnsley Resort is all about the golf. Whether you’re playing a round on the Fazio Course or taking a lesson at the Golf Performance Center, you’re bound to be impressed. The Jim Fazio designed golf course offers stunning views of the North Georgia mountains and features what many golfers consider to be the best collections of par 3's in all of Georgia. The course blends in well with its natural surroundings and features strategically placed hazards that make the course incredibly memorable. There’s plenty of room off most tees and the approach shots to many of the greens involve avoiding a hazard or two, but what you’ll likely remember most are the greens. They are some of the quickest, most undulated greens I have ever encountered and only add to the thrill of this North Georgia golf masterpiece.
The other piece of the golf puzzle at Barnsley is the Golf School. At the ripe old age of 32, Head Teaching Professional Kyle Morris has been studying the golf swing for more than half his life. In his own words, Kyle fell in love with the game at the age of 5 and by the time he was 16 years old he was caddying for a friend of his on one of the professional tours. During that time, Kyle developed a passion for the mechanics of the golf swing and decided to make a career out of it. He attended the Golf Academy of America in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where he studied Sport Psychology, Methods of Teaching, Biomechanics and Attitude & Motivation Assessment. After a few stints as an Assistant Pro at various clubs, Kyle made the decision to get back into teaching full time and took the position of Head Teaching Professional at Barnsley Resort.
After spending an hour with Kyle at the Golf School at Barnsley Resort, I’d say he made a smart career move. He has a knack of quickly identifying a problem – or potential problem – and offering solutions. His knowledge and use of both the Trackman Launch Monitor and Swing Catalyst Balance Plate is uncanny, but more impressive is his ability to make it simple and easy to understand for the average golfer. Don’t get me wrong, if you know and understand the intricacies of the data generated by these two teaching systems, Kyle is happy to discuss the minutia with you. He understands it all. Whether your golf game needs some fine tuning or a complete overhaul, Kyle and the competent staff of the Golf Performance Center can help get your golf game back on track.
There are several types of accommodations available at the Barnsley Resort. The Inn was inspired by a British architect named Edwin Lutyens, best known for designing English country homes. The Inn’s architecture compliments the pedestrian-friendly resort. Step into the lobby and you’ll find stained and hand-scraped hardwood floors, exposed beams and a grand staircase. Each night – weather permitting – you’ll find a fire going in the living room; the perfect place to gather with friends after a brisk stroll around the grounds. Outside, stop by any of the many firepits on the property and enjoy some S’mores.
Barnsley Resort also offers several cottages with diverse floor plans. Each unit is unique, with hardwood floors, wood-burning fireplaces and clawfoot bathtubs. Many cottages have two one-bedroom suites with a living room, bedroom with a king-size bed as well as porches to enjoy the view. There are six Manor Cottages with four bedrooms, porches and a shared living room, making them perfect for family gatherings. Estate Cottages are also very popular for family gatherings, weddings and business groups. Each cottage sleeps between 6 and 18 people and the majority have pantry-style kitchens with full-size refrigerators, ice makers and dining tables.
Guests of Barnsley Resort have their choice of three restaurants and with new Executive Chef Nicolas Lebas in charge of the menus, they are in for a treat. The recently renovated Woodlands Grill is a laid-back dining venue that overlooks the picturesque Fazio-designed golf course and the surrounding hills. Dugan’s, the bar at Woodlands Grill, is the perfect place to meet up with friends or catch your favorite team. The restaurant offers delicious meals and an extensive wine list, craft beers and premium liquors. The lunch menu includes unique and tasty appetizers and entrees such as Pimento Cheese Beignets, Deep-Fried Deviled Eggs, Grouper Sliders and a Brisket Philly sandwich.
The Rice House is located in a 19th century farmhouse and many of the ingredients used at the Rice House are locally sourced, including farm-grazed beef, locally foraged mushrooms and seasonal garden ingredients produced at the gardens on the property. Dinner at the Rice House is truly a garden-to-table experience. In fact, the back of the menu goes into detail on the various food purveyors. The menu here is curated on a weekly basis, focused exclusively on what’s in season from local farmers and purveyors from within a 150-mile radius of the resort, as well as what’s in its peak at the resort’s on-site garden. A sampling of Chef Nicolas’ creations now include a Buttermilk Fried Quail appetizer, a Brasstown Braised Short Rib and Grilled Atlantic Skate Wing.
Unlike most resorts, Barnsley Resort is pet-friendly and with more than 10 miles of hiking trails, outdoor sitting areas with fire pits, lawn games and outdoor dining, your four-legged friend will certainly feel like a pampered pooch. There is no limit on what Fido can weigh and crates are not required, but leashes are. Pet friendly accommodations include the Cottage Suites and Arbor Cottages and can be outfitted with their own suite of amenities: pet beds, bowls, bottled water and treats. Pet sitting can also be arranged if you find the need for some “alone” time! A portion of the $150 - $250 pet fee is donated directly to PAWS Atlanta, an organization which provides love, nutrition, medical care and basic training to enrich the lives of orphaned animals until new homes can be found.
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