The Plantation golf course at Reynolds Plantation

The Plantation golf course was the first built at Reynolds Plantation, in 1988, and set the standard for the excellent courses to come. It's similar to the other four layouts here, though with subtle differences that can loom large.

The Plantation is similar in that it is laid out over the same fine golf terrain as the others - the rolling, treed hills and valleys of northern Georgia, between Atlanta and Augusta. All the courses have elevation changes to some degree, with the elevated tees at some of the higher holes giving good views of the relatively rural countryside.

It also has the banked fairways that give golfers the feeling they're the only ones on the course. It has the same, excellent conditioning the others have; the grass on the top of the few bunkers looks like $200 haircuts.

Like the others, it's a very picturesque course, with Lake Oconee as a frequently occurring backdrop; in this case, little inlets from the big lake prance into view frequently, with pontoons boats tied to docks.

But there are differences, especially after a $1 million renovation in 2004-05. For one thing, the course has far fewer bunkers than the other tracks - about 20.

During the renovation, some of those bunkers were installed where there were once difficult slopes. Mid- and high-handicappers will most likely enjoy this notable absence of sand.

"You can look around the golf course and see the bunkers that aren't there," architect Bob Cupp said in an earlier interview. "There are little swales and depressions that could be bunkers, but are not. The tendency has always been that it has a certain charm by itself without all that sand. I like that."