What are your thoughts on Cuscowilla Golf Club?

[NAF]

I happened to be there when Golf's most beloved character   declared the first hole to perhaps be his favorite opener that he saw..As Ran's match vs. Augusta shows Cuscowilla starts out strong and just kind of fades a bit towards the end.  It doesnt slump, it just loses a bit of character.  I remember turning to Ran after the 11th hole (where he could not believe they still have those pine trees) and saying WOW, this course is just so much fun and so strategic.

*The 5th hole is one of my favorite short par 5s in golf
*The opening holes par 4, par 5 and par 3 is one of the best starts I've seen to a course.
*The Martian/lunar style bunkering is unique amoung golf courses and with the ragged Jeff Bradley edges give the look of art as well as function.
*The par 3 8th hole is very strategic if one takes advantage of a slope where one can bounce it close to what look like touch pin positions to get near with a low iron in your hand..
*The conditioning was paramount.  Just the right run and bounce you want to see and fast/true greens.  I think the course was in better playing shape for competition (not for greenery) than Augusta was the next day when I went to the Masters.

[John Conley]

Doug:

I understand, but when the Oconee course spends $1.4 million to build an artificial stream on a par 4 (played a shotgun, can't remember the number, looks like one of the holes at Trump International)...

Oconee is part of the Reynolds complex with Great Waters and a pretty good Fazio they call National.  I have a friend who lives in the area and he tells me the residents (of which there are many) of the Reynolds community don't understand why anyone makes a fuss about Cuscowilla.

You call the stream "unnecessary", but they call it part of what makes Oconee "great".  There is a lot of money spent on ancillary items at all of the Reynolds courses in comparison to Cuscowilla - which I consider to be one of the best courses I've ever played.

I told you what to expect when you visited the area over a year ago and I'll never forget the e-mail I got back.  An experience at Cuscowilla really does evoke an almost "too good to be true" feeling for people that like the type of courses you and I do.

I, like you, wish more developers would give architects marching orders to build more like it.

[Jimmy Muratt]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts on Cuscowilla.  All of your comments have reinforced my initial impressions after reading about the course.  I love courses that provide a great deal of variety on all aspects of your game.  I want some holes that require me to work the ball right to left and left to right off the tee and some forced carries with difficult angles over trouble.  Courses with variety keep me coming back and always make teeing it up enjoyable.   This definitely looks like a "fun" course to play.

So is Cuscowilla currently semi-private?  Are they currently offering public access, any plans to go full private in the future?

[Robert Kimball]

jimmy, you can still get on.  I know they do have deep pockets, like Bob said, but I believe the plans to go private have been put on hold.  

Call them up, they will be happy to have you.  
p.s. get a caddy, it will make it much more enjoyable.

[Tim Taylor]

Cuscowilla is probably the best course I've ever played. It has everything - driveable par 4s, long par 4, a wedge par 3, a long par 3, a reachable par 5, a true 3 shotter. The bunkers are unbelievable. Most holes give you more than one option on how to play the hole. It rewards good shots but is not overly penal to the "less talented" golfer. The course is incredibly maintained and plays nice and fast. It's a great walking course.

I can't wait to go back. A friend has a cabin on Lake Oconee. We may do next year's golf trip there. I've suggested back-to-back 36s at Cuscowilla

TimT