on the links 2013

By MADALYN SHORES Lake Oconee Breeze

LAKE OCONEE — Getting yourhands on a ticket to the Masters tour-nament can be an once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity, but the next best thing isspending the week leading up to thetournament on one of Georgia’s mostbeautiful golf courses.

Masters week is one of the mostexciting times for golfers at LakeOconee. It marks the beginning of anew season, as golfers eagerly awaitdelightful spring and summer weath-er. Every year golf enthusiasts fromall over the country find the LakeOconee community an outstandingplace to celebrate, watch and vaca-tion for the Masters.

Lake Oconee is home to three pop-ular golf communities knownthroughout the state of Georgia.Cuscowilla, Harbor Club andReynolds Plantation have a com-bined seven award winning golfcourses and are perfect for peoplewho love the game.

The golf clubs on Lake Oconeeeach have different characteristicsthat appeal to different people.Cuscowilla, the smallest communityof the three, has been given numer-ous awards such as Golfweek maga-zine’s #1 Best Course You Can Playin the state of Georgia for 2012.Harbor Club, the second largest, hasnine beautiful miles of shoreline onLake Oconee. And last, ReynoldsPlantation, the largest, has six differ-ent courses to play.

These award-winning layouts drawmany professionals to the LakeOconee area. Tim Simpson, BenCrenshaw, Dustin Johnson and manyother professionals have been spot-ted on each of Lake Oconee’s beauti-ful courses. The clubs are preparingfor nothing but customer service fortheir guests from sun-up to sundown.

Cuscowilla — Don’t let the size fool you

The Cuscowilla community offers700 acres of beautiful soil and 18holes of golf. It is considered to be asemi-public community becausenon-members can play certain daysof the week. Built in 1997, this courseand its accommodations havechanged tremendously in everyaspect.

“Cuscowilla has grown so muchfrom when I started working here 12years ago,” Jarrod Clark, Director ofGolf Operations said. “It started outas just a developing membershipclub, and today we have grown into agreat golf club.”

Here, the Masters experience dif-fers from the other golf communitiesbecause this is the smallest of thethree at Lake Oconee but offers a

more intimate and personable set-ting for the guests.

“We have a different course thanthe others in the area,” Clark said.We have more of a natural, puristicview of how we designed it and main-

tain it, which definitely sets us apart.We are just a small little communitythat loves the game of golf.”

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2 – On the Links Thursday, April 4, 2013www.lakeoconeebreeze.net

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GOLFING OPTIONS

Breeze file photosThough the smallest of the three Lake Oconee golf communities, Cuscowillaoffers a great, award-winning golf club.

See COURSES, page 3

From PGATOUR.COM

Here are the players in this year’sMasters field who are making theirfirst starts in the event (with theirhighest priority qualification):

! George Coetzee, South Africa —Ranked among the top 50 in the2012 final Official World GolfRanking

! Nicolas Colsaerts, Belgium —Ranked among the top 50 in the2012 final Official World GolfRanking

! Jamie Donaldson, Wales —Ranked among the top 50 in the2012 final Official World GolfRanking

! Alan Dunbar, Northern Ireland— Current British Amateur champi-on

! Steven Fox, USA — Current U.S.Amateur champion

! Branden Grace, South Africa —Qualified by ranking among the top50 in the 2012 final Official WorldGolf Ranking

! Tianlang Guan, China —Current Asian Amateur champion

! Russell Henley, USA -- Winnerof full-points PGA TOUR event

(Sony Open in Hawaii) since lastMasters

! John Huh, USA — Rankedinside top 30 on 2012 final PGATOUR money list.

! David Lynn, England —Finished inside top four in lastyear’s PGA Championship

! Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark —Qualified by ranking among the top50 in the 2012 final Official WorldGolf Ranking

! John Peterson, USA —Finishedinside top eight in last year’s U.S.Open

! Scott Piercy, USA — Rankedinside top 30 on 2012 final PGATOUR money list

! Ted Potter Jr., USA — Winner offull points PGA TOUR event (TheGreenbrier Classic) since lastMasters

! T.J. Vogel, USA — Current U.S.Amateur Public Links champion

! Michael Weaver, USA —CurrentU.S. Amateur runner-up

! Thaworn Wiratchant, Thailand— 2012 Asian Tour Order of Meritwinner invited by Masters committee

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Harbor Club — Stay and Play package,

best deal on Lake OconeeHarbor Club offers guests 1,600

acres of land and nine miles ofshoreline, this course is locatedin a beautifully built community.The club put in a lot of workpreparing for the MastersTournament rush.

“It’s a lot of planning, but oncewe get everything accomplished itis pretty much a breeze and justcustomer service is what needs tobe taken care of,” Doug Price,Assistant Golf Professional atHarbor Club, said.

This year, Harbor Club providesan inexpensive way for a group offour golfers to experience theMasters in a way that is moneysaving and exciting for everyoneinvolved. This offer is called the“Stay and Play for Four.” It offersa three-bedroom cottage thatsleeps up to six people and golffor four people on the award-win-ning course for $1,200 per day.There is no minimum stayrequired, so guests can stay aslong as they would like. Tee times

for the public range from $140 to$180.

“Everyone has the golf itch, andit is actually a very exciting timeof the year,” Price said. “What’sgreat is everyone on Lake Oconeehas a great golf course, but ourcommunity is different becausewe are very family-oriented.”

Harbor Club is predicting one ofthe busiest Masters weeks in along time.

“It is so hectic and so much traf-fic at Harbor Club,” Price said.“We are already 250 to 300 roundsahead of schedule from last year.We do anywhere from 25 to 30 per-cent of our yearly, not monthly,yearly revenue in 10 days. Ourgoal is to providing someone withthe best experience that they’veever had so they will choose tocome back the following years. Weare trying to leave lasting impres-

sions on people, not just ‘thankyou come back whenever.’”

Reynolds Plantation is the standard

Reynolds Plantation offersgolfers 117 holes to choose frommaking it the largest golf club onLake Oconee. Reynolds has alsobeen preparing for the hecticweek of the Masters.

“Our operations team does anexceptional job of keeping thecommunity in excellent shapeyear-round, but Masters week pro-vides the opportunity to takeeverything to an even higherlevel,” Chris Fedelem, ReynoldsPlantation’s director of marketingsaid. “From the clubhouses to thegolf courses to the marinas, every-one is eager to welcome members

and guests to the community forthe first major event of spring.”

Reynolds Plantation is one oftwo facilities in the world that hasa TaylorMade Kingdom. This is aclub fitting, swing analysis andclub building facility.

“It was just recently announcedthat Reynolds PlantationMembers and Guests can now visitThe Kingdom themselves and gothrough the very same experienceas the pros,” Fedelem said. “Overthe years our members and guestshave often reported sightings ofcurrent and former PGA Tourplayers during Masters week, andthis has led to some that I canconfirm that TaylorMade-spon-sored professionals do sometimespay a visit to The Kingdom atReynolds Plantation.”

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Thursday, April 4, 2013 On the Links – 3www.lakeoconeebreeze.net

Continued from page 2

Courses

Breeze file photosThis Masters season, Harbor Club offers an inexpensive way for a group of fourgolfers to experience the Masters through its ‘Stay and Play for Four’ package.

Breeze file photoReynolds Plantation is one of two facilities in the world that has a TaylorMade

Kingdom. This is a club fitting, swing analysis and club building facility.

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By MADALYN SHORES Lake Oconee Breeze

LAKE OCONEE — Looking for alow-key, inexpensive place to dinewhile anxiously awaiting theMasters? There are places locat-ed all over the Lake Oconee com-munity to grab a quick bite to eat,but two of the local favorites arethe Silver Moon and Bone IslandGrill.

The neighborhood mainstay,Silver Moon, is located conve-niently off of Greensboro Road,minutes from ReynoldsPlantation, Harbor Club andCuscowilla. You might miss thisrestaurant if you aren’t lookingclosely. But peel your eyes openbecause this is a fun, family-ori-ented place that is ready to caterto the golf lovers spilling into thearea.

“We will have the raw bar allweek long, and instead of our spe-cials only being one night a weekwe are bringing each of thefavorites back for the wholeweek,” Ginger Ryser, owner of theSilver Moon, said.

The Silver Moon is covered fromthe inside and out with beautifulwhite lights that give a dim light-ing for a more intimate setting.This restaurant is great for groupscoming off of the golf course.

The atmosphere gives off a last-ing impression and has customerswho return annually during theMasters week.

“This is our first year that wecan serve alcohol on Sunday, weare usually closed on Sundays butare going to open from the Sundaybefore the Masters until theSunday afterward,” Ryser said.

The Silver Moon opens at 4 p.m.daily. They have a charity of themonth, and this month it is thelocal humane society. The groupwill be out front of The Silver

Moon entertaining guests whilethey wait for their tables and foodto be prepared. They will alsohave a putting green on the frontlawn so you can get your golf fixwhile filling your hunger kick.The kitchen closes at 10 p.m. andthe bar stays open until 1 a.m.

“This is a great, fun andexhausting time of the year, butwe are prepared,” Ryser said. “Wehave scheduled the extra employ-ees, last year we served over 4,500customers in the days that wewere open, and so we have to pre-pare for that. But more than any-thing we are excited about thecrowd and lucky to have every-one.”

The next locally craved restau-

rant is the Bone Island Grill, alsolocated off Greensboro Road.

Positioned on the lake, therestaurant’s porch is known forhosting many bands and artists.The side lawn is a fun place forfamilies to relax from a long dayon the golf course.

Bone Island has corn hole, awell-known tailgating game, aswell as cocktail servers.

“We will have cocktail serversto accommodate the wait, and wehave our inside and our outsidebar for the guests to go to as well,”Kara Fuller, Bone Island Grill’sgeneral manager said.

Wednesdays at Bone Island Grillare known as wild Wednesdays.They not only have live music onthe back patio but also offer half-off wings, wine and whiskey.

On the Wednesday of theMasters week, Conner Pledgerwill perform original and well-known cover songs. Tim Caddywill also play the following night.

This family-oriented place willoffer their services Tuesday

through Saturday. They open at 4p.m. and the kitchen closes at 9p.m. Tuesday through Thursdayand 10 p.m. on Friday andSaturday nights. The bar staysopen one hour later.

Even though they are closed onSunday and Monday, they offertheir facility to be rented out forparties or corporate events.

The Bone Island Grill will offermany specials during Mastersweek. To know the running spe-cials, make sure to sign up fortheir convenient text program.

“To get our daily specials peo-ple can sign up for our text pro-gram that will be sent and allthey have to do is send Go Big to36000,” Fuller said.

These two restaurants areexcited for the craziness of theMasters and look forward to see-ing patrons from all over thecountry. While you are on LakeOconee, make sure to check outthese local spots for an unforget-table time with friends and family.

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Breeze file photosThe Bone Island Grill is located off of Greensboro Road. Like many localspots, Bone Island will offer Masters specials during the week.

By KYLE COLLINSLake Oconee Breeze

Athleticism and confi-dence make the differ-ence in any sport.Macon-born RussellHenley routinelyshowed these attributeson the basketball courtand the golf course dur-ing his youth.

Junior, college andamateur golf seemed tocome easy to theUniversity of Georgiaproduct. Henley won the2010 Haskins Award asthe top collegiate golferand tied for 16th thesame year as an ama-teur in the U.S. Open atPebble Beach GolfLinks.

A 2011 Web.com Tourwin at UGA’s home golfcourse, while still anamateur, providedHenley a place to play ashe learned the profes-sional life. As the 23-year-old quickly foundout, there is no moreteam on the road.

“It’s different, and it’sbusiness,” he said.“People want to dothings their way.”

Henley’s friend andgolf instructor BobbyHix, a PGA teaching pro-fessional at Idle HourCountry Club in Macon,said that change tooktime. The first half of the2012 Web.com seasonwasn’t peachy forHenley.

“You get out and playprofessionally, and it’sjust you. That’s a prettybig change from justbeing around people allof the time to you arepretty much by your-self,” Hix said.

Henley said the tran-sition to the pro ranksdipped him into themost negativity and lackof confidence ever facedin his sporting career.

“I’d gone from win-ning that professionalevent to like rock bot-tom. It was tough to forme because I’d experi-enced such a good placeso quick and all of thesudden had to deal withadversity and not play-ing well at all,” Henleysaid.

Several events helpedhim lock into his game

and get back the pure,confident feel.

Henley hired a long-time caddie, ToddGjesvold, who worked atthe site of his majorintroduction at PebbleBeach. The young proalso reacquired his sig-nature confidence byplaying against estab-lished PGA Tour regu-lars like Webb Simpsonup in Charlotte, N.C.

Assistant pro atCharlotte’s QuailHollow, Charles Frost,opened Henley’s eyes tobetter course manage-ment. The game clickedquickly afterward.

“Todd makes me verycommitted to every shotand makes me believe inwhat we are doing. Itwas a combination ofsurrounding myself withpeople that were mak-ing me a little more con-fident about things. Itstarted to feel like I wasplaying golf again,”Henley said.

Fast-forward to theend of the Web.com sea-son, and the MiddleGeorgia golfer drained alengthy bogey putt at theChiquita Classic to makea three-man playoff,which he won. Thatlocked the young maninto a 2013 PGA Tourcard.

Hix said that putt toldhim his student was on

his way.“I think any teacher,

regardless of what theyare teaching, wantstheir students to achievethe highest level theycan. You always want tofeel like you helped givethem the confidence,”Hix said. “When Russellwas struggling, I alwaystold people its just onegood round or tourna-ment away from bustingloose. You get it going,and you feel like you canconquer the world. Oncehe erased any doubt, Ithought the sky was thelimit.”

Henley never listenedto the outsiders congrat-ulating him on thefuture, choosing insteadto remember the toughtimes overcome.

This attitude spurredmore high finishes. Headded another playoffwin later that season,finishing third on thetour’s money list.

Henley and his loyalcoach love to keep itsimple.

The veteran instructorbrought his pupil backdown to basics againprior to the now famousSony Open Hawaii triplast January.

Hix referenced bas-ketball to get him out ofthe mechanical mindframe.

“It’s all about trusting

his instincts. We talk alot about that. It goesback to his days of beingan athlete,” the Macon

teacher said. “You didn’tworry about that whenyou shot a free throw. Isaid ‘your instincts are

pretty darn good.’ Puttit.”

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RUSSELL HENLEY

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Above: Russell Henley waves after saving par on the third hole during thesecond round of the Humana Challenge golf tournament on the PalmerPrivate course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. Friday, Jan. 18. (APPhoto/Chris Carlson). Left: Russell Henley celebrates after sinking a birdieputt on the 18th green and winning the Sony Open golf tournament,Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

See HENLEY, page 8

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By POWELL COBBLake Oconee Breeze

LAKE OCONEE — Masters Week atLake Oconee is a busy time as peoplefrom around the country flock to townto enjoy golf ’s most prestigious tour-nament. Parties and get-togethers arethrown to celebrate the sport, andeveryone knows the best store in townto provide the liquor.

The Oconee Cellar has gained areputation for quality since it openedits doors in 1998. Located on LakeOconee Parkway right next-door toPublix, the store showcases a broadselection of spirits, beer and ofcourse, wine.

“The store is convenient,” customerLeigh Lofgren said. “It is right nextdoor to where we shop, they’ve got alarge selection and variant prices. Itworks great.”

Owner Matt Garofalo’s passion forwine is what he says keeps his jobinteresting and fun.

“It’s always different, always some-thing new,” Garofalo said. “Newwineries are coming out with stuff allthe time. Every vintage is different,and every year is different. It’s alwayschanging.”

With such a large variety of wines tosell, Garofalo likes to be well versedand try new bottles regularly.

“I probably taste 20 different winesa week,” Garofalo. “You taste a lot ofdifferent stuff.”

During Masters Week, fans comeinto the store looking for a variety ofwines and spirits. It doesn’t matter ifyou’re searching for something cheapor expensive; chances are the storehas it in stock.

Garofalo likes to highlight some ofthe higher-end products for his cus-tomers, but it’s the in-seasonCalifornia cabernet that flies off theshelves the quickest. Additionally,cigars are a popular item sold in thestore year round.

Masters Week being the biggest

week of the year for The OconeeCellar, Garofalo and his staff alwayslook forward to the surge of shoppershunting for the best deals.

“It’s just crazy,” said Garofalo.“There’s such a huge influx of newcustomers coming in that week. It’slike Christmas in the springtime.”

Doug Paine, a friend of Garofalo’s,has been working at The OconeeCellar for two years as the only full-time employee. Though only experi-encing Masters Week as a customer inthe store, Paine is prepared for thebusy atmosphere of working in it.

“It usually starts the Friday beforethe week begins,” Paine said aboutthe huge surge of customers. “We startstocking up a few weeks in advance totry and get ahead of the game.”

Bigger corporations who rent hous-es at Lake Oconee for the week oftenget in contact The Oconee Cellar andpreorder the items they need. That

way, Garofalo can gather everythingand have it ready for a curbside pick-up as early as the next day.

But fans aren’t the only ones thatshop at The Oconee Cellar.

A number of PGA professionalshave been in the store, includingFuzzy Zoeller, winner of the Mastersin 1979 and the U.S. open in 1984.

“Zoeller is a vodka man,” Garofalosaid. “He buys Absolut vodka. That’sall he drinks.”

Zoeller recently released his ownbrand of vodka. Although Garofalodidn’t have it in the store at themoment, he guaranteed he’d have itstocked in time for Masters Week.

Another professional, SeanO’Hair, also made an appearance inthe store. Formerly sponsored byReynolds Plantation, O’Hair mostrecently won the RBC CanadianOpen back in 2011.

The store’s celebrity visits don’tend with just pro golfers. MusicianZac Brown, guitarist and vocalist forthe Grammy award-winning coun-try-folk group Zac Brown Band, hasshopped at The Oconee Cellar too.

“He’s actually really big into redwine,” Garofalo said.

The Oconee Cellar also hosts avariety of events including an

upcoming whiskey tasting that is tofeature a variety of scotches andbourbons.

Every month, a wine tasting isdone at Corrado Italian restaurant,located just down the road from thestore. Oftentimes, Garofalo addsthemes to the events to spice themup.

“We may do Spain night or Italynight” Garofalo said. “Or we mayhave a night where it’s France ver-sus Italy and people can vote ontheir favorites. Those have beenreally popular.”

Customers can sign up for amonthly newsletter that alerts themof tasting events, specials, sales andnew selections. In addition mem-bers receive a specially selectedbottle of red and white wine eachmonth at a major discount.

But it’s Garofalo’s enthusiasm forwhat he sells that makes the store sospecial to his customers.

“I’ve traveled to Italy and Spain totaste wine, so it’s nice to tell cus-tomers I’ve actually been to thewineries I’m selling in the store, I’vemet the owners,” Garofalo said.“People appreciate that. I like toshow that wine is definitely my passion.”

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Powell Cobb/Lake Oconee BreezeThe Oconee Cellar sees a number of PGA pros milling the store. The storeshowcases a broad selection of spirits, beer and of course, wine.

By TOM SPOUSTA Masters.com

He embraces a flairfor the dramatic andexudes a flashy stagepresence. So whenBubba Watson won theMasters Tournamentlast year, the symbol ofhis victory figured to beon continuous display toanyone and everyonewho might ask.

But the Green Jacketrarely adorned Watson’sbroad shoulders.Instead, he tucked it inthe closet at hisScottsdale, Ariz., home –always ensconced in itsgarment bag. He wouldoccasionally peek at ithanging there, still hum-bled by the fact that itwas even in his posses-sion.

“None of my friendshave seen it. None ofmy friends have takenphotos of it,” Watsonsaid on Wednesday dur-ing his pre-Tournamentteleconference.

“I put it in the back. Iknow it’s there justbecause I don’t wantanybody to steal thatthing, but I know it’sthere. But no, I don’tlook at it, I don’t eversee it. I can see the cor-ner of it because it’swith my jackets, so I cansee the corner of thegreen garment bag so Iknow it’s there at alltimes.”

Watson will be wear-ing his Green Jacketsoon enough uponreturning to AugustaNational in April. Heetched himself inMasters lore with animprobable hook shot

from deep in the magno-lias, beating SouthAfrica’s LouisOosthuizen on the sec-ond playoff hole andsealing his status as agolf folk hero.

Watson hit a 162-yardwedge that he curved anestimated 40 yards ontothe green at No. 10 andmade par to win his firstmajor title. Watson,though, has no interestin recreating the shotduring Masters PracticeRounds. He might haveno choice, given hisfree-swinging, go-for-broke style, but unlesshe finds himself in theright trees during theTournament, he plans tokeep that momentfrozen in history.

“Well, truthfully, obvi-ously I pulled it off once,so I should be able topull it off again,” Watsonsaid. “No, I want that tolive. That might be myonly legacy of winningthe Masters, so I wantthat shot to live, and Iwant it to grow, andhopefully 20 years fromnow it’s even tougherand there are biggertrees and a tougher situ-ation. Hopefully, I hitthe fairway from now onso I don’t need to prac-tice that shot anymore.”

Oosthuizen still mar-veled at Watson’s shotand the sudden swing inemotion that surgeddown the 10th fairway.“I had no idea where hewas,” Oosthuizen saidWednesday at theHonda Classic. “I didn’tknow if he was going tochip out or what. As Iwalked down there,being a left-hander, I

thought he can easilyget it close to the green,but obviously didn’tthink he was going to getit that close to the pin.”

Only one thing wasmissing from that epicSunday finish. A fewweeks before hisMasters victory, Watsonand wife Angie hadadopted a 1-month-oldson, Caleb. The newfamily decided it wasbest that Angie and theirson remain at the cou-ple’s then-Orlando, Fla.,home.

Caleb, who turned 1on Feb. 25, and his moth-er will be at thisTournament.

“I can’t wait to getback there, and just tohave my son,” Watsonsaid. “Hopefully he’swalking by then so hecan walk the Par 3

Contest with me. It’ll bea blast for our family.

“I thought golf was mylife, then I thought whenI got married, my wifewas my life, and nowwith a child, now it’s myfamily is my life,”Watson continued.“Having my wife to helpraise a child is just adream come true and ablessing on our end.”

Watson has chartedhis Masters run-up tobegin next week at theWorld GolfC h a m p i o n s h i p s -Cadillac Championshipat Doral. He headed intoMarch with three solidfinishes in four 2013appearances. He tiedfor fourth at the season-opening HyundaiTournament ofChampions, followedthat with a 15th at the

Waste ManagementPhoenix Open and thenmissed the cut at theNorthern Trust Open.Watson opened with twovictories in last week’sWorld GolfC h a m p i o n s h i p s -Accenture Match PlayChampionship beforelosing to Jason Day andfinishing T9.

Still, as he proved lastyear, anything can hap-pen when Watson getshot. Like donning theGreen Jacket, which canbe found prominentlydisplayed in one spot.

Indeed, Watson’s Website opens with a simpletribute to his Mastersvictory: A picture of thebig left-hander standingnear the clubhousemoments after donningthe Green Jacket.

“I never got this far in

my dreams …” it reads,followed by a slow, dra-matic segue to the nextpage and Watson beam-ing proudly along withthree career-alteringwords.

“2012 MastersChampion.”

“It’s been sitting inthat garment bag,”Watson said of the GreenJacket. “I haven’t takenit out. I don’t let anybodysee it or take pictures ofit out of respect for theTournament and out ofrespect for the membersof Augusta National.”

Asked what he’sreflected on the mostduring the numeroustimes he has watchedthe telecast of theTournament, Watsondoesn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, that I won,” hesaid. “I actually won it.”

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WATSON CHERISHES GREEN JACKET MOMENT

AP Photo/Darron Cummings, FileIn this April 8, 2012, file photo, Charl Schwartzel, left, of South Africa, helps Bubba Watson put on the win-ner’s green jacket after winning the Masters golf tournament on the 10th hole after a sudden death play-off in Augusta.

Four rounds of 63-63-67-63 later and Henleyhoisted the trophy in his first PGA Tour event asan official member. That 24-under-par record set-ting performance featured five closing birdies.The putting prowess had announcers and playingpartners shaking their heads.

That win opened up tour life and realized amajor goal for a Georgia boy. Tour winnersreceive a Masters Tournament invitation.

“It was hard fighting off thoughts of it on theback nine that day. I never let it get to me,”Henley said. “Once they told me how does it feelyou’re in the Masters, it was a little bit emotional.It’s been such a big deal for me everyday.”

On April 12, his 24th birthday comes as a first-time competitor in the Masters Tournament.

Talk about a nice present.“I always had a feeling that if I made [the tour-

nament] it would be on my birthday. I’m justblown away. It’s crazy I even get the opportunity.I don’t think I know what it’s really going to belike,” the tour player said.

Henley played the Augusta National Golf Clubwith the Bulldog golf team several times, but thisfast approaching tournament week is a little dif-ferent. One of the tour’s newest standouts is nowwalking like those stars he used to gawk at as ayoung spectator.

Masters Week should play out as a home gamefor Henley considering throngs of Macon andUGA friends in his corner. Hix said this does addsome pressure, but the golfer has always excelledwith crowd support.

If that putter switches into Sony Open mode,Henley could have Augusta rocking to MiddleGeorgia’s delight, which suits him just fine.

“I hope I feed off of it. It makes your good shotsfeel better when everyone goes crazy,” he said.

For the few days before Masters Week, Henleywill escape to his Charleston, S.C. home base.The hip southern area provides great food, golfand fishing.

The Masters rookie loves to unplug from thetour life when possible.

“I look forward to going back every week. I’m anormal kid. I don’t consider myself to be a typicalgolfer,” he said.

A shot at Augusta National Golf Club motivatedthe local talent. Henley’s golf ascension alreadychecked off one all-important area.

“I’ve always been afraid of getting done withmy career and looking back and saying ‘you knowwhat you never made it to the Masters, but it’s OKyou played well.’ I don’t think I could have everdealt with that. I think that’s what drove me somuch.”

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Henley

By POWELL COBBLake Oconee Breeze

LAKE OCONEE —Warm weather andblooming flowersaren’t the only signsof springtime atReynolds Plantationon Lake Oconee. Thisis the time of year forthe Women’s GolfAssociation to tee offinto its new season.

Meeting everyThursday morning fora round of nine holes,the WGA-9 is a groupof all-age womenwhose top prioritiesare to welcome new-comers warmly andensure everyoneenjoys time on thecourse.

“We’ve had 20 newmembers join justthis year,” WGA-9President Jill Schurigsaid. “So we havearound 95 memberstotal. Our goal for thisyear is to reach 110.”

Several years ago,Schurig becameinvolved with variousgolf and luncheoncommittees atReynolds. Thoughswearing she wouldnever become a com-mittee chairperson,her enthusiasm forWGA changed hermind. Before sheknew it, Schurig hadmoved from chairper-son to vice presidentand ultimately thegroup’s president.

“It just happened, Ican’t explain it,”Schurig said, laugh-ing. “I just like it thatmuch, and it was sortof my turn to giveback. These ladieshave been great tome, and it was myturn to do somethings for them.”

Before becominginvolved with WGA,Schurig wasn’t muchof a golfer. Workingall her life made itdifficult to play. Itwasn’t until aboutnine years ago whenshe was able to pickup the sport regular-ly.

For some, the joy ofWGA comes from thesocial experience.For others, it’s thegame’s sportsman-ship and coma-raderie. But all thewomen agree on onething: joining was oneof the best decisionsthey’ve ever made.

“It’s the best groupof gals you could everwant to play with,”Pam McDonald said,who has been a mem-ber of WGA-9 for fiveyears. “We go out, welaugh, and it’s such abeautiful course toplay on. It truly is themost fun group I’vebeen a part of.”

Having no agerestrictions is onething that WGA-9members enjoy aboutthe program. At 87years old and a mem-ber for 17 years,Boots Coffed is proudof her involvementwith the group. Lastseason she didn’tmiss a singleThursday morningout on the course.

“She’s our treas-ure,” Schurig said.“And that’s whatmakes it so fun. Wehave some young girls

starting out and wehave older women.It’s a great blend.”

To help cement thegroup’s core value offriendship, memberBetty Hetzer heads anew initiative thisseason called “GolfBuddies.” Existingmembers will bepaired up with newmembers to serve as amentor, answer ques-tions and guide them

as they become morefamiliar with WGA.

“The reason westarted this isbecause a lot of girlswho come out here toplay are very nervousabout it,” Hetzer said.“They come with thisfeeling of anxiety. Butnow we’ll have some-one assigned to themto give them moreencouragement andshow them the

ropes.”Since joining,

Hetzer has loweredher handicap by 10strokes. She loveshow the golf course isa place she can go toget away and forgetabout everything.

“Being out here islike a form of therapy,almost,” said Hetzer.

When she joinedthe group eight yearsago, Hetzer becamepart of the socialcommittee where sheplanned opening day,coffee get-togethersand luncheons. Overtime, she realized theimportance of gettingto know everyone,helping new membersand learning fromeach other, all whilehaving a good time.

“We want it to be anupbeat, fun morning,”said Schurig. “Theycould be doing some-thing at home not sofun.”

Currently thewomen are gearingup for the two-dayRinger Tournamentin May, the first offi-cial WGA-9 tourna-ment of the season.

Players play the samenine holes two daysin a row, and thencombine the loweststroke count fromeach hole to get theirfinal score.

Debbie Hooper,member since April2009 and organizer ofthe RingerTournament, likes theidea of combining herbest scores to learnfrom her mistakes.

“For many of uswho are new golfers,like me, we find our-selves saying ‘Oh, if Icould just do thatshot over’,” Hoopersaid. “This allows usto play the same nineholes in close proxim-ity to one another. It’salso a fun way to lookat your lowest scorecount on the holes forthose two days.”

Tournament prizesinclude gift certifi-cates to the golf club,with the first placewinner receiving$200. Everyonereceives party favorsat the tournament’sluncheon.

“It’s a great way tocome out and start off

the season with areally fun tourna-ment,” Hooper said.

Reynolds assistantgolf professionalJohn Sitler also helpswith WGA by settingup tee sheets, pair-ings, scoring and any-thing else that needsto be done to ensurethe women are play-ing by proper WGArules.

“It’s a fantasticassociation and agreat bunch of girls,”Sitler said.

According to Sitler,the WGA-9 atReynolds may be thelargest in the UnitedStates. As the pro-gram continues todraw in more andmore women everyyear with friendli-ness and a positiveatmosphere, its mem-bers continue toenjoy what the sporthas offered them.

“What I love isbeing out here andseeing God’s beauty,”said Hetzer. “Andthere’s always thatone shot that willmake you want tocome back.”

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WGA

A GROWING KINSHIP � � � � % � $ � � � � $ � � � � � � � � � � � $ � � � " � � � $ � � $ � � � � $ � � � � �


Contributed photosThe Reynolds Women’s Golf Association meets every Thursday morning for around of nine holes. The WGA-9 is a group of all-age women whose top prior-ities are to welcome newcomers warmly and ensure everyone enjoys time onthe course.

on the links 2013

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