Michigan Golf Journal December 2020

Michigan Golf Journal Reynolds Lake Oconee When the LPGA Tour had to cancel three Asian Swing events scheduled for October due to Covid-19, 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 and beautiful golf courses, and a superb practice facility in the form of the TaylorMade Kingdom of Golf. LPGA Tour Commissioner, Michael Whan has a home in the resort as well and spends as much time as he can there. So, with that much ‘local knowledge’ and the fact the resort’s grounds crew has the courses tournament ready all year, a new pop-up event was on – the Drive ON Championship at Reynolds Lake Oconee. The newly renovated Great Waters course became the nearly overnight host site for the October 22-25 championship, won by one of the LPGA Tour’s most- liked players and first-time winner, Ally McDonald. “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 week. Great Waters opened for play in 1992 and is one of the most recognizable courses at Reynolds Lake Oconee. After an extensive renovation by the original designer, Jack Nicklaus, it re-opened in October 2019. Nicklaus said of the course after the renovation: “I think the Great Waters Reynolds Lake Oconee is Tournament Ready Every Day By Tom Lang and Fred Altvater