The Landing at Reynolds Plantation (Private/Resort)
1031 Cottage Rd., Greensboro
706-467-1566; www.reynoldslanding.com
STAFF: Bob Mauragas is the PGA Director of Golf; Seth Justman is the PGA Golf Professional.
PAR/YARDAGE: The Landing is a par 72 with four sets of numbered tees: 1 (7,021 yards); 2 (6,373); 3 (5,940); 4 (5,244)
COURSE RATING/SLOPE: 74.4/138 (1); 71.4/131 (2); 69.4/126 (3); 71.0/129 (4).
ABOUT THE COURSE: One of the two original Lake Oconee courses, The Landing at Reynolds Plantation has changed names a time or two, but the quality of its exceptional Bob Cupp layout has never wavered. The club, originally known as Port Armor, joined the Reynolds Plantation family several years ago, and was fully merged with the other Reynolds communities last year. The course is among the strongest in the Lake Oconee area, and has served as host for both the Georgia Open and the 2008 PGA Professional National Championship. This year, the course will be the site of the state Class AAAAA high school boys championship. The Landing is a playable but demanding layout, with its difficulty increasing appreciably when the wind is gusting off Lake Oconee. The lake borders much of the opening nine as well as the appealing finishing hole, where the green has been moved to the right and flipped to make it a mirror image of its former self. The course is relatively open and not especially long by modern standards, although there are several stout par 4s where it is a definite advantage to thump it off the tee. Cupp’s greens complexes are among the strengths of The Landing, with the putting surfaces on the small side with plenty of slope. A number of the greens have multiple tiers, and you can expect some perplexing putts and demanding short game shots if you’re off by just a bit on your approaches. Be ready to play from your opening tee shot, as the lake makes an early appearance after a strong but dry opening hole. The short par-5 second offers a risk/reward option for longer hitters, with the green fronted by a finger of the lake, which also must be carried on the short, par-3 second. The lake borders the entire left side of the stout par 4-fourth, and protects the green at the fifth short and left, with a particularly evil bunker on the right making for some extremely intimidating sand shots. The inland holes are not quite as penal, but there are few soft touches along the way, as Cupp provides a terrific mix of holes that require some thought and precision to successfully handle.