Ken and Alison Brown are locked into the moment, which could be mistaken for a fantasy. This kind of “locked in” means they’ve forgotten the day (Monday), the time (2 p.m.), and the typical restraints that come with calendars and clocks. Alison stands on one side of a spectacular Lake Oconee overlook and chips golf balls onto a putting green the size of a backyard. Actually, it is a backyard — or a front yard for those who arrive by boat. It belongs to her and Ken, who, by the way, is on the opposite side of their personal short-game area, blasting a bucket of golf balls out of a sand trap.
This chipping is just a tiny sliver of the lifestyle the Browns dreamed up for their Homestead at Reynolds. It’s a dream they’ve created, literally, from the ground up.
“To see this come together, it’s been fun,” Ken says of the daily life that includes golfing, boating, working out, steaming, movie watching, yoga posing, bartending, race-car driving, swimming, chilling, and appreciating every minute on this five-acre lakefront estate.
“You only have a chance to do this once,” Alison says. “If at all,” says Ken. For them, this chance came out of nowhere.
[Ken] It started with a golf trip. We were invited to come to Reynolds with Alison’s sister, Leslie, and her husband, Brian. Our youngest son, Brady, as moving away to play hockey and Leslie knew we needed something to occupy ourselves. The Georgia golf paradise did not disappoint. Add the lake and The Ritz-Carlton, and we were hooked. [Alison] That was supposed to be it — a weekend golf getaway and then go back to Iowa.
[Ken] We heard someone mention lakefront lots. This was during a round of golf or during dinner at one of the restaurants. I just remember hearing the words, “Five acres.” It’s unusual to find that kind of waterfront property, and I thought maybe we need to see some of these Homestead lots for ourselves because it sounded too good to be true. [Alison] I saw his eyes light up. It meant for a few hours we’d be touring The Homesteads instead of playing golf. In hindsight, I’m glad we did. I picked a lot and Ken immediately started envisioning what it could become.
[Ken] It helps that I’ve been involved in construction since I was 10 years old. As a kid, I’d sit at the kitchen table with my dad, who was a plumbing and piping contractor, learning how to estimate projects and figuring out where things should go. Working with him and studying construction management at the University of Nebraska sharpened my spatial reasoning. That’s why I could envision our Homestead when this was still forest.
