Azaleas and dogwoods frame
Callaway's Gardens View
Callaway Gardens is near the Georgian Piedmont 75 miles southwest of
Atlanta
in the town of Pine Mountain.
Callaway Gardens is a public, educational, horticultural and charitable organization, owned and operated by the non-profit
Ida Callaway Foundation. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Callaway Gardens Resort, operates the recreational, lodging and
retail facilities. Callaway Gardens was created by Georgia industrialist Cason Callaway and his wife Virginia Hand Callaway.
For almost 50 years, guests have enjoyed the rich natural heritage of the gardens' 14,000 acres that
comprises four golf courses, swimming and angling lakes, miles of jogging, hiking and bike trails, roads
that meander through tall pines and fertile gardens and plants. Throughout the resort, streams run through
the woods. In the spring the azaleas bloom and the fall features chrysanthemum shows.
I played golf with a man from Washington, D.C., who was visiting Callaway Gardens for the fourth time with
his family. He told me the Summer Kids Recreation Program is second to none, giving his children plenty of
amusements and educational opportunities while his wife played tennis and he played golf. "If you ask
most parents about summer children's programs, they would probably tell you that many of them don't work.
Well, here, it does. We love it." He added, "I call the Summer Program here a guilt-free vacation because I can
do what I want and not have that interfere with what my family wants."
Callaway Gardens' four golf courses include
Mountain View,
Lake View,
Gardens View and the 9-hole course
Sky View.
Mountain View Course
Mountain View
is the signature course and the home of the Buick Challenge, a regular PGA Tour event. Mountain View stretches
from 5,900 to 7,057 yards and plays to a par 72 for men. (73.9/136). Designed by Dick Wilson and later modified
by Joe Lee, the course is one of the most enjoyable courses I have ever played. It rambles through the woodlands
and over hill crests in a quiet atmosphere totally removed from development of any kind. Holes Nos. 12 - 16 are
absolutely terrific, especially the 539-yard 15th from an elevated tee box to a fairway that skirts a magnificent small
lake. At two points between the tee box and elevated green, the lake pokes its fingers into the fairway. With trees
lining the left side, both distance and precision are required on this breathtaking hole.
The 6,000-yard
Lake View
course meanders around two lakes and through woodlands and offers wide fairways. It also has an island tee box
and nine water holes. It was designed by J.B. McGovern and Dick Wilson. Gardens View is 6,392 yards from the
back and offers fairly wide open holes with little trouble. It is also a Joe Lee design. At 2,096 yards from the
championship tees and only 1,822 yards from the forward tees,
Sky View
is ideal for an afternoon outing with the family.
The lakes offer swimming and boating, angling and water skiing. You can rent boats and bicycles.
Next to the beach is a circus operated by Florida State University. In the circus, FSU students train on
various acts and give kids a chance to do the trapeze and other skills (using ample safety precautions).
In addition to two-bedroom cabins for families and groups, there is the Callaway Gardens Inn, a
200-room motel-like lodging that includes two fine restaurants, gift shops, an outdoor swimming pool
and meeting rooms. It is within a short distance of all of the resort's amenities. Not far from the Inn is The
Gardens Restaurant, a fine eatery that overlooks a lake and the fairways of the Lake View course. I enjoyed
an outstanding filet mignon dinner one night, while a musician played light guitar music. 
Atlanta Golf
