Few states can boast a legacy as deep and significant to the game of golf than Georgia.The Peach State is synonymous with the game’s most revered individuals and institutions—from Bobby Jones and The Masters, to Sea Island and Augusta National. And, of course, a commitment to old-fashioned Southern hospitality that can’t be found anywhere else.

As a long-time steward of the environment, Callaway Gardens has earned its stature as Georgia’s most revered resort destination. Having been green when green wasn’t cool, Callaway Gardens has matured into a retreat of scope and sophistication with an array of new facilities, services and residential options. 
    The centerpiece of 13,000 acres nestled in the southernmost foothills of the Appalachians, Callaway Gardens is just an hour southwest of Atlanta. It was founded by Cason Jewell Callaway in 1952 as a place where man and nature could co-exist for the good of both. More than a half century later, his retreat continues to offer solace, inspiration, discovery and now, an unparalleled level of pampering. 
    The resort’s 150-room Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens offers exquisite luxury and gracious amenities and is a fitting complement to the resort’s charming Mountain Creek Inn, cottages and villas. Spa Prunifolia at Callaway Gardens offers treatments infused with herbs, fruits, flowers and plants—inspired by some grown right in the famous Gardens—to reflect nature’s healing elements. Golfers, in particular, are afforded special attention to ensure the appropriate pre-game stretches and post-round treatments. 
    Golf at Callaway Gardens is legendary. Its Mountain View course is perennially ranked among the country’s best and is the former home of the PGA Tour’s Buick Challenge. The resort’s practice facility, Twin Oaks Golf Complex, is one of the finest in the U.S., with more than 26 acres of manicured teeing areas, multiple target greens and a large practice green.
    Resort guests rarely want to leave Callaway Gardens, and now there are many reasons to stay permanently. Thanks to a joint venture with Atlanta-based Cousins Properties, Callaway Gardens has unveiled a 4,000-acre master-planned community with a variety of residential options, all in keeping with the environmental standards and dedication to nature that has defined Callaway Gardens for more than 50 years.

When a community has a Director of Adventure and Director of Fun on staff, it says a lot about its lifestyle. Indeed, things are never boring at Currahee Club, a 1,200-acre community in the north Georgia mountains. 
    The setting alone is enough to inspire exhilaration. Currahee Club is situated along the banks of Lake Hartwell in an area rich in Cherokee history and stunning natural beauty. With views of four states and three miles of shoreline along the lake, the outdoors rarely get quite this great, especially for golfers. 
    Currahee’s Jim Fazio-designed golf course stretches 7,513 yards from the tips with panoramic views at every turn. Golfers looking for sustenance can enjoy a leisurely lunch or grab a quick snack or a cold beverage at the new 2,000-square-foot community grill. 
    Residents eventually must find their way indoors, and the new clubhouse, with equally stunning vistas of the lake, golf course and mountains, is an idyllic “second home.” Relax in the dramatic Great Room, with soaring wood-beamed ceilings and massive stone fireplaces, or step outside and take in the views from the 3,000-square-foot covered porch. The ladies’ locker room has its own private bar and lounge area, and the men’s locker room has a covered patio deck and an authentic 100-year-old Irish pub. Plans are also underway for a full-service spa. 
    Near the entrance to the community is the Currahee Trading Company, a neighborhood gathering spot and general store where residents can gear up with Orvis outdoor and fly-fishing equipment. The area’s superb fishing and hiking will soon be complemented by a tennis club, fitness and swim center, and a proposed marina. 
    Ideal as a primary or secondary residence, Currahee Club is just 90 minutes from downtown Atlanta. Homes will be designed in a style reminiscent of traditional Craftsman-style mountain and lake homes of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We could ramble incessantly about Hampton Island Preserve, a private enclave nestled along South Georgia’s pristine Atlantic coast. But of everything that the retreat represents, perhaps most impressive is its preservation of a long-lost lifestyle, one where the land dictates what will and will not be built, and where there is no substitute for the fellowship and personal interaction between friends and neighbors. 
    Surrounded by 12 linear miles of rivers and tidal saltwater marshes, Hampton Island Preserve provides an unparalleled opportunity to renew and recharge. It is home to Ricefields, a Davis Love III championship golf course that winds around stocked freshwater ponds and through 20 acres of restored, 200-year-old rice fields. Hampton Island recently opened its $8.85 million stable, the centerpiece of a world-class equestrian center. Its Treehouse Spa offers an array of therapeutic services and a stunning 360-degree view of the natural surroundings. The opportunities for boating, swimming and fishing (freshwater and saltwater, inshore and offshore) are virtually endless.     
    Hampton Island’s 16-acre organic Harvest Lake Farm not only provides members with fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers but also is the foundation for the community’s extraordinary culinary program. And the charge of Hampton Island’s attentive, full-time staff is to ensure that every need of residents and members is met from the time they arrive on the island. From turn-downs and reservations to packing a cooler for a day on the water, this is Southern hospitality at its best.

The 2008 Ryder Cup may be contested in Kentucky, but the official packager for September’s matches is firmly entrenched in the Peach State.
    Premier Golf, a Duluth, Georgia-based travel company, has been officially affiliated with the PGA of America for 20 years and has been the only licensed North American distributor of Ryder Cup packages since 1991. Premier Golf offers both all-inclusive and practice round packages for September’s Ryder Cup Matches at Valhalla Country Club in Louisville, Kentucky. 
    Premier Golf also specializes in custom packages to classic U.S. golf destinations including Pinehurst, Kiawah Island, PGA National and PGA Village. The company also offers international golf travel services to Spain and Portugal, Jamaica and the United Kingdom, including packages to the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
    For a quote on a custom or Ryder Cup package, call 866-260-4409 or visit PremierGolf.com.

Family, heritage and stewardship are all qualities associated with the Reynolds family and the foundation of Linger Longer Communities, the family-owned development company responsible for some of Georgia’s most celebrated communities.     
    Headquartered in Greensboro, Linger Longer Communities was formed in 1985 by Mercer and Jamie Reynolds to develop Reynolds Plantation and the surrounding Lake Oconee area. Additional Linger Longer Communities include Reynolds Landing, a resort community centered on a classic Bob Cupp golf course, and Achasta in historic Dahlonega, Georgia. All have been created with world-class amenities and minimal natural disturbance, a cornerstone principal that guides the Reynolds family’s dedication to historic and environmental preservation. 
    Reynolds Plantation encompasses more than 10,000 acres of rolling hills and more than 80 miles of shoreline along Lake Oconee, just an hour’s drive from Atlanta, Athens and Augusta.
    In 2009 Reynolds Plantation will be the site of the first LINKS Green House, which will ideally fit with the Reynolds family’s standards of natural preservation. The LINKS Green House program was created by the magazine to encourage green building at golf communities.
    Ninety-nine holes of golf from designers Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones and Jim Engh provide a stellar array of challenges for amateurs and professionals alike. The Reynolds Golf Academy is an innovative golf instruction center overlooking the Jones-designed Oconee Course and just a chip shot from the TaylorMade Performance Lab. This cutting-edge facility is one of only seven in the world where players can experience the Motion Analysis Technology by TaylorMade (MATT). Fully equipped with computer-aided high-speed motion-capture technology, the Kingdom at Reynolds Plantation also provides top-notch instruction. Previously reserved for professional golfers, amateurs can now take part in the Kingdom experience in a three-day package called the “Tour Experience.” In addition to its award-winning golf, the community also offers world-class dining, three marinas and the AAA Five Diamond-rated Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation. 
    Nearby is the Linger Longer community of Reynolds Landing, featuring a Bob Cupp course that has earned numerous awards since its opening in 1986. In June 2008, it will host the 41st PGA Professional National Championship, the showcase event for PGA Professionals. 
    Reynolds Landing features a new clubhouse and a new amenity center with a family pool and 120-foot waterslide, as well as tennis courts and a multi-purpose athletic field. The community offers an exclusive collection of cottages designed by Southern Living and recently unveiled its new Signature Home Collection that captures the comfortable elegance of the community. 
    Linger Longer Communities’ newest addition is Achasta, located along the banks of the Chestatee River in historic Dahlonega, Georgia, site of the first American gold rush. Named for the Cherokee word for “light,” Achasta is nestled in the North Georgia Mountains near the start of the Appalachian Trail. Its centerpiece is a 6,995-yard Jack Nicklaus Signature Design golf course that offers stunning views of the Chestatee River and includes an island par-three. Its clubhouse offers casual dining, practice facilities and a swim and tennis center. The forthcoming Mountain View Club will feature an indoor and outdoor pool, fitness center, cafe and tennis center. Achasta’s extraordinary homes offer panoramic mountain bluff, golf course and river views.