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Twenty
years ago, the forests surrounding Lake Oconee bore no indication of the
recreational transformation the region would undergo, beginning with Port
Armor, which opened for play in 1986. This flagship course in Georgia's
Lake Country was laid out by a fledgling protégé from Jack Nicklaus'
design firm, who would count masterpieces like Castle Pines in Colorado,
home of the PGA Tour's International, and Muirfield Village in Ohio, among
his impressive list of courses he worked on under The Golden Bear's
tutelage. With these credentials, Bob Cupp launched his solo design
career, and one of his first projects was to build the centerpiece golf
course in the Lake Oconee region.
Any reservations the young
architect may have had about designing a course in this beautiful but
rural landscape 75 minutes east of Atlanta were quickly quashed following
the course's opening to promising reviews. The golf boom it triggered has
made Lake Oconee, with numerous public and private courses, a popular
destination for both golf travelers and new residents. Port Armor offers
the best of these options, combining a real-estate community with the Inn
On The Green, a quaint, tasteful 28-suite hotel located at the heart
of the property.
This early Cupp effort is
perhaps a precursor to a series of challenging layouts that followed.
Measuring just over 7,000 yards, Port Armor boasts a stern 75.1 course
rating and 142 slope from the championship tees, which can be humbling for
even the best players. Any of the other four sets of tees are more
forgiving in terms of forced carries, which makes for an enjoyable day
taking in the Cupp's wise routing in forging great shots from the stunning
landscape. From the clubhouse, the course's first four holes work their
way outward towards the water.
At the 488-yard, par-five second, players get their first view of Lake Oconee, and a chance to test their game and mettle. A strong drive will force a decision; play wisely down the left edge for a short pitch over the pond, or play heroically for the green with a fairway wood or long iron. Water short and left will drown miscues, while a bank steeped with thick grasses and pot bunkers will catch the well-struck but conservative play. The experience gained from laying up at the second might make the tee shot at the 137-yard third less daunting; another short iron here must find a small green tucked just over the same pond.
Local magazines have ranked the 457-yard fourth hole among the best 18 in Georgia, and it may well be one of the hardest as well. The fairway tiptoes along a bank on the lake, and drives must be played boldly down the middle. The approach must navigate a string of bunkers and the lake that offers little bail-out room to the right. The only reprieve here at the number one handicap hole is that the architect has surrounded it with relatively easy holes. Shots lost at the fourth can be quickly made up elsewhere, though perhaps one has to wait until they avoid the perils at the 378-yard fifth. A bold tee shot along the water's edge can shorten the hole, but bailing out to the right opens up a green that sits on a tiny wood-banked shelf, surrounded by the lake on three sides. What matters most here is an exacting short iron shot, played with a modicum of self-discipline -- a 40-foot birdie putt or chip is the mark of a well-played hole.
Six, seven, and eight chart some undulating ground, at the end of which lies the 442-yard ninth, which moves gently downhill from the tee and features a fairly wide landing area. A small flank of a pond, complete with fountain, guards the front and right edges of the green, so an iron at the large pine that guards the left edge is a wise target line. A four to close the front side can be momentum for the back side.
A fine balance of holes and shot values is one of the more endearing features at Port Armor, and the 202-yard 11th hole is the most demanding in a collection of distinct par threes. Playing uphill to a green fronted by a large slope, the shot plays at least 15 yards longer than the listed yardage, so an aggressive play with a fairway wood or driver to the back-left edge is the smart play here. Getting up-and-down from behind the green is no bargain, though.
After a trifecta of strong holes, one of the state's best surfaces at the 445-yard 15th. The tee shot is played downhill to a fairway nestled in a valley, and encroached on by a small pond that forms a gentle dogleg. The best drives will find a flat lie next to the pond, which leaves an uphill approach that must contend with four deep greenside bunkers on the right. The play is to stay left, but a false front there will repel shots that do not carry all the way into the green.
The last par three at Port Armor features one of the most punitive hazards on the course, a large bunker trench running before the elevated green. Tee shots at this 181-yard hole must be struck solidly to carry these bunkers and leave a chance at par or birdie.
With a clear penchant for long par fours at Port Armor, it's somewhat surprising that Cupp's closing hole is just 351 yards. Despite its lack of length, two precise shots need to be played here. A fairway wood should be played at a large knoll down the left side, which opens up a small green on the other side of the pond that sits halfway up a broad embankment and is flanked by four sand traps. Even a perfect tee shot will still demand a perfect wedge shot or short iron, to one of the smallest targets of the day.
Examining an architect's portfolio in retrospect, it's easy to find mistakes in their earliest designs, but Port Armor seems to be a triumph from start to finish for Bob Cupp. A challenging variety of holes continues to test even the best players 17 years after its opening, while there is a sufficient balance and forgiveness to the layout for novice players and casual guests to enjoy.
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