Reynolds Lake Oconee
Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia · Lake Oconee golf market
- Access
- membership optional
- Holes
- 126
- Architect(s)
- Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, Jim Engh, Steve Smyers (Fenmoor, forthcoming)
- Gated
- Yes
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Reynolds Lake Oconee is the flagship golf-residential development on Lake Oconee and the largest, most nationally recognized golf community in this part of Georgia. One membership entity spans seven operating golf courses today under a three-tier Silver/Platinum/Reserve structure, anchored by Jack Nicklaus's 1992 Great Waters course and reinforced by the 2024 debut of the Tom Fazio-designed Richland course. The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee (a 251-room hotel opened in 2002 and renovated in 2015) sits inside the development and supplies resort-guest Stay & Play access to most of the courses, layering a resort identity on top of the private membership structure.
Golf & Course
The portfolio spans four decades of design: Bob Cupp's The Landing (1986) and The Preserve (1988) were the original Lake Oconee courses; Jack Nicklaus's Great Waters (1992) put the development on the national map and is regularly ranked the #2 course in Georgia behind Augusta National, with roughly nine holes running directly along the Lake Oconee shoreline; Tom Fazio built The National in stages from 1997-2000 as a 27-hole complex (Ridge/Bluff/Cove nines); Rees Jones added The Oconee in 2002 (renovated 2013); Jim Engh's Creek Club opened in 2007 as the portfolio's most exclusive, members-and-guests-only layout; and in October 2024, Fazio returned to detach The National's Bluff nine and combine it with nine brand-new holes to create Richland, a standalone 7,090-yard, par-72 course named a best new private course of 2024 by Sports Illustrated. An eighth course, Fenmoor (Steve Smyers), is under construction in the development's northeast corner and is scheduled to open in fall 2026 exclusively for Reserve-tier members.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Membership runs on a three-tier Silver/Platinum/Reserve structure. Silver is the base tier with access to The Landing and The Preserve; Platinum adds Great Waters, The National, The Oconee, Richland, and Creek Club; Reserve adds (once open) Fenmoor. Reported 2025-vintage initiation fees run $45,000 (Silver) to $135,000 (Reserve) plus tiered monthly dues, though this pass could not independently confirm a currently-dated fee schedule from Reynolds' own site rather than a PDF of uncertain vintage. Buying a home in the development does not include or require club membership -- it is a separate application and purchase. Ritz-Carlton hotel guests can access most courses (not Creek Club) via resort Stay & Play packages without club membership.
Living in Reynolds Lake Oconee
The surrounding development spans roughly 10,000-12,000 acres with about 3,600 property owners per post-acquisition reporting, managed day-to-day by Daniel Corp/Daniel Communities since MetLife's 2012 purchase from the founding Reynolds family (the land's history traces to the family's 'Linger Longer' hunting retreat, later flooded to form Lake Oconee in 1982). The community is gated and spans multiple golf-course neighborhoods tied to the different course/membership tiers.
Lifestyle & Amenities
The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee anchors the resort side of the community with a spa, dining, marina, and lakeside cottages/lake house rental accommodations, alongside the club's own tennis, fitness, and dining facilities spread across the golf clubhouses.
Location & Surrounding Area
Located in Greensboro, Greene County, on the shores of Lake Oconee, roughly 75-90 minutes east of downtown Atlanta.
Costs & Fees
Figures below are labeled Current only when the source itself frames them as presently accurate. Everything else is labeled Historical — a source checked today does not make an old fee a current one.
Initiation (range low)
Historical — as of 2025-01-01$45,000
Silver-tier (entry) initiation fee, reported at $45,000 as of the club's 2025 fee schedule per real-estate aggregator coverage citing Reynolds' own PDF fee sheet. The PDF's own file metadata shows a 2021 timestamp, suggesting it is a living document Reynolds updates periodically rather than a fixed historical record -- confirm the exact current figure directly with the Reynolds membership office (706-467-1175) before relying on it.
Initiation (range high)
Historical — as of 2025-01-01$135,000
Reserve-tier (top) initiation fee, reported at $135,000 as of the club's 2025 fee schedule. Platinum tier sits between Silver and Reserve at a reported $90,000. Same sourcing caveat as initiation_fee_min applies.
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What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current Silver/Platinum/Reserve initiation fees and monthly dues directly with the Reynolds membership office -- the only figures found trace to a PDF of uncertain vintage, not a live current rate page.
- Confirm whether membership is available to non-property-owners or is effectively tied to owning real estate in the development (membership_tied_to_property was not resolved with confidence this pass).
- Confirm Fenmoor's actual opening date closer to fall 2026 before presenting it as operating.
- Confirm current membership waitlist status per tier.
Notable
- One shared membership entity (Silver/Platinum/Reserve tiers) operates seven golf courses today, with an eighth (Fenmoor) under construction for a fall 2026 opening.
- Formerly Reynolds Plantation; acquired by MetLife Investment Management in August 2012 from the founding Reynolds family and rebranded to Reynolds Lake Oconee around 2015.
- Great Waters (Jack Nicklaus, 1992) is regularly ranked the #2 course in Georgia, second only to Augusta National.
- Richland, opened October 30, 2024, was named a Best New Course of 2024 by Sports Illustrated; it incorporates the former Bluff nine of The National.
- The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee (251 rooms, opened 2002, renovated 2015) sits inside the development and supplies resort-guest golf access on most (not all) courses.
Nearby Golf Communities Worth Comparing
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US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.