By Roger Cox, Editor
Chateau Élan started out as a winery, its vineyards arrayed around a chateau modeled on those in 16th-century France in a setting of rolling hills, 40 minutes north of Atlanta. It has since evolved into a 3,500-acre resort/residential estate with a 320-room inn, 45 holes of golf, eight restaurants, a 35,000-square-foot European-style spa, and a tennis center designed by former touring pro Stan Smith consisting of five hard and clay tennis courts and another four courts devoted to pickleball.
![]() Personalized Training at the Resort Ranked Number 1 in the World by TennisResortsOnline.com. The Barth-Hawtin Tennis Academy offers world-class coaching in the Roy Barth Tennis Center at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. Competitive junior players gain an immeasurable advantage through individualized coaching and training plans. Learn more at kiawahresort.com/tennis/tennis-academy |
Pro Shop: 325-212-0615
Trevor Spencer with Cliff Drysdale Tennis directs the tennis and pickleball complex. Originally from San Angelo, Texas, where he earned a Masters Degree in Coaching and Sports Administration from Angelo State University, he went on to teach at several of the other Cliff Drysdale Tennis-managed resorts, including the John Newcombe Tennis Country Club in Texas and the Omni Amelia Island Resort in Florida and then on to as Director of Racquets at Hawks Cay resort. Now at Chateau Elan, he offers the usual private and semi private lessons supplemented by introductory Tennis 101 clinics for those new to the game and Tennis 201 for those getting back to playing. He supplements those programs with Fast Feed cardio sessions, open clinics, and a series of junior programs. In addition, several times a year Cliff Drysdale Tennis stages Tennis and Wine weekends or Pickleball and Wine weekends that supplement the on-court sessions with private tour and tasting a local winery.
Courts & Fees. 3 hard courts, 2 Har-Tru courts, and 4 pickleball courts. Court fees: 1 complimentary hour/day included in guest resort fee.
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Golf. There are 63 holes of golf in total sit in the woodland-covered rolling hills.
Spa & Fitness Center. Housed in its own mansion, the 35,000-square-foot spa and fitness center affords guests with access to a variety of treatments and skincare services as well as to fitness Classes, sauna, hot tub, indoor pool and pool deck, daily afternoon tea, and a lakeside spa dining room open for breakfast and lunch.
And ... The property invites biking (bicycles rental is included in the resort fee) and hiking on private roads and off-the-beaten-path trails through canopied forests of trees and past acres of vineyards.
There are several options: rooms and suites in the Inn, suites in the Spa, and 2- and-3-bedroom golf villas with fulling equipped kitchens.
Between restaurants, lounges, and a pool bar there are seven outlets for food and beverage drawing inspiration from the South, Mediterranean, and Irish culinary traditions as well as healthful spa cuisine. Notable among them are Marc Restaurant, an upscale chophouse; Versailles Restaurant and Bar, for French cuisine in the glass-topped atrium; and Louis' House of Bourbon, a Southern gastro pub, and the lakeview Fleur de Lys in the spa for healthy breakfasts and lunches.
Sept. 8-10, 2023: Wine and Tennis Weekend
The Cliff Drysdale Tennis Team is staging a weekend of tennis (9 hours of instruction and play) coupled with a private wine tour and tasting at the award-winning winery, and luxury accommodations for 2 nights.
For more information, visit Wine and Tennis Weekend or phone: 866-397-4040 or email: .If it's wine that interests you, also check out (though neither had clay courts):
If it's something more general, with clay courts, take a look at:
Chateau Elan Winery & Resort
100 Rue Charlemagne
Seasons. Year-round.
Travel Instructions. By air: Chateau Élan is a 80-minute drive from Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
General Tourist Information. Visit the Georgia On My Mind website or contact them by phone at 1-800-VISITGA (1-800-847-4842) or by email at travel@exploregeorgia.org.