By Fred Altvater and Tom Lang
Golfers looking for an up-scale and first-class resort experience can find that and more at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia. The region is simply gorgeous, serene, picturesque and peaceful – and from personal experience we can say the golf is incredible with six courses, a top-notch teaching and training facility and the comforts of a Ritz-Carlton Lodge on the water’s edge.
Perhaps the most dramatic layout at Reynolds Lake Oconee is the Great Waters Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus. It first opened for play in 1992 to wide-spread accolades and has hosted many high-profile events. One of the leading collegiate golf tournaments, the Linger Longer Invitational, is held at Great Waters annually and U-M has competed there a few times. 
After some redesign changes by Nicklaus, the course is now reopening in October, after its most recent renovation by the Golden Bear. The lake affects play on several holes and makes the Great Waters Course one of the most dramatic layouts in the Southeast. It has been consistently ranked among the Top 100 courses in the nation.
“Although the golf course looked pretty good, it was a little tired,” Nicklaus said. “After so many years, all golf courses need sprucing up and some improvements.”
Nicklaus wanted the overall look and feel of the course to be retained, but revamp it so that it’s a little more user friendly with additional bail-out areas added for comfort off the tees.
“We did something to every hole on the golf course,” Nicklaus said. “For example, the 9th hole still plays downhill and over the water, but it’s got a little more room now for the average golfer. The par-3, 8th hole was totally redone and the new hole is much better. The lake at the 11th now comes into play and we took a bunker out on 12, so golfers will have a more generous fairway. At 13, we took the green back to the water, rather than leaving it away from the water.
“It’s one of the really great pieces of property that I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with,” Nicklaus first said several years ago.
Travelers have visited the Reynolds region, about halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, for more than 100 years and many made it a family retreat. In 1979 the Oconee River was dammed, creating what is now Lake Oconee with more than 350 miles of shoreline that twists and turns into numerous inlets and small bays in the region. The area supports four boating marinas as well.
The Landing was the first club to be built on Lake Oconee. It was designed by Bob Cupp and opened for play in 1986. The course winds through natural woods and over rolling terrain with three holes wrapping along the lake shoreline. It is a challenging course known for fast greens and demanding shots.
The Preserve Course was created in 1988 by Cupp, along with Fuzzy Zoeller and Hubert Green. The course never touches Lake Oconee but plays along numerous smaller water hazards and is heavily wooded with the native tall pines. The fairways are wide and forgiving, but also the rolling topography produces many uneven lies. In 2016 the course had some upgrades completed by Cupp, including a new routing called the ‘Quick Six’, a loop of six short holes that can be played in about one hour.
Rees Jones built a traditional and classically structured course, the Oconee, which opened for play in 2002. The Oconee Course is one of the finest public courses in Georgia and has received national accolades from GOLF magazine, Golfweek and Golf for Women. Each hole is a unique experience, but holes share the similarities of rolling terrain framed by tall Georgia pines with large receptive greens – all intermixed with Lake Oconee shoreline, ponds and creeks that require navigating around but are gorgeous to view.
Fairways are wide and although tree-lined, the areas under tree canopies are cleaned out so a lost ball is rare. A personal favorite stretch is holes 15-18. The 15th is a slightly downhill par 3 to a large green on a peninsula formed by two smaller inlets of water off Lake Oconee. Very tranquil.
It’s followed by the par 4 16th hole going back in-land with a creek running the entire length of the fairway and splitting hitting zones (the 12th hole is similar and stunning). The 18th hole is one of the finest finishing holes in golf – a par 4 with some teeth and a fairway that runs all along the shoreline with wonderful views of a massive portion of the lake. The course overall offers five sets of tees that avail to a huge challenge from the tips, but a gorgeous day spent outdoors from tees more forward.
The National has three nine-hole layouts that can be mixed and matched to create an unparalleled 18-hole round, or play all three for a full day of fun. Renowned golf architect, Tom Fazio designed the first two nine-hole courses, the Ridge and the Bluff at the National club in 1997. An additional nine holes, the Cove, opened for play in 2000.
Natural pine forests, rolling landscape, and the dramatic lakefront all add to the National’s beauty. Lush Azaleas and flowering Dogwoods are reminiscent of nearby Augusta National.
The Creek Club is the only private track at Reynolds, and was designed by Jim Engh, who put together Michigan’s Tullymore Resort course – and there is some resemblance in exceptional man-made shaping used to accentuate great natural terrain. The Creek Club opened in 2007 and Engh was charged to create something with a different feel than the first five courses at Reynolds. He did it.
What stands out as most unique is the 18th hole. Engh couldn’t decide between three different green locations at the end of the valley, so they built all three and management rotates which one closes out your round that day. We played the first green that was tucked around a corner of trees to the right. If playing the third green golfers have an elevated finishing shot. 
Any visit to Reynolds Lake Oconee (formerly referred to as Reynolds Plantation) should include a stop at the Kingdom of Golf presented by TaylorMade. It’s one of only two such amenities in the country and offers top-notch golf instruction and club fitting with the latest technologies and a personal touch. Behind the indoor/outdoor training building that hits out onto the driving range sits an enormous practice area settled in a small valley with three large greens, chipping areas and approach shot-making opportunities to tune up anyone’s game.
Other than golf, Reynolds has many opportunities for water sports, boating, swimming, fishing, clay shooting, walking trails and more – everyone will find fun activities at Reynolds Lake Oconee.
Whether a northern native is in the market for a winter home in the south, or a luxurious vacation spot to visit, Reynolds Lake Oconee should be on the shopping list.
