ConventionSouth On The Course
In Georgia, Mountains, Mulligans & Muscadines Are On My Mind
Site Visit By Marlane Bundock 
Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., offers 36 holes of golf. |
An hour south of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and about 30 minutes north of Columbus, Ga., the land elevates to nearly 1,000 feet above sea level and creates Pine Mountain, Ga., an anomaly of the surrounding landscape. The ridge provides the picturesque backdrop for
Callaway Gardens, a privately owned recreational resort and nature park that first opened in 1952 and promotes the preservation of Pine Mountain’s distinct landscape through education and strict environmentally friendly practices.
In early October, I traveled to Callaway for the first time. And while the experience was new for me, it conjured up nostalgic feelings that transcended past my own youth and into a time of simple pleasures and genuine hospitality.
At Callaway, the tranquil mountaintop provides a restful atmosphere and the ability for groups to take on numerous recreational activities like walking or cycling through well-maintained trails; photographing colorful gardens, birds and butterflies; fly fishing on one of many clear-water lakes; and playing a round of golf on nine or 18 of Callaway’s 36 holes of golf.
Golf is one of Callaway’s many timeless traditions, according to Rachel Crumbley, manager of corporate relations, who explained that the resort opened with nine holes and that the Callaway family—a local Georgia family in the textile business—had a passion not just for preserving nature but for the game of golf. While Rachel noted many of the significant moments that Callaway has played in the local and national history of golf, the most notable is its 12-year reign as the host to PGA Tour’s Buick Challenge. During that time, PGA tour professionals like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Davis Love III spirited history-making tournament play. Tournament moments have been captured in memorabilia in the Pro Shop’s Champions restaurant.
Still today Callaway plays host to many golf events such as the fifth annual Invitational for The First Tee, a fundraiser event for youth golf that took place Oct. 28-30. Gail Hall, golf sales manager, told me that along with providing turnkey tournament services complete with score tabulations and awards, the resort offers groups customized golf packages and special rates can be found throughout the year.
And while playing the resort’s courses, like the Mountain View Course, it’s easy to visualize those moments in golf history when the professionals challenged Callaway’s greens. Yet, at the same time, I found myself stepping out on the manicured tee boxes and fairways without intimidation or embarrassment of my beginner-level skills. The Mountain View Course understands the need for mulligans. In fact, the environment was the perfect challenge for my golf partner, an experienced player, who said the surrounding pines, lakes and rolling hills along with the length of holes, elevation changes, hole positions and bunkers made for the perfect course for nearly any level of play.
New to Callaway is a state-of-the-art golf practice facility and the recently opened Lodge and Spa, where 150 guest rooms provide the perfect mix of practicality and luxury for a meeting attendee through comfortable beds, large work desks, and an in-room mini-fridge and coffee maker. Special touches of luxury include fresh orchids in the room and soaps and shampoos made from elements of the surrounding gardens.
Additional lodging and meeting spaces can be found throughout the resort, including The Lodge Conference Center, Mountain Creek Conference Center, Mountain Creek Inn ballrooms, Cottage Meeting Center and several unique venues like the butterfly center.
And, while at Callaway Gardens, groups can not only enjoy golf but also the sweet taste of Muscadines, a grape that grows natively in the region and has been referred to a “the passion fruit of the South.” At Champions, I thoroughly enjoyed the Muscadine BBQ sandwich, and at the Piedmont Dining Room at the Lodge and Spa, I savored the early morning with the Muscadine jelly available on the breakfast buffet. A visit to the Callaway Gardens Country Store can provide a lasting memory of Muscadines through the purchase of a jar of the jelly and the barbecue sauce.
