Press & Media Room

Greensboro, Ga. (March 25, 2009) - Meet O.R. Smith.  The "Old Rules" Golf Instructor made his video debut at NewRulesGolf.com and on YouTube.  His first installment in a video series has him devising the next great "method" for teaching.

The humorous video uses a unique approach in contrasting an "Old Rules" instructor with a "New Rules" instructor - the basis for GOLF Magazine Top 100 Instructor Charlie King's latest eBook, "The New Rules of Golf Instruction."  The eBook is available as a free download at NewRulesGolf.com.  One of those New Rules says that teachers should focus on the Essential Golf Skills^TM (the way all other sports are taught) instead of using a method or model.  The eBook features the nine areas where traditional (Old Rules) golf instruction has failed and introduces the "New Rules," a modern set of ideas and standards for golfers and instructors.

"By creating the O.R. Smith character, we've found a way to have fun with something that can be very frustrating for golfers," says King, who is the director of instruction at the Reynolds Golf Academy.  "If you're taught using a method, your individual swing characteristics are taken away.  Imagine if we taught methods to all of the golfers in the Hall of Fame who have unique swings."

O.R. Smith is played by Jerry Mowlds, a PGA Instructor at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course in North Plains, Ore., who's video parody called "What Not To Do" shown at the 1992 PGA Teaching & Coaching Summit, made him a legend with fellow teachers.

To view the O.R. Smith video and for more information on "The New Rules of Golf Instruction," visit "The New Rules of Golf Instruction" Website.

About the Reynolds Golf Academy

The Reynolds Golf Academy at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, Ga., is a state-of-the-art learning center located just an hour's drive from Atlanta and Augusta.  Led by GOLF MAGAZINE Top 100 Instructor Charlie King, the Reynolds Golf Academy features individual golf lessons, corporate golf outings, the New Rules Golf Schools which include the cutting-edge Essentials of Golf^TM Total Game Improvement Golf School and the "Red Zone" Short Game Golf School, based on King's book, "Golf's Red Zone Challenge."  The 16-acre, 6,550 square foot private campus is adjacent to Rees Jones' Oconee Course and the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation.  For more information, visit www.ReynoldsGolfAcademy.com.

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Greensboro, Ga. (March 24, 2009) - The number-one ranked University of Georgia men's golf team continued its winning streak by capturing a third Linger Longer Invitational title.  This marks the fourth victory in the last five meets for the Bulldogs.  The 4^th annual Linger Longer Invitational was held at Reynolds Landing on Lake Oconee from March 20-21.

The Bulldogs finished two strokes ahead of the number-two ranked Oklahoma State University Cowboys.  They shot a final-round even-par 288 to post a winning total of 3-over 867.  The Bulldogs and the Cowboys were tied heading into the final round.

"I am very proud of our team," said Georgia coach Chris Haack.  "I like the way we responded to the head-to-head competition with Oklahoma State.  That should bode well for us as we go down the road."

Oklahoma State University's Trent Whitekiller took the individual title with scores of 74-68-66 for a winning total of 208 (-8).

"This year's Linger Longer Invitational highlighted the competitive play demonstrated all season by the University of Georgia and Oklahoma State University," said Scott Justman, head golf professional at Reynolds Landing.  "We thank all of the teams who participated and the host universities."

Hosted by Kennesaw State University and Mercer University, the Invitational featured 13 teams competing in a 54-hole individual and team stroke play format.  Teams included University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, Eastern Michigan University, Francis Marion University, University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University, University of New Orleans, Oklahoma State University, Purdue University, Saint Johns University, Wichita State University and Winthrop University.

About Reynolds Landing

Reynolds Landing, located at Lake Oconee, Georgia, is a Linger Longer Community from the creators of Reynolds Plantation, providing an award-winning lifestyle with world-class amenities.  Reynolds Landing features a classic Bob Cupp golf course, called one of Georgia's best at its debut, when it was ranked second only to Augusta National, and has earned numerous awards since its opening in 1986.  In 2006, the course hosted the 53^rd annual Georgia Open and in June 2008, it hosted the 41^st PGA Professional National Championship, the showcase event for PGA Professionals.  Home to the Village at Reynolds Landing, the community features a new clubhouse with golf shop, fitness center, restaurant with veranda, guest rooms and meeting space; a new amenity center that includes a family pool with 143-foot waterslide, splash pad and hot tub; and tennis courts and a multi-purpose athletic field.  This community showcases an exclusive collection of cottages designed by Southern Living. Reynolds Landing is also the site of the new Signature Home Collection - four beautiful, open floor plans that capture the comfortable elegance that characterizes the lifestyle of this community.  For inquiries, please call Reynolds Plantation Realty at 866-405-7400 or visit http://www.reynoldslanding.com/.

Greensboro, Ga. (March 23, 2009) - A favorite hideout of PGA Tour professionals during any given tournament week is the traveling equipment trailer.  These high-tech workshops on wheels are where the pros go to have custom-fitted clubs built, get their lofts and lies checked, have their set re-gripped, grind their wedges, or just kick back for a few minutes to shoot the breeze.

Since the tour trailer is as much a part of daily life on the PGA Tour as a courtesy car, it's appropriate that the Kingdom at Reynolds Plantation -which, by invitation, allows golfers inside the private world of the tour professional - will soon include a real tour trailer as a regular part of the experience.

Starting in April, the custom-designed tour trailer that has served TaylorMade-adidas Golf Tour Staff professionals for the past six years, which has visited hundreds of tour stops and in which thousands of TaylorMade clubs have been built, will be parked permanently at the Kingdom at Reynolds Plantation.  The trailer, where custom-fit equipment will be built for Kingdom guests, will further solidify a visit to the Kingdom as the ultimate golf experience.

The Kingdom is located at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, Ga., one of the world's renowned golf resort communities.  The Kingdom is available to the elite Tour Staff of TaylorMade-adidas Golf.  The Kingdom is also open to the approximately 2,000 TaylorMade-adidas Golf Staff club professionals from across the country and their guests, as well as to small corporate groups.  Guests can expect the same service and precision-fit equipment as TaylorMade's Tour professionals receive.

"The Kingdom at Reynolds Plantation is where the pros go, so adding an authentic tour trailer signifies even more precisely what the facility does for the best players in the world," said Bob Mauragas, vice president of golf operations at Reynolds Plantation.  "It will be fully staffed and fully operational, just as it has been every week on the PGA Tour for the past six seasons, giving us the ability to generate TaylorMade products on site."

The Kingdom is also home to a two-day total game-enhancement experience unlike any in the world, the "Tour Experience".  The "Tour Experience" includes a round of golf, personalized instruction and candid interaction with a TaylorMade Tour professional.  "Tour Experience" participants enjoy the same instant response time to their equipment needs at the Kingdom that TaylorMade's pros receive on tour.

For more details, visit http://www.thekingdomatreynolds.com/ or call 706-818-3910.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla., March 22, 2009 - It took three extra holes, but Jean Reynolds captured the Duramed FUTURES Tour's season opener today. The 5-foot-2 Georgia Peach outlasted Song Yi Choi to win the inaugural $100,000 Florida's Natural Growers Charity Classic and earn her first professional title.

Reynolds carded rounds of 69-73-70 to win at 212 (-4), edging Choi after three return visits to the 18^th tee for a playoff at Lake Region Yacht and Country Club. Choi carded rounds of 64-73-75 to finish second.

"I knew this day was coming, but it feels so awesome," said Reynolds, 24, of Newnan, Ga. "It's been a really bizarre week because I stayed so calm."

But calm is what wins golf tournaments. And calm is what Reynolds remained even when Choi, last year's sixth-ranked player -- also intent on earning her first professional title - pushed hard to wrestle the orange-filled crystal trophy out of Reynolds' hands.

Choi held a one-shot lead going into the final hole. She had bogeyed the 16^th, but bounced back with a birdie on No. 17, so the South Korean was ready to close the deal. But throughout the day, stiff winds had kicked up the whitecaps on the surrounding Lake Hamilton and rain clouds had rolled in and out in the late afternoon. Choi held an 8-iron in her hands on a 110-yard approach shot on the par-5 18^th hole with wind directly in her face. Seconds later, she watched as that shot fell short and found the water hazard bordering the green.

"It was not a good shot," said Choi of Seoul, South Korea, who admittedly struggled in the wind and hit only 13 greens and nine fairways in regulation. "I was so sad."

Meanwhile, Reynolds was not watching the drama unfold, although she knew there could be more golf to play.

"I was just chilling by the practice green and I was fixin' to put on my tennis shoes, but then the rules official came and got me and I knew there was more golf to play," said Reynolds, who played college golf at the University of Georgia.

Nicole Hage of Coral Springs, Fla., also was making a run for her first professional win and like Choi, had birdied the par-3 17^th hole to tie Reynolds at four under with one hole to play. But on the 18^th, Hage was forced to take an unplayable lie from the bushes for a one-shot penalty, and then she requested a free drop from a dangerous situation (fire ants) on her second shot. When she hit the final green, the second-year pro faced a 10-foot birdie putt from above the hole. She left it short to bogey the last.

"Am I ever going to win?" shouted an exasperated Hage as she left the scoring tent in a huff and made a beeline to her car.

Perhaps that was the same question in the minds of both Choi and Reynolds, as they replayed the 18^th hole three times to determine the victor.

The two matched pars on the first playoff hole. Choi two-putted for par from 36 feet behind the cup, while Reynolds got up and down for par from a back bunker to 3½ feet. On the second trip, Choi's approach landed within 10 feet, but she missed making birdie on the high side. Reynolds' 90-yard approach landed 25 feet from the hole and she two-putted for par.

Finally, on the third extra hole down the 447-yard 18^th hole, Choi again landed on the back fringe, 35 feet from the hole. She burned the right edge and rolled three feet past for her tap-in par. Reynolds stroked a three-quarter-swing pitching wedge 88 yards from the right rough to three feet, and then tapped in for the win.

"I'm upset, but it's OK," said Choi, a 2009 LPGA Tour member who is flying to Phoenix for Tuesday's LPGA qualifying round. "I had a chance."

And so did Reynolds, the pint-sized, sweet-talking Southern woman who made fellow competitor Samantha Richdale's caddie, Paulie Maggiore, tell her he was going to take her in for testing when she pounded 260-yard drives all day. When Reynolds got in the playoff, Maggiore volunteered to carry her bag.

"The girl has a ton of heart and she was very focused," said Maggiore. "She showed a lot of poise."

Reynolds earned $14,000 for her win and a Bulova watch, but more importantly, she shot to the top of the Tour's season money list in that infamous 17-tournament race for the 10 LPGA cards offered for 2010. It was a formidable showing for the player who quit the University of Georgia team to "enjoy college and study abroad."

But as much fun as she had in college, she always knew she had it in her to compete. And when she turned pro and qualified for the 2008 Duramed FUTURES Tour, she believed she would be successful.

"My coach [Charlie King] calls what I'm doing now the ‘college experience' I never really got," said Reynolds. "Maybe so, but I came out here with the intention to win."

Ashley Prange of Noblesville, Ind., and former NCAA champion Dewi Claire Schreefel of The Netherlands matched final-round scores of three-under-par 69 to rocket up the leaderboard in today's final round. Prange moved from a tie for eighth into a tie for third at 213 (-3) with Hage (75), while Schreefel jumped from a tie for 21^st into a tie for fifth with Christine Song (70) of Fullerton, Calif., and Lisa Meldrum (73) of Montreal, Quebec at 215 (-1).

Greensboro, Ga. (March 9, 2009) - Reynolds Landing will host the number-one ranked University of Georgia men's golf team at the fourth annual Linger Longer Invitational from March 20-21.  Joining the Bulldogs are 12 of the country's top collegiate teams, including number-three ranked Oklahoma State University.

Hosted by Kennesaw State University and Mercer University, the Invitational will feature 13 teams competing in a 54-hole individual and team stroke play format.  Teams include University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, Eastern Michigan University, Francis Marion University, University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, Mercer University, University of New Orleans, Oklahoma State University, Purdue University, Saint Johns University, Wichita State University and Winthrop University.

On March 1, the University of Georgia team won the Puerto Rico Classic by 12 strokes over second-place finisher Clemson.  Oklahoma State University finished in third place.  Georgia currently has four players ranked in the top 50 in individual standings. 

"We are excited to host the fourth annual Linger Longer Invitational," said Scott Justman, head golf professional at Reynolds Landing. "With two of the top 5 ranked teams in the country highlighting this year's field, we are anticipating some great competition.  Following a big win in Puerto Rico, the University of Georgia will have a lot of momentum coming into the tournament."   

The Linger Longer Invitational at Reynolds Landing is open to the public and spectators are welcome.  Admission is free.  For more information on the tournament, please visit http://www.lingerlongerinvitational.com/.

About Reynolds Landing

Reynolds Landing, located at Lake Oconee, Georgia, is a Linger Longer Community from the creators of Reynolds Plantation, providing an award-winning lifestyle with world-class amenities.  Reynolds Landing features a classic Bob Cupp golf course, called one of Georgia's best at its debut, when it was ranked second only to Augusta National, and has earned numerous awards since its opening in 1986.  In 2006, the course hosted the 53^rd annual Georgia Open and in June 2008, it hosted the 41^st PGA Professional National Championship, the showcase event for PGA Professionals.  Home to the Village at Reynolds Landing, the community features a new clubhouse with golf shop, fitness center, restaurant with veranda, guest rooms and meeting space; a new amenity center that includes a family pool with 143-foot waterslide, splash pad and hot tub; and tennis courts and a multi-purpose athletic field.  This community showcases an exclusive collection of cottages designed by Southern Living. Reynolds Landing is also the site of the new Signature Home Collection - four beautiful, open floor plans that capture the comfortable elegance that characterizes the lifestyle of this community.  For inquiries, please call Reynolds Plantation Realty at 866-405-7400 or visit http://www.reynoldslanding.com/.

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GREENSBORO, Ga. (March 10, 2009) - GOLF Magazine Top 100 Instructor Charlie King releases an eBook, "The New Rules of Golf Instruction," which is available for free download at NewRulesGolf.com. The eBook features the nine areas where traditional (Old Rules) golf instruction has failed and introduces the "New Rules," a modern set of ideas and standards for golfers and instructors.

King, the director of instruction at the Reynolds Golf Academy, believes the New Rules will pave the way for people of all skill levels to play their best golf and stick with the game. King's contributors include an elite group of teachers, sports psychologists, fitness experts and clubfitters who are committed to a golfer's improvement.

"I didn't have very good instruction early in my career and that put me on a mission," says King.  "Golfers deserve not to be confused.  It's too difficult to figure out how to get better at golf.  What if there was a place that golfers could go and trust the advice to get better?  ‘New Rules' is the manifesto that explains how to do this.  NewRulesGolf.com is that place and a trusted resource."

King's New Rules includes chapters on the full swing, the short game, the mental side of golf, practice and programs, fitness, the use of video, club fitting and communication.  Each chapter explains the Old Rules way of teaching (which will sound familiar to any golfer who has had a bad or ineffective lesson) and clearly contrasts it with the New Rules approach.  The eBook includes personal stories from King, as well as his contributors, instructors from across the nation.

"The New Rules of Golf Instruction eBook is less than 60 pages long," says King.  "You can read it in one sitting.  I'm asking you to read it and if you agree with what it says, use the principles for your own game and pass it on to fellow golfers.  We've also launched Facebook and LinkedIn groups that you can join to become part of our grassroots movement to improve golf instruction so it benefits you."

For more information on "The New Rules of Golf Instruction," visit "The New Rules of Golf Instruction" Website.

About the Reynolds Golf Academy

The Reynolds Golf Academy at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee, Ga., is a state-of-the-art learning center located just an hour's drive from Atlanta and Augusta.  Led by GOLF MAGAZINE Top 100 Instructor Charlie King, the Reynolds Golf Academy features individual golf lessons, corporate golf outings, the New Rules Golf Schools which include the cutting-edge Essentials of Golf^TM Total Game Improvement Golf School and the "Red Zone" Short Game Golf School, based on King's book, "Golf's Red Zone Challenge."  The 16-acre, 6,550 square foot private campus is adjacent to Rees Jones' Oconee Course and the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation.  For more information, visit www.ReynoldsGolfAcademy.com.

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Greensboro, Ga. (March 4, 2009) - Reynolds Landing has achieved designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program.  Reynolds Landing is the 16^th golf course in Georgia and the 686^th in the world to receive the honor.

To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas.  The areas include: environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction and safety, water conservation, and water quality management.

"Reynolds Landing has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program," said Jim Sluiter, Staff Ecologist for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programs.  "They are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property."

"The Reynolds Landing golf course staff and community are excited about our designation as a ‘Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary'," said Lane Singleton, head superintendent at Reynolds Landing.  "We welcome the daily challenge of improving our environmental performance and doing our part in preserving conservation."

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