By Tom Lang & Fred Altvater
When the LPGA Tour was forced to cancel three Asian Swing events scheduled for October, Reynolds Lake Oconee saw the need for more women’s events and began to ask, “What if?”
Reynolds Lake Oconee is the home of six challenging golf courses, as well as, TaylorMade’s Kingdom of Golf. In addition, LPGA Tour Commissioner, Michael Whan has a home in the resort and spends as much time as he can there.
The Drive ON Championship at Reynolds Lake Oconee was quickly added to the schedule, to be held on the Great Waters Course, one of the most challenging at Reynolds Lake Oconee. It originally opened for play in 1992 and underwent an extensive renovation completed in the fall of 2019, by the original designer, Jack Nicklaus. 
Nicklaus said of the course after the renovation,
“I think the Great Waters course is visually and strategically spectacular. It’s a special piece of property. In fact, spectacular is a good word for the golf course.”
Hear more from Nicklaus about the renovation on Back 9 Report TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjV8fXVNe1M
One of the mottos of Reynolds Lake Oconee’s maintenance staff is, “Tournament Ready Every Day.” They have every course in the best possible condition for their members and guests 365 days a year.
“Fortunately, even though we didn’t have the lead time normally associated with an event of this caliber, our courses are maintained in tournament condition year-round,” said golf course Superintendent Brandon Hayes, who more than doubled the typical daily maintenance team of 20 to 50 prepping for the tournament.
The Great Waters Course has successfully conducted several professional events in the past and annually hosts one of the best collegiate tournaments in the country, the Linger Longer.
One of the lady pros that enjoyed Reynolds Lake Oconee was Liz Nagel,
“I didn’t hear a single pro golfer say anything except how much they loved it. Great Waters got such rave reviews, we all want to go back. Everyone there were all just so happy and welcoming. You can tell they are happy to be there and so grateful to be at such an awesome place with such great facilities.”
One of the features of the course was the amount of lake front property that was made available for Nicklaus to use in the original design. Water comes into play on the final eight holes, with the 16th and 17th being particularly treacherous. The 18th is bordered completely down the left side by the lake, plus the approach to this par-5 green must also avoid a watery grave.
When the competition ended on Sunday night, Ally McDonald earned her first LPGA Tour title with the hottest player on tour this season, Danielle Kang finishing just one shot back.
Located directly between Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, Reynolds Lake Oconee not only offers fantastic golf, but residents can fish, ski and swim in the massive lake, as well as enjoy every other outdoor activity. Reynolds Lake Oconee has quickly become not only a vacation destination, but a vibrant residential community with its own schools, several fine restaurants, a full social calendar and even boasts a world-class Ritz Carlton Hotel on property.
Kudos to Reynolds Lake Oconee for hosting this event and creating one of the best residential and vacation destinations in the country.
