Reynolds Plantation

[Mike Treitler]

Hi Guys,


I will be heading out to Reynolds plantation in January for a conference and will likely be able to squeeze out 2 rounds.   Based on my research it looks like "Great Waters" and "Oconee" would be the two we should play.  Unless we get on the Creek Club which we might.


Can anyone shed some light on this who has been there?   If you have 2 rounds to play.. which should they be?


Mike

[Jason Topp]

I was there in September.  Great Waters was the best course on the resort by a fair margin - probably a 6 on the Doak Scale.  Lake Oconee was pretty good with some severe greens that I suspect would be borderline silly on the dormant grass in December - probably a 4, maybe a 5  Landings is a Doak 3 - a very average course at best.

Cuscowilla is also very close and reportedly better than any of the courses at the resort. I have not been there.   

[Ian Mackenzie]

I was there once.
Full disclosure: not my kind of venue for golf.


GREAT destination with kids as the beach club on the lake is wonderful.
However, I found the golf courses to be "resort generic" through and through and saw them all to be indistinguishable from each other.


That is to say they are all nice, well-conditioned, moderately interesting resort courses that are over-priced and require carts. But, if you're stuck at a conference, at least there are decent courses to choose from...;-)


It's an all-star team of 80's architects: Fazio, Nicklaus, Rees Jones, Cupp.....7 courses total.


Perhaps go to golfdigest.com and pick the top one. I heard that the courses are being slowly all redone. Good.


January in north Georgia?
Could be 35 degrees, could be 55 degrees F.

[Adam Lawrence]

I liked the Creek Club, though certainly playing it with the architect and watching him start with six straight birdies didn't hurt. I don't go a bundle for Jim's aesthetic, and I wish he was a bit more interested in making his courses a good walk, but they're always a heap of fun.

[BCrosby]

Play Cuscowilla three miles down the road. Great Waters is a distant second choice.


Bob

[Bill_McBride]

I'm with Bob.  Cuscowilla is head and shoulders above any of the Reynolds courses and just 15 minutes away. 

[Tom Fagerli]

I played Great Waters, Cuscowilla and Harbor Club in a three day stretch in June. I played Oconee shortly after it opened. Cuscowilla is by far and away the best of the lot, but all are very fun to play. Great Waters is a fine resort/members course. The service is first rate too. I enjoyed Harbor Club (but probably because I shot one over) and Oconee. You can't go wrong anywhere but Cuscowilla is the best and well worth playing.

[A.G._Crockett]

Play Cuscowilla three miles down the road. Great Waters is a distant second choice.


Bob

Exactly correct.

[Stewart Abramson]

I was there in September.  Great Waters was the best course on the resort by a fair margin - probably a 6 on the Doak Scale.  Lake Oconee was pretty good with some severe greens that I suspect would be borderline silly on the dormant grass in December - probably a 4, maybe a 5  Landings is a Doak 3 - a very average course at best.

Cuscowilla is also very close and reportedly better than any of the courses at the resort. I have not been there.   

In the new Confidential Guide Vol 2 TD has the Landings as a 5,  Great Waters as a 6 and Cuscowilla as an 8.


I played them all this past Spring in a pouring rain every day, except for the day we played Cuscowilla.  Cuscowilla is head and shoulders my favorite on the Lake. It is actually closer to the Reynolds lodging than Great Waters was.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157651727541615  Cuscowilla photos


https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157651638495195  Landings photos


https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157649370259224  Great Waters photos


https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157651263155418 Oconee photos


https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157651223390759  National photos





Cuscowilla #5 short par 4



Reynolds - Landing #2



Reynolds Great Waters #11  short par 4



Reynolds National (Bluff) #3  par 5 2nd shot



Reynolds Oconee #7

[Mike Treitler]

Appreciate all the responses.  Sounds like Cuscowilla and Great Waters is the way to go.   

[John Cowden]

Spent Thanksgiving week at Reynolds a couple years ago.  Cuscowilla, Cuscowilla, Cuscowilla. 

[Jimmy Chandler]

Is Longshadow operating or closed these days?

[Carl Nichols]

Appreciate all the responses.  Sounds like Cuscowilla and Great Waters is the way to go.   

I haven't played Creek Club, so I don't have an opinion on it, but of the rest I would seriously consider playing Cuscowilla twice.  As others have said, it's head and shoulders above the rest, and I don't think you'll be missing out if you don't play Great Waters (which in my view is a very solid resort-style course that feels like they tried really hard to maximize the lake views and that has a lot of housing).

[Bill_McBride]

Is Longshadow operating or closed these days?

Hopefully opening next spring.

[Jimmy Chandler]

Is Longshadow operating or closed these days?

Hopefully opening next spring.

Great to hear! Fingers crossed   


I'd love to get back there one day. Fun course, amazing value.

[Bill_McBride]

Is Longshadow operating or closed these days?

Hopefully opening next spring.

Great to hear! Fingers crossed   


I'd love to get back there one day. Fun course, amazing value.

Several years ago my wife and I spent a couple of nights with California friends at Reynolds.  The first day we played Great Waters which was okay with a few good holes and done boring back and forth holes.  The next day we played Longshadow and they loved it.  The course was pretty scruffy but greens were very good.  I was very happy they enjoyed it do much, their club is immaculately maintained at home. 

[David Wuthrich]

I agree, Cuscowilla is head and shoulders above any of the Reynolds courses.  Play there twice.

[Jim Franklin]

Creek Club is a fun course and not designed for the low handicappers. It was designed for the high handicappers to have fun and not shoot a thousand. I enjoyed it but keep that in mind. And golf needs courses like that to keep new players coming in.

Cuscowilla is certainly the #1 in the area. Loved it and lots of cool holes.

[Carson Pilcher]

I'm certainly in the "play Cuscowilla twice" camp!!  If you play it twice, you will not be disappointed.  If you play Great Waters after Cuscowilla, about your 3rd hole you may think, "Why am I not over at Cuscowilla"?   

[Mike_Young]

If all goes as planned then Longshadow will open in the summer of 2016

[BShannon]

I've been down to Reynolds 4 or 5 times.


If you only have 2 rounds, play Cuscowilla and Great Waters.


If you can manage a 3rd, play Cuscowilla twice + Great Waters.


Have dinner at Gabby's (in the Ritz) or The Linger Longer Steakhouse (in the Oconee clubhouse)


Enjoy!

[Mike Treitler]

One more question for those that have played all of the courses.

We are playing 18 at the Landing in the morning on Monday and then hopefully playing Great Waters in the afternoon.  They just have one shotgun start on Great Waters for the whole day but the Pro said we may get to jump in if its not terribly crowded. 

If we can't do Great Waters in the afternoon we are going to loop the Landing twice on Monday.   Then we are playing Cuscowilla on Tuesday morning.   Luckily I had a connection at Cuscowilla because they have apparently turned completely private now.

So my question is.... is the Landing definitely the 3rd best Reynolds course?   Is the National worth a look rather than playing Landing twice(if we can't get on Great Waters?)   

Thanks for the help!  We would play Oconee but its closed on Mondays.

[Mike Treitler]

Bumping this once... Anyone play the national?   Worth playing vs the landing twice?

[A.G._Crockett]

Bumping this once... Anyone play the national?   Worth playing vs the landing twice?

My personal bias would always be in favor of playing two courses instead of one course twice, unless you are talking about a course like Cuscowilla.  I don't think playing the Landings twice is going to be something to remember forever...

[JWL]

Bill McBride
Remind me again which of the holes at Great Waters go back and forth.   I don't recall that at all but it has been a long time since I have played it.  Thanks