Smart Players Shoot for Golf Getaways

Living in history is pretty affordable. For $188, two people receive midweek accommodations in a luxury suite and 18 holes of golf at the Crossings, with a free lunch and all kinds of complimentary golf swag thrown in for good measure. (The weekend rate is $214.)

The Georgia Peach

At Reynolds' Plantation, deep in the woods of Georgia, 75 miles east of Atlanta, four golf course designers have held an 81-hole master's class in what links should look like. Jack Nicklaus' "Great Waters," Tom Fazio's "National," Rees Jones' "Oconee" and Bob Cupp's "Plantation" -- all nationally recognized five-star courses -- lie in and around Lake Oconee, on the former site of the cotton and tobacco plantation that provided the Reynolds family's wealth.

An upscale gated community has sprung up around the Plantation, which is being constantly upgraded -- a fifth golf course is scheduled to open in 2006 or 2007 -- and was named the best golf community by the Robb Report in 2001. For decades, the golf scene catered to locals, but the secret came out when the Ritz-Carlton opened a resort lodge in 2002, giving visitors amenities on par with the fine golfing.

And through Nov. 14, the Ritz-Carlton has put together a golf package that includes a single occupancy room and a round of golf for $400 a night, or a double occupancy room and a round for $515. You can pick any of the four courses, but the offer is not available on Fridays and Saturdays, when demand peaks.

While $400 for a room and a round may seem a bit rich, the Ritz-Carlton is synonymous with outstanding service. Rooms are a spacious 460 square feet and have granite and marble baths as well as private verandas. The resort includes five restaurants and two ballrooms.

The Ritz-Carlton at Reynolds' Plantation has more than enough activities to keep you busy. Once you're done shooting a round, visit the Plantation's Gun Club and shoot rounds of a different caliber. There's also horseback riding, a North American-themed spa and all kinds of water sports, from tubing to water skiing to canoeing and kayaking. The plantation even has its own beach, right there on Georgia's second largest lake.