Reynolds Plantation
The Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee GA may have almost everything a family is looking for in a vacation. It sits on the second largest lake in GA with 374 miles of shoreline. First of all it has 6 golf courses-- one for each day of the week and that precious day of rest.
But don’t just come here for the golf because there may be lots of other activities you may be interested in.
Over twelve Tennis courts, over eleven miles of hiking trails, more than ten kayaks,nine canoes, Eight fabulous restaurants, seven pontoon boats,Six golf courses five clubhouses four marinas three speed boats, two swimming pools and a world class 26,000 square foot spa, That’s better than a partridge in a pear tree. With all this and more this could well be the place to spend the the 12 days of Christmas for you and your family.
Reynolds Plantation is located an hour east of The Atlanta Airport, on a man made lake created by damning the Oconee River to generate electricity for the area. It stayed in the family trust for years, and was recently taken over by Met Life-- I am looking for the Snoopy blimp, but I don’t see it. However everyone here seems thrilled by the new owners.
We are an hour from Augusta, so Dogwoods, Azaleas and Georgia Pine frame these courses similar to what you see on TV every year at the Masters-- I am even told the Azaleas bloom in the spring, just like the spring tradition of The Masters but sadly, not this week.
The Reynolds Plantation development is large -- 7 miles long by 3 miles wide and over 90 miles of streets in the development alone-- with more than enough activities to fill any vacation. I could not experience all of the golf but here is an overview of what I played.
There are 6 golf courses here:The Jack Nicklaus-designed Great Waters course, Two Bob Cupp designs, Plantation and The Landing, Tom Fazio's 27-hole National course, The Oconee designed by Rees Jones and a new private club, The Creek Club, designed by Jim Engh
The National Golf Club is 27 holes, designed in 2000 by Tom Fazio, who has more golf courses in the top 100 in the U.S.than any other living architect today. Depending on which 2 nines you play it ranges from 7000 yards to 5200 yards-- so plenty of choices for every level of golfer. Greens are Bent grass and the fairways and all other grass is bermuda.
There are several holes with a creek running through it that bring beauty and drama to the significant elevation changes of this course. In Fazio style, the greens are large and the bunkers are also large (there are 115, more than any other course here at Reynolds Plantation). These sizes create an illusion of distance making greens and flags appear farther away then they really are. He incorporated the steep ravines and valleys with three nines named Ridge, Bluff and Cove. Once you see them you will clearly see how each got its name. “The three nines are named for the type of terrain they feature. No two holes are alike but all share a consistency in feel for the way they match the natural contours,” said Fazio.
The National currently plays out of temporary clubhouse but they have plans for a grand clubhouse that is scheduled for completion in summer 2013.
Today we played Great Waters Golf Club. This 7048 yard course was designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1992. This is the most scenic and because of that, probably the most popular of the golf courses here. Most of the back nine winds along the coves of Lake Oconee but although the lakes presence is soothing to the eye, it only becomes a threatening water hazard occasionally.
“From the 9th hole on, I could have put every hole on the water” said Nicklaus, but he used the water to his aesthetic advantage without over doing the penal aspect, with the possible exception of hole no. 14 a par three across a cove to a picturesque peninsula green. I have played several Nicklaus designs and many are almost too challenging (that is as politely as I can put it) but this layout is quite user friendly. The fairways are Bermuda but the greens are a mini verde bermuda that has a much reduced grain compared to the old strains of bermuda and it putts wonderfully. The front 9 winds through the Georgia pines, pink dogwoods and azaleas, so the two nines are strongly contrasted.
The Landing, designed by Bob Cupp, also plays to 7029 yards and comes into contact with the lake on number 4 but is primarily a parkland course. These greens are Champion Bermuda, but I understand they are changing soon to Mini Tif Bermuda in the near future. The Landing played host to the 2008 PGA Professional National Championship.
In addition to these wonderful golf courses, Reynolds Plantation is home to the Reynolds Golf Academy led by top 100 instructor Charlie King. If that’s not enough, there is the Taylor Made Performance Lab which does swing analysis and club fitting(this is one of only 8 in the U.S.)
Reynolds Plantation is Rated 23rd on THE 75 BEST GOLF RESORTS AT GOLFDIGEST.COM-- and to the best of my knowledge only Pinehurst resort with 8 courses, has more courses.
An increasing number of people are using rental clubs rather than hassle with the airlines and pay those baggage charges to bring their clubs. I used their rental set and had brand new, state of the art, Taylor Made woods, irons and hybrids. They lease from Taylor Made and replace them with the newest they have to offer every year. These were better than the clubs I would have brought and the charge was $75.00. Traveling with clubs may not be worthwhile anymore.
The focus of the Reynolds Plantation is real estate and a majority of the play here is members, but except for the busiest weeks, there are plenty of tee times for the resort guests.
You can stay at either the 260 room Ritz Carlton or in one of the 60 cottages (luxury 2-3 bedroom homes really) which are beautifully appointed. These cottages are privately owned, but managed for rental by the Plantation management. We stayed in a 2 Bedroom cottage overlooking the marina with wi-fi and luxuriously appointed (even granite counters). These cottages are the way to go.
If you go:
80 miles east of the Atlanta Airport www.reynoldsplantation.com
Rounds of golf range from $185 to $250 depending on the course and the season
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