OCONEE COURSE AT REYNOLDS PLANTATION
Course Architect: Rees Jones (Greg Muirhead, co-designer)
Year Opened: 2002
Location: Greensboro, Georgia
Slope: 143. Rating: 75.5
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,393
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 5 579 Yds 10 - Par 5 595 Yds
2 - Par 4 419 Yds 11 - Par 4 421 Yds
3 - Par 4 438 Yds 12 - Par 4 380 Yds
4 - Par 4 385 Yds 13 - Par 3 260 Yds
5 - Par 3 188 Yds 14 - Par 4 467 Yds
6 - Par 4 372 Yds 15 - Par 3 192 Yds
7 - Par 5 520 Yds 16 - Par 4 447 Yds
8 - Par 3 218 Yds 17 - Par 5 567 Yds
9 - Par 4 460 Yds 18 - Par 4 485 Yds
Par 36 3,579 Yds Par 36 3,814 Yds
Key Events Held: PGA Cup (2007).
Awards Won: Ranked #4 - Best Public Access Courses (GA) - Golfweek (2005-06),
Rated #16 Best-in-State rankings (Georgia) - Golf Digest (2005),
America's Top-100 Residential Courses (78th) - Golfweek (2005),
America's Top-100 Resort Courses (46th) - Golfweek (2005),
Top-100 Public-Access Courses in US (67th) - Golf Magazine (2004),
#5 - 50 Best Courses for Women - Golf For Women Magazine (2003),
Best New Upscale Courses - Golf Digest (2003),
Top New Public-Access Golf Courses in US - Golf Magazine (2002).
Course Record: 62 (DeWitt Weaver).
Website: www.reynoldsplantation.com/oconee.htm
HISTORY: Aptly named after the lake that Reynolds Plantation surrounds, The Oconee (Oh-KONE-ee) course is the Creek Indian name for "Great Waters". Ironically, one of the other courses at Reynolds is named Great Waters.
Following in the footsteps of Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio, who designed two of the courses at Reynolds, Rees Jones was called upon to create a special project. Nicknamed as the "Open Doctor" for his restorations work on some of the most storied venues of all-time, such as Baltusrol, Hazeltine and Congressional to name a few.
Jones did not disappoint with The Oconee, as he created a venue that supports his traditional philosophy of golf architecture, featuring strategic design. "We have uncovered a dramatic golf course without changing a lot of what we found when we got here."
How good is The Oconee. Well, within one year of opening, the course was rated as the fifth best course for women by Golf For Women Magazine. The honors continue to come in, as Golfweek just recently named The Oconee as the fourth best Public Access Course in Georgia.
Thought of so highly, that the PGA of America has named The Oconee as the host venue for the 2007 PGA Cup. "We are very pleased that The Oconee Course at Reynolds Plantation will serve as host of the next PGA Cup, and that it will provide a championship setting that will be among the most memorable in the history of this event," commented PGA of America President Roger Warren.
When all was said and done, Jones crafted a course that prominently displays the lake, as it comes into play on five holes, features numerous creeks and waterfalls and meticulous bunkering. "We work to create courses that are fair, challenging, continually interesting to play, and visually exciting."
COURSE REVIEW: The course opens with a solid par five, stretching a whopping 579 yards from the tips. Play down the right side of the fairway, as your opening shot will bound towards the left on the sloping fairway. Framed by mounding on the right and a pair of traps left, the first landing area is quite generous, so getting off to a good start should not be a chore. A decision needs to be made with your second shot. Although down hill towards the green, water looms down the left side from 90 yards out to the putting surface, culminating into a beautiful waterfall. Going for it in two is pretty much out of the question, so layup down the right, leaving yourself a simple wedge to a fairly benign green. The putting surface bends around the water, making a left pin very
difficult. Don't get cute. Play out to the right and you'll make an easy par.
The first of seven par fours over 400 yards in length, the second is a modest 419 steps from the back tees. Bending slightly to the right and playing downhill, your tee shot must avoid the large trap on the right. A short- to medium-iron will remain to the slightly uphill and large putting surface, fronted by a deep bunker on the left. The green slopes from back to front, so remain below the hole for your best shot at birdie.
You'll get a real sense of what Rees Jones was trying to accomplish at The Oconee when you stand on the third tee. A downhill, sweeping dogleg-left par four, framed by trees, mounding and sand. Start your drive at the fairway bunker and turn it right to left towards the center. This will set up a medium iron to an elevated green that's 36 yards deep. Miss left and you'll end up in a deep, cavernous bunker. Making par or birdie on any of the first three holes, which rank as some of the toughest on the course, will set you apart from your foursome.
The fourth hole is one of the simplest on the course. Straightaway and downhill to the green, the key here is to drive in the fairway, leaving yourself a short-iron to an accommodating green. Down the right off the tee is the best play, as shots will kick towards the fairway. The putting surface is less undulating than most, with a large bunker on the right and chipping area back-left. A definite birdie chance, so take advantage.
One of many signature holes on The Oconee, the fifth is first par three on the course and it's a gem. Several tee boxes give the player many options on this downhill one-shotter. A pond and a wide trap front the green with a W-shaped bunker deep. The putting surface is very shallow, making club selection all important. With the wind in your face and a back-right flag, this could be a real round-breaker.
Location, location, location. That's what the sixth hole is all about. Just 372 yards from the back tees, this dogleg right plays downhill off the tee. The key ingredient is to avoid the fairway bunkers flanking each side of the landing area. With that in mind, a hybrid or fairway-metal should be plenty to dissect the landing zone. A short-iron awaits to a long, undulating green that slopes from back to front. Leaving here with anything worse than a four will be disappointing.
The shortest of the four par five's at The Oconee, the seventh can be had, well, that's what I thought. Playing downhill off the tee and then straight uphill towards the green, the hole is beautifully framed inside the tall stands of pine trees down both sides. Another generous fairway will set up an attempt to get home in two, however add a couple of clubs to your shot, as it plays 20 yards longer. Two enormous bunkers guard both sides of the putting surface, that falls hard to the front. It should be an easy birdie hole, but I made seven from the left trap, so beware.
Another great par three, the eighth can stretch to 218 yards or play as little as 127. The green sits well below the tee box, so club selection is very difficult, especially since the green is 40 paces deep. Sand occupies most of the left side, so bail right if you're going err. Trees stand tall behind the
green, making for an appealing setting.
Grip it and rip it. That should be your motto when standing on the long, par-four ninth. Your first real view of Lake Oconee is quite daunting as you stand on the tee, not to mention the stiff breeze coming off the water into your face. A 200-yard blast is needed just to reach the fairway on this 460-yard monster. The Lake runs down the entire right side of the hole and most certainly comes into play with your approach. A mid- to long-iron will be required to reach the putting surface that juts out towards the water. Sand fronts the fairly long green, so play left if in doubt and rely on your short game to make par. I did.
The back nine begins with a massive par five stretching a whopping 595 yards, easily the longest hole on the course. A very generous fairway, just stay clear of the 40-yard long trap down the right landing area. No problems in laying up, as the short grass is wide open. Your approach plays downhill to a sloping green that's fronted on the right by a large bunker. A shaved chipping area surrounds the remaining portions of the green, so club selection is key in attacking for birdie.
A sweeping dogleg-right par four, the 11th is framed by trees down both sides and a fairway bunker on the left. Playing downhill off the tee, a down the right blast can leave just a short-iron to the elevated putting surface. The green is only 31 paces deep, but is quite slick from back to front. The real danger lies in the bottomless bunker guarding the left-front. Stay below the hole for any chance at three, let alone four.
Another favorite hole at The Oconee is the par-four 12th. Just 380 yards from the tips, the sensational dogleg-right, uphill gem features a babbling brook running down the entire right side of the hole. Sand frames the left landing area as you head towards the green. The putting surface is well above the fairway, so take an extra club or two to be safe. Short and right is wet, so bail right if you must. On paper it's a birdie chance, but in reality, it's ranked the second handicapped hole.
It's hard to enjoy a par three that's 260 yards long, but the 13th is awesome. At least in beauty that is. With eight different tee boxes, this hole has plenty of options. Downhill to the green, your first shot must clear the lone trap that fronts the green. This trap however can encompass small cities, as
it begins 100 yards short of the putting surface. This deep abyss can ruin a round, so lock and load. The green is long from back to front and quite quick. It comes as no surprise that it's one of the four hardest holes on the back nine.
The 14th is a downhill, dogleg-right monster of a par four, stretching 467 yards from the back buttons. The object on this brute is to bypass the series of traps down the right side of the fairway. Play down the left, as all tee shots will move towards the right. A medium-iron will remain to a fairly shallow green with one deep trap, front-left. Tall pines make for a beautiful backdrop on the second-longest par four on the course. Birdies will be scarce and bogeys plentiful.
Playing directly over a finger of water from Lake Oconee, the par-three 15th can certainly be construed as one of the signature holes on the course. When the breezes freshen from the lake, this one-shotter can be quite a handful. Just under 200 yards, a long-iron will be required just to reach the slightly, elevated putting surface. A wide bunker splashes in front of the green, making your tee shot even more difficult. The putting surface is only 30 paces in length and fairly benign. A back-left pin could make for one of the most difficult pars on the course.
A cascading waterfall and a creek run down the left from the green and past the tee box into Lake Oconee, that's what awaits on the 16th. This time its a dogleg left, uphill par four of 447 yards in length. A wide, rolling fairway awaits your drive, but make sure you take an extra stick for your approach shot, as the water crosses directly in front of the putting surface, one of the tightest on the course. Just 10 paces deep, the green is two-tiered and very fast. This is not a hole to become aggressive, especially with a front flag.
A real good chance of getting one back, the 17th is a long, straightaway par five. Off the tee, the key is missing the fairway traps on either side of the landing area. Your second, which plays downhill towards the green, should be played out to the left, avoiding the 55-yard bunker on the right. Although Lake Oconee provides a wonderful backdrop, the water should not come into
play. The putting surface is not tricky, unless of course you land in the greenside traps and need to get up and down to save par.
It's hard to believe that the final hole, the longest par four on the course, is rated as the 16th easiest on the scorecard. Trust me, it is not. Start with a drive over water that must carry over 200 yards to reach the fairway. A big sweeping draw is the play on this dogleg left, as you aim for the pair of
traps in the distance. Now you're left with a 200-yard plus poke to one of the biggest greens on the course, with sand left and right and water, yes, Lake Oconee, behind the surface. So the bottom line is, a 485-yard par four, doglegging to the left, water left and long, sand guarding the green and a 41-yard long, diamond-shaped putting surface. Write to me if you make par.
OVERALL: There are many words and thoughts that come to mind when talking about The Oconee course at Reynolds Plantation. Player friendly, fair, rock solid and a challenge. But the words that best describe this course are majestic, breathtaking and sensational.
If someone put a gun to my head and made me pick my favorite course at Reynolds Plantation, I'd be hard-pressed not to say The Oconee. All the tracks at Reynolds have something special, but The Oconee is for everyone.
Multiple tee boxes, ranging from 5,100 to over 7,300 yards. Generous fairways, beautiful scenery, undulating putting surfaces, plenty of hazards, a challenge for all levels. Upon completion of the course, Jones commented, "I feel the course we've created is playable for both the scratch player and regular golfer."
Let's not forget the spectacular conditioning of the golf course, the enormous practice facility, a grandiose clubhouse, thoughtful staff and it's within walking distance from the Ritz-Carlton Lodge to boot. Beauty and imagination along with lush, rolling carpets, tremendous pines, dogwoods, oaks, magnolias and cherry trees lining all fairways.
After playing all of the venues at Reynolds Plantation, and loving every minute of it, I'll always come back to The Oconee.