"Clubhouse and Locker Rooms are Closed for Renovation. Restrooms are available at the Waterview Pub."

As of early November, those two sentences sit beside Great Waters on Reynolds' course-status page. They move the practical center of a round on the Jack Nicklaus course from the clubhouse to the small building at the turn. Until the clubhouse reopens, the Pub's schedule, the course's own hours and a booking rule written specifically for Great Waters do more to shape a golf day here than any tee time.

The Building at the Turn

The Waterview Pub isn't new to Great Waters regulars. Reynolds built it out of a former snack bar and office space and opened it to members, residents and guests as a grab-and-go stop that also works for a sit-down meal or a drink. On its dining page, Reynolds places the Pub "right at the turn of the Great Waters course," near the Great Waters pool and Lake Oconee, and claims it serves "the best fish tacos you'll find on Lake Oconee." The Pub's posted menu also lists breakfast sandwiches, salads, burgers, gyros, snacks and drinks.

That location carries more weight this fall. Restrooms, a quick breakfast, a post-round lunch and a place to sit with your foursome all point to the same address. The Pub sits between the course, the pool and the water, so it already served golfers and boaters alike. For now it also covers what the clubhouse used to provide.

The Hours Set the Rhythm of the Day

Because the Pub is now the anchor, its hours deserve the attention a tee sheet usually gets. Reynolds' Member Central lists Pub service from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The course-status page lists Great Waters golf hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on six days, and Tuesday doesn't appear on the list.

Side by side, as posted in early November:

The weekday and weekend gaps are very different. On Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, Pub service starts an hour after the first posted tee time. A group starting at 7:30 reaches the turn around the time the kitchen is up and running. On Friday and Saturday, service starts at 11 a.m., three and a half hours after the course opens. An early weekend group can finish nine holes before the Pub serves its first order. With the clubhouse closed, the simplest plan for an early Saturday is to eat before you leave home. Groups that want lunch at the turn will do better with a late-morning tee time.

At the other end of the day, the Pub stays open an hour past the course's posted 5 p.m. close on those four days, and two hours past it on Friday and Saturday. On the weekend, the after-round drink keeps going after the round ends.

The Booking Rule Written for This Course

There's one more Great Waters detail that matters more when the round doesn't start or end in a clubhouse. Under the Reynolds tee-time cancellation policy, members cancel by 6 p.m. three days ahead to avoid a fee. When the policy is in effect, the cancellation fee is $33 plus tax per player and a no-show is $70 per player.

The policy is lifted automatically at any course that is cart path only for 14 or more holes, or on any day with a greater than 35 percent chance of rain. The posted text makes one exception: "with the exception being Great Waters." A wet forecast that would cancel the fees elsewhere at Reynolds doesn't do so here, and neither do cart-path rules. The same posted policy also says the fees aren't waived for cart-path-only rules at any course during Masters Week.

So for a foursome watching a doubtful November forecast, the real decision point on a Great Waters booking is 6 p.m. three days out, not the morning of the round. This is club policy as posted, and fee details can change, so confirm your own account specifics with the Reynolds membership office.

Dinner Without the Clubhouse

For evenings, the Great Waters name also belongs to The Overlook at Great Waters, which Reynolds lists for dinner on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Its menu features a raw bar with oysters, jumbo shrimp and poached lobster tail, and its Chef Series runs monthly themed dinners such as seafood nights, Mediterranean feasts and steakhouse evenings. Check Member Central for current service before you plan a Thursday around it.

The same Reynolds dining page points members to The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, where the options include Amore Del Lago, Linger Longer Steakhouse, Gaby's by the Lake, the Lobby Lounge and The Coffee Shop. For a golf day at Great Waters this season, that makes for a simple arrangement: lunch at the turn, dinner at The Overlook or the hotel.

The Rest of Reynolds Is Rearranging Too

The Great Waters renovation lands in a month when much of Reynolds golf is shifting anyway. In early November, the status page listed The National as closed for overseeding through Nov. 8. At The Landing, golfers were checking in at bag drop, the range had moved to the north end of the driving range, and the chipping area was closed for overseed. The National Market Snack Bar was posted to reopen Nov. 9. Great Waters' own adjustment this season is the clubhouse, with the turn standing in for it, so check the status page for current course conditions before heading out.

The bigger change on the Reynolds golf calendar is Fenmoor. Reynolds describes it as its eighth championship course, members-only and designed by Steve Smyers, with an 18-hole layout, a practice campus and a separate new clubhouse with a restaurant, bar, lounges and terraces. Its opening target is fall 2026. On Oct. 23, Reynolds posted that sodding on Hole 16 was complete and the course was taking on its finished look. On Oct. 27, Director of Golf Wes Forester introduced the driving range in a Reynolds video.

Fenmoor access runs through the Reserve Membership. According to the Fenmoor page, Platinum members can upgrade, and members holding Silver, Silver Great Waters or Gold must first upgrade to Platinum. Availability and fees go through the membership office. A Silver Great Waters membership, in other words, keeps its home course and its interim routine at the Pub this season.

When the Round Moves Indoors

On days when the forecast is bad enough to rule out a round, a newer option sits across the lake in Eatonton. The Eatonton Messenger reported that Bryan and Amy Pulliam opened Tee Time 44 with a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting. The venue has five practice and entertainment bays plus a dedicated coaching bay, along with a full restaurant and bar overseen by Brett and Julie Riccardi. Lake Oconee Life identifies the simulators as Full Swing. The Messenger lists hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday. Beyond simulator golf, the venue offers lessons, club fitting and other simulator sports. The team page names Anna Kate and Cole Bennett as the day-to-day operators.

Tee Time 44 also covers the gaps in the Great Waters schedule. It's open on Tuesdays, when Great Waters lists no hours, and it keeps going well past the Pub's 7 p.m. weekend close.

At Charity Joiner + Company, we follow the details of daily life at Great Waters, down to which building opens first on a Saturday, because they shape what owning here feels like. If you're weighing a Great Waters home or comparing membership levels while Fenmoor gets closer to opening, Request a Red‑Carpet Consultation and we'll go through how each option fits the way you play.