On Saturday evening, May 16th, Creek Club Head Golf Professional, Wes Forester, breathed a big sigh of relief. After three days of great golf, social events and some absolutely amazing weather, the 2015 Spring Member Guest officially came to a close. As official coordinator for the event, Forester had worked with his fellow head professionals and the golf operations staff on multiple details for what turned out to be one of the biggest Member Guest events in over five years at Reynolds Lake Oconee.
“We had a great time and spent equal play between two of our golf courses, Great Waters and National,” says Forester, who was chosen as a host for the tournament given his significant member event experience. “At 87 teams competing, this is certainly the biggest member guest golf event we’ve had in many years.”
The event officially kicked off on Wednesday, May 13th with a first-ever open social shootout at Great Waters. A total of 47 teams competed in the optional competition with member, Andy Langert and his guest, Bob Eberhardt, edging member, Tim Smith and his guest, Michael Lemon out for the win. Dinner followed under the tent on the event lawn at Great Waters overlooking the beautiful coves along holes 9 and 18 of the golf course. On the other end of the property, the spouses of the Member Guest participants enjoyed a social of their own. Wives of the Member Guest team players delighted in dinner and cocktails at the Lake Club Infinity Pool Bar with their own spectacular view of the sun setting over Lake Oconee.
Following the opening ceremonies, golfers headed to prepare for day one of tournament play. The format for the Men’s Member Guest Championship was a 45-hole Four-Ball Match Play. Teams were made of a club member of Reynolds Lake Oconee and their guest. Each flight consisted of six two-man teams and all play was within the flight. A total of five nine-hole matches occurred over the course of the three days of play.
On Thursday, Match One and Match Two began at Great Waters and National while spouses were again treated to their own activity with an “Open House for the Spouse” event. Reynolds Plantation Properties welcomed spouses for a leisurely, complimentary Open House Tour. The tour began at the Lake Club, where 36 ladies boarded shuttles to take them to five featured homes within Reynolds Lake Oconee. Two of the five homes on tour were the newly opened Model Homes overlooking the tees and signature split fairway of the Creek Club golf course’s number five hole.
The next day, play continued through Match Three and Match Four in the morning and early afternoon, and the day ended with country music, dinner and dancing on the lawn at the Great Waters golf course. The Laughlin Band, a husband and wife duo out of Athens, Ga., performed several country music hits and a total of 250 players and spouses enjoyed the festivities before heading home to prepare for the final day of play.
The fifth and final nine-hole match played out in the morning at Great Waters and National with a lunch cook-out following play at Great Waters. Here, the golf ops team held the flight winner presentation announcement of players for the tournament shoot-out. The dramatic, par 5, eighteenth hole at Great Waters hosted the shoot-out for flight winners and a gallery of participants and spouses gathered around the green to watch the finish. In the end, member Craig Crump and his guest, Robert Malaussena took home the trophy and top honors; while several other flight winners walked home with their individual flight awards – a custom barrel and their own bottle of Woodford Reserve.
These signature wood oak barrel awards were exact replicas of the barrels used to age the best whiskey and bourbon made in the U.S. Aside from just trophies, the barrels could be used to house the whiskey that was provided to each of the flight winners and there’s even a spout for providing an easy pour.
“We are really pleased with the way things turned out,” says Forester. “Everyone seemed to have a great time. The field was one of the biggest in years; we had eight new members join the field of play and the weather was fantastic for the three days. All of the head professionals and their staff did a great job to make sure the experience was a positive one for our members and their guests.”
