David -
Skip the PDC. If you don't have an excuse to be elsewhere, make one up.
I wanted to like the course. Several of my friends are members. They anted up lots of money to build the new Rees Jones course. Many are on the board and are also tied in with Peachtree/Augusta/USGA. They crowed for a couple of years about getting Rees, about how good the course was going to be, about Rees' work at PII, East Lake, Ocean Forest, the US Open doctor, etc.
I played with them recently. Normally I'm able to serve up little white lies to my hosts about how much I enjoyed their course, even when I didn't. After our round at the PDC I was speechless. I found it hard even to mouth the usual niceties so I just kept my mouth shut. It was an awkward, painful post-round drink. They know I have fairly strong views about gca and my silence was probably deafening. (Just a note - the Clubhouse is terrific.)
Specifics?
1. On 14 holes (maybe more) water comes into play. Reminded me of Old Marsh. Not many interesting recovery opportunites, but lots of one stroke drops out of parallel water hazards. I do not know how a player with a handicap higher than, say, 14 finishes a round.
2. Lots and lots of extraordinarily artificial Rees mounds. Hundreds border the lake edges, hundreds more on the dry side of the fairway built into or on existing slopes. I can't overstate the artifical look of the course.
3. A lack of strategic bunkering. Greens tended to open up from fairway bail-out areas.
4. No. 16. 460+ par four. You are forced to hit 2i/3w off the tee because the lake snakes into the fairway in the landing area. You are left with a 200-210 second into a severely contoured green surrounded on three sides by water. Sheesh.
Laurel Springs is not very good either. I've always thought that Nicklaus over-deisgns his courses. They seem to be too clever by half. It's as if he was insecure about his design choices, so he overdoes things. If I'm right about that, then Laurel Springs is Exhibit A-1.
Recommended courses? I have always liked Settindown Creek. I'm not a big Cupp fan, but Settindown is a fun course. Marred by a funky little 18th where they somehow managed to run out of real estate, but a delightful course.
If you can venture a hour out of town, do Cuscowilla (after ANGC, the second best course in GA). Well worth the effort.
Finally, the Athens CC is also about an hour away. Ross, 1925. Some wonderful holes. Some mediocre holes, but I hear there is a possible restoration in the works. If so, there will be 18 very good holes someday.