FEATURE STORY
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REYNOLDS PLANTATION: With the continuing evolution of this resort in its first 12 years, Reynolds Plantation is sure to become one of the nation's elite stops, once its Ritz-Carlton Lodge is completed by 2002.
Reynolds Plantation, which is 75 miles southeast of Atlanta on the way to Augusta, features some of the state's top public courses, designed by Jack Nicklaus (Great Waters in Eatonton), Rees Jones (the brand new Lodge course) and Tom Fazio (The National), along with the original 18-hole Plantation track, opened in 1988 and designed by Bob Cupp.
Great Waters, a par-72 that plays 7,048 yards from the tips, opened in the fall of 1992 and is widely considered the state's No. 1 public course. The National opened in 1997, while the Jones' masterpiece debuted this year.
Gracing the shores of Lake Oconee, one of the world's largest man-made lakes, the resort also offers great sailing, boating, fishing, swimming and water skiing. Cottages are already available for lodging. For more information, visit www.reynoldsplantation.com.
CUSCOWILLA
This golf course and residential community/resort is another up-and-comer alongside Lake Oconee in Eatonton. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed a par-70, 6,847-yard stunner in 1998, which will only get better as it matures.
The development plan calls for a bed and breakfast inn and a limited number of home sites and luxury cottages. Some of these homes and cottages, complete with fireplaces and up to three bedrooms, will be available for rent. For more information, visit www.cuscowilla.com.
BARNSLEY GARDENS
About an hour and a half northwest of Atlanta is solitude at its finest. In quaint little Adairsville, the new Barnsley Gardens Inn and Golf Course opened in 1999 and has made an immediate impact in Georgia's golfing scene, ranking as the state's second-best public course in Golf Digest's 2001 ratings. While golf is a draw, the 1,300-acre resort caters (www.barnsleyinn.com) to couples as a romantic getaway with its spa and fitness center, swimming, fishing, horseback riding and walking trails. Thirty-three English-style guest cottages are built for twosomes. Sound like a good place for a wedding? It is.
The property's breathtaking gardens were rejuvenated by Prince Hubertus Fugger, who invested more than $3.5 million in their restoration.
SEA ISLAND
Two coastal islands, St. Simons and Jekyll, are the hometown area of Davis Love III. The Sea Island area, which seems to be eloquently trapped in a time warp of the late 1800s, is just 70 miles south of the Savannah International Airport and about 60 north of the Jacksonville (Fla) airport, but it feels like you've taken a time machine to get here.
Golf on St. Simons is pricey, but an experience of a lifetime with the Sea Island Golf Club's Plantation and Seaside courses, the Hampton Club, the St. Simons Island Club and the 27-hole Sea Palms Resort. The Jekyll Island Golf Club features 63 holes that are less expensive, but still fun. Staying at the Cloister Hotel should be at the top of your list with more than 5,000 guest rooms.
OTHER TOP RESORTS
Sixty-three holes, including the nationally recognized Mountain View course, make Callaway Gardens (www.callawaygardens.com) in Pine Mountain, which is south of Atlanta near the Alabama border, a perfect stop for players. Callaway Gardens, a 14,000-acre resort with gardens galore, is nestled in the southernmost foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, making it a natural paradise. With an inn and cottages to choose from and eight restaurants to enjoy, Calloway is self-sustaining.
The Georgian Resort in Villa Rica, about a half-hour west of Atlanta features The Frog, designed by Fazio. An additional 18 holes is scheduled to be finished later this year. For information on Chateau Elan, a top resort in Braselton, about 45 minutes north of Atlanta, see a separate sidebar, or visit www.chateauelan.com.



Feature
Story: Public Golf Options in Georgia
The state doesn't have the year-round golf climate of Florida
or the tradition of the Sandhills and the Pinehurst area of North
Carolina, but its dramatic rolling landscape caters to wondrous
up-and-down layouts.
STAYING
IN ATLANTA