A fire energized by high winds associated with the remnants of Hurricane Isaias destroyed the ESSE Restaurant and clubhouse building in the Landing development of Reynolds Lake Oconee on the evening of Oct. 11. The building was a total loss.
According to Greene County Fire and Rescue, Engine 9 was first to arrive just five minutes after the call came in at approximately 6:30 p.m. and found the 20,000-square-foot building almost fully engulfed in flames.
“Crews immediately began fire suppression efforts, deploying a deck gun and a 2.5-inch handline to attack the fire,” Greene County Fire and Rescue said in a Facebook post.
“Engine 10 established a water supply by laying a supply line, while Engine 12 connected to the Fire Department connection. Challenging wind conditions made firefighting efforts even more difficult. Despite these challenges, all crews worked tirelessly with very few breaks to contain the fire to the structure and prevent further spread.”
While Greene County firefighters were battling the blaze, Oconee County Fire and Rescue provided back up coverage for Station 12 and also sent personnel to relieve Greene County firefighters.
A statement released by Reynolds Lake Oconee praised the efforts of emergency services teams that responded, as well as Reynolds employees.
“We are so grateful for the area fire departments and emergency services teams that responded to the fire and worked tirelessly to contain the fire and protect the adjacent areas,” the statement read. “We are extremely proud of our food & beverage and golf operations teams, who acted immediately to prioritize the safety of our employees, members, and guests. While the clubhouse is a total loss, we are immensely grateful that no one was injured. Our priority is always the wellbeing of our Reynolds Lake Oconee family.”
In a communication with Reynolds Lake Oconee membership, plans for the immediate future were laid out: “We spent much of the past 36 hours ensuring that our Landing team members have the resources and support they need, ensuring local firefighters and emergency services personnel had the space and support to do their job, rescheduling displaced employees to provide a new work home as soon as possible, and working onsite with the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s office to assist them in their review process.
“Our teams continue to work tirelessly to reschedule all impacted member and guest tee times, as well as all ESSE dining reservations, fitness classes, events, The Landing meeting rooms reservations, and overnight accommodations bookings. We are working through long-range plans to accommodate as many of these member bookings and events as possible.”
Reynolds will be opening The National Tavern on Monday nights to provide an additional option for dinner service.
Reynolds also shared a heartwarming story from the event.
“During a difficult night full of amazing efforts by so many people, nothing sums up the Reynolds community more than the gesture from one of our member families late Saturday night. After hosting their son’s wedding at their home, these members loaded up trays of food from the reception and a cooler full of drinks and delivered them to the first responders at the clubhouse. The entire family helped with the delivery, including the new bride still in her wedding dress.”
The Reynolds Lake Oconee team expressed appreciation for the outpouring of concern and support from its community.
“Over the coming days, weeks, and months, we will work hard to determine the next generation of The Landing clubhouse. We look forward to communicating these plans with you in the future.”
The Landing golf course was the first built at Lake Oconee in 1986 and was originally named Port Armor Golf Club. Reynolds purchased the course in 2005.
The restaurant adjacent to the Landing clubhouse was renovated two years ago and rebranded as ESSE, which is a Latin word meaning “to be.” The restaurant placed second in the remodeled private food and beverage facility category in Golf Inc. Magazine’s 2025 Golden Fork Competition.
ESSE quickly became one of the most popular venues in the Reynolds Lake Oconee development.
“When the restaurant was renovated, it became a new hub and gathering sport for the Landing community and a very popular spot for our members,” Reynolds Lake Oconee Director of Marketing Brian Gaydica said.
Also damaged in the fire were five guest rooms for overnight stays in the clubhouse, a fitness area and golf shop.
Gaydica said it’s too early to discuss rebuilding the clubhouse and restaurant but said plans are to replace it.
Firefighters remained on scene at the restaurant and clubhouse for the remainder of the weekend to extinguish any hot spots.
“We are incredibly grateful for the hard work, dedication, and teamwork demonstrated by every department and responder involved,” Greene County Fire and Rescue said in a Facebook post. “We also thank our community for the continued support.
“We will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.”