Reynolds Plantation, based in Greensboro, Ga., says it offers an ideal escape from high-pressure lifestyles.

Reynolds Plantation offers more than award-winning golf courses, luxury homes and amenities, including walking trails, water sports and tennis, according to Mike Kelly, senior vice president of development. “What we really sell is the lifestyle,” he says.

“I think the lifestyle that gets created, that pressure release, just allows people to relax,” Kelly says of Reynolds Plantation, a resort community situated on more than 10,000 acres and 80 miles of shoreline in Greensboro, Ga. The company, with a slogan of “Life as it Ought to Be,” says its vision is to create the ideal community with the ultimate in services, amenities and quality of life. “We call it casual elegance,” Kelly adds.

Cousins Mercer Reynolds and Jamie Reynolds formed the company in 1985. “Originally, a grandfather of one of our majority owners had accumulated about 10,000 acres back in the 1930s,” Kelly says. Formerly a hunting retreat for Mercer Reynolds Sr., the property sits on Lake Oconee, the second largest lake in Georgia. And just as the Reynolds family has enjoyed the property for generations, the company says residents and vacationers can relax in the picturesque setting at Reynolds Plantation.

Today, the community is comprised of five championship golf courses; the Ritz-Carlton Lodge; the 609-acre Lake Oconee Village, a retail, office and residential community featuring a 44,000-square-foot Publix grocery store; The Lake Club, a swim, tennis and fitness club; and more than 1,500 rooftops, including condos, duplexes, cottages and single-family homes.

'Best of the Best'
Reynolds Plantation's five golf courses have been ranked among the world's best since the first course, Great Waters, opened in 1989. Recently, the courses were listed among “America's Best Courses You Can Play” by GolfWeek magazine. The community's Plantation, Great Waters, National and Oconee courses were ranked among the “100 Must-Play Courses of Georgia” by GolfStyles in 2005, and The Robb Report ranked them among its “Best of the Best” in 2001.

Kelly says the reason behind the accolades is simple: “Our commitment to quality architecture and the level at which we maintain our courses.” Reynolds Plantation's courses have been designed by world-renowned architects Jack Nicklaus, Bob Cupp, Rees Jones and Tom Fazio.

“In terms of living architects, you'd pretty much consider them the hall of fame,” Kelly says. “We're doing a fifth one now with a man named James Engh - with plans for more.”

He adds that with five courses behind one gate, Reynolds Plantation gives golf aficionados more bang for their buck. Membership prices range from $15,000 to $90,000 for initiation deposits and $76 to $439 for monthly dues. “We consider ourselves an incredible value for what it costs to join our club,” Kelly says.

Active Community
Reynolds Plantation offers a wide variety of activities and amenities, from water sports to nature walks to tennis. Reynolds recently opened The Lake Club, a swim and fitness facility featuring a tennis program operated by Peter Burwash International, one of the world's leading tennis management companies. “It's a members-only facility,” Kelly says. “We're finding the need to do non-golf amenities is just as important. It's really a hub of sports activity and family fun with the two pools, café and teen center.”

The Great Waters swimming complex features a 60-lap pool, spa and terrace. The community also boasts 5.5 miles of terrain for walkers, joggers and bikers, it says, along with the recently opened Nature and Heritage Center. “This facility was actually a recreation of an old house,” Kelly says, referring to the Rock House, a home that was flooded when the man-made hydroelectric Lake Oconee was created by Georgia Power in 1979. “We sent divers down to pull some rock off of Rock House and recreated that,” he adds.

Reynolds Plantation employs two full-time naturalists to provide activities and classes for nature enthusiasts. The community offers nature trails providing a view of a wildlife population, including whitetail deer, wild turkeys, red foxes, rabbits, squirrels and otters.

Kelly says the community also boasts more than 30 self-organized clubs and organizations launched by residents. “The members and property owners have formed their own activities among themselves,” he says, noting that clubs range from choirs to Bible study groups to community volunteer organizations. “It's a very active community.”

A Strong Market
Kelly says Reynolds Plantation is seeing a higher demand for built-for-sale homes. “We're seeing an increase in the number of people who want a built-for-sale product versus buying a piece of land and a custom-built product,” he says, adding the residential market continues to grow. “We're seeing a super-strong market. We're selling properties about as fast as we can develop.”

The company says it will continue to branch out in the residential market by adding condos and apartment units at its Lake Oconee Village retail development. “We're starting to see some interest in other types of residential there as well,” Kelly says. There is a huge potential for growth at the 10,000-plus-acre Reynolds Plantation, he adds.

“We're only about half developed,” Kelly says. “There are certainly plans for more residential, single family and built for sale.” Plans to build a school at Reynolds Plantation are also in the works, Kelly notes, adding that the Reynolds family sees adding a school as a way to give back to the community. “We want to be known for education,” he says. “We certainly will be a major player in making that happen.”

Ranked among the “Best of the Best” and “The World's 8 Most Exceptional Golf Communities” by The Robb Report, the community has earned accolades by continuing to evolve, Kelly says. “We're constantly developing new products and amenities,” he says, noting that the company prides itself on the reaction it gets from its guests and members.

“It's a very relaxed lifestyle, highly amenitized,” he says. “The initial reaction is usually, 'This is much nicer than I expected.'” At Reynolds Plantation, Kelly says, residents and visitors can expect an escape from high-pressure lifestyles. “You really feel like you've gotten away,” he says.

Volunteer Opportunities
One thing that sets Reynolds Plantation apart, Kelly explains, is its volunteer community. Residents have launched a variety of volunteer efforts, including Tom and Kathy Kelly, who initiated a program to help local youths.

Known as the Greensboro Dreamers, the group is part of the national “I Have a Dream” program, which provides long-term tutoring, mentoring and enrichment opportunities for children from low-income families. The Greensboro Dreamers work with the parents and teachers of 54 first-grade students at Greensboro Primary School.

The students learn about career opportunities, with the goal of encouraging them to pursue higher education.Volunteers are part of efforts including in-school counseling, after-school activities and a summer school program, the company says.