Wes Forester, PGA Director of Golf at Reynolds Lake Oconee joined Rob Thomas on the Club + Resort Talks podcast to discuss Richland—the seventh golf course at the Greensboro, Ga. property. The new 18-hole layout was created by acclaimed course architect Tom Fazio by combining nine holes from his existing National course with nine all-new holes.

This gives Reynolds Lake Oconee two Fazio designs (Richland and The National) along with courses from Jack Nicklaus (Great Waters), Rees Jones (The Oconee), Jim Engh (Creek Club), and two by Bob Cupp (The Preserve and The Landing).

The new Richland turns the Bluff nine from the original, Fazio-designed National—with some recent modifications—into holes 1 through 5 and 15 through 18. The new holes, 6 through 14, traverse the peninsula of Reynolds and tumbles down to the Richland side of Lake Oconee. The resulting layout provides plenty of challenge with fescue-lined fairways, numerous bunkers, and dramatic elevation changes.

Among the changes to the nine Bluff holes were removing or repositioning bunkers, adding new ones, and combining smaller bunkers to create larger ones. Some greens have been reshaped and/or moved, often bringing the lake more into play. New fescue native areas and low-mow chipping areas were also added on some holes.

The new nine utilizes significant elevation change to put an emphasis on club selection and angle of attack. Players will encounter doglegs, a deep valley and big ravine, plus sloping greens and strategically placed bunkering. They’ll also have the chance to refresh themselves at a new halfway house – The Turn – between holes 9 and 10. The Turn is a mobile food truck that will serve burgers, sandwiches, wraps and a full array of beverages.

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The Glen Ridge (N.J.) Country Club’s planned expansion includes constructing a children’s pool and removing 56 trees, raising concerns among neighboring residents. The proposed pool placement—just 13 feet from the property line—requires a variance, as local law typically mandates a 100-foot setback. The Zoning Board of Adjustment was scheduled to review these variance requests Nov. 14. Findings have yet to be announced. One local resident expressed concerns about the impact of the expansion on noise levels in the area.

Two years into a significant restoration effort, Asheville, N.C.’s historic Municipal Golf Course, known affectionately as “Muni,” is facing severe setbacks after Tropical Storm Helene. The city was close to completing multimillion-dollar improvements across the course’s 18 holes, including upgrades to fairways, bunkers, cart paths, and greens, along with extensive stormwater system repairs. However, after Helene swept through on Sept. 27, the Swannanoa River, which runs beside the course, overflowed to more than 26 feet, submerging the surrounding areas. The resulting floodwaters inundated Muni’s front nine holes, with water and debris gushing from drainage inlets, undermining the turf and reversing much of the recent improvement work.