Barnsley Gardens
A Spirited and Magical Resort
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| The Reception Center at Barnsley Gardens |
Adairsville, GA --- Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo are not words to describe a championship golf course at a first-class resort but, Barnsley Gardens is not your “normal resort.” This resort is magical and enchanting. The property was initially purchased in the mid 1800’s because of a beautiful love story and the spirit of Julia. Today her spirit still exists along with a real modern day Fairy Godmother, Denise Webb. I doubt any other golf resort can boast such a spirited ambience.
Part of the Appalachian Mountain range and situated some ten miles off I-75 and 60 miles north of Atlanta, near Adairsville, Georgia in the gently rolling foothills of the North Georgia Mountains lies this full service resort touting “The General” a championship golf course.
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Craig Forney, Head Golf Pro
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Jim Fazio (the older brother of Tom) was given a full palette for designing and creating a golf course at Barnsley Gardens. His work and design has become one of the best championship golf courses in the Southeast. Carefully he blended the gently rolling terrain of the north Georgia Mountains with Bermuda and fescue fairways. Then he artfully used bent-grass greens to complete his portrait of a picture perfect “The General.” This par 72 layout plays to 7,350 yards from the back tees, and is a true test for golfers of all skill levels. In less than six years, Golf Digest ranks “The General” as #13 in the state. From the more than 1,000 acres made available, Fazio personally selected the 378 acres the course occupies.
The practice area is a wonderful layout allowing golfers to hone every part of the game. Craig Forney is Head Golf Professional at The General and has been there since January 2006. Prior to Barnsley Gardens he was at the St. Marlo Country Club in Duluth, Georgia. He is a native of Sarasota, Florida and considered one of the best golfing instructors in the Southeast.
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The geese go prancing by as you approach the 1sth hole (Top)
One of the toughest par 3's you will play (Bottom)
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The gaggle of geese found on the first hole just happened to march across the fairway near the green when we were playing. These first two holes have a strong resemblance to the courses of Scotland. But once you take on the first par three, called “The Alley”, you realize this is one of those courses requiring exact placement of every shot. The forest of oaks, hickories, gums and maples not only come into play, but also add beauty and texture to this championship layout.
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Approach to the 9th green with Clubhouse in background
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The three other par three’s are even more challenging. Hole number eight is called “The Descent” and will provide scenery and testing of your game with a 100-foot drop from tee to green. At hole number 14, dubbed “Mountain View,” allows you to enjoy the view of Wolf Cave Mountain. Here the decent of some 100 feet causes you to rethink your club selection.
Finishing the classy collection of par three’s is hole number 17. The small pond situated at the right front of the green along with a bunker in the front and a green that appears to be slanting from front to back causes you to rethink club selection and landing area. The four par three’s yardage range from 120 to 266 yards. Your choice of 12 tees on four holes offers club choices from wedge to driver.
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| One of the best finishing holes in golf...#18 |
Number 18 hole could be the most interesting of all the holes on “The General.” Fazio allows you to “bite off” as much as you want with the driver and then provides two different approaches to the sloping green. The wrong placement on the green will cause you to chip back and hopefully keep you ball in play for a putt. This is truly a challenging and beautiful golf layout.
SCORECARD:
| Tees |
Yardage |
Rating |
Slope |
| Gold |
7180 |
74.5 |
141 |
| Blue |
6734 |
72.5 |
135 |
| White(Men) |
6200 |
70.3 |
127 |
| Red |
5450 |
71.7 |
127 |
| White (Women) |
6200 |
76.2 |
138 |
Now, let’s get back to our Fairy Godmother.
Denise began working her behind the scenes magic before the current owner. In 2004, she convinced Julian Saul CEO of Shaw Industries to purchase the resort. She had met Mr. Saul several times prior to popping the question, “will you buy us?” she queried.
“He laughed and asked me why I would ask him such a strange thing”, she related to me. “I told him he would make a great owner and I could tell he had a pure heart. About two weeks later, I picked up the phone, dialed his number and asked him again if he would like to buy us. He told me to pour him a beer and he would be down in 30 minutes to discuss it. He met with the general manager of the resort, told him to wrap up the deal in 30 days and he would take it”. Denise laughs, “He never even drank the beer,”
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| The Clubhouse where you will find the Woodlands Grill and golf shop |
She continued by saying, “keeping his word as always, 30 days later the paperwork was signed and lo and behold on the way home from the signing of the papers he phoned me. He was ecstatic! He told me how excited he was to start such an interesting adventure and how he had gotten a bad case of ’Fuggeritis’". (Fugger was the Prince that originally designed and built the resort.)
Mr. Saul then told Denise, “the only reason he bought the property was to fire my sorry tail but he would allow me-- two more weeks! He then hung up. For weeks following, Mr. Saul sent people from all over the world, mostly non-English speaking, to experience the property and to ask for me.” "Are you Denise?” they would ask. "Mr. Saul says two more weeks,"
“It is now two years later and I am still passionately working surrounded by Barnsley and all of its magic. I hope he will give me ‘TWO MORE WEEKS’…forever,” she joked.
Denise Webb was originally hired to manage the dining rooms at this luxury resort. However, her quest for adventure and need to be creative was overwhelming. This was during a time when the original owner and builder of the resort, Prince Hubertus Fugger was in charge. “The Prince saw some of my mad hatter capers and deemed me ‘the Fairy Godmother of Barnsley Gardens,’ “ said Denise.
“I then moved out of the dining rooms and began my magical assent on the unknowing Barnsley villagers!!
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| Andrew Jackson Downing designed the gardens for Barnsley |
Working her magic since 1999, she considers everyday just as exciting as the last. She realizes that adults want to be children and children wish to be adults. “I just create the experience for people to forget their cares for a moment and remember the thing that really matters. Love, pure and simple,” she said.
Denise is very reluctant to provide details of some of the more personal magical moments she creates, simply stating, “this is privileged information with the guests who have experienced them.” She explains, “I have helped people fall back in love, have told family members one of them was dying, have helped people apologize for wrong doings. The list goes on. It is important to me to never disclose his or her sometimes-tragic stories as someone may read it. I pride myself on being able to keep their secret.”
The lighter stories she doesn’t mind sharing. Seems there were two ladies who had saved for a trip to Paris to celebrate their 40th birthdays together. Two days before they were to leave for France, the 9/11 attack happened and all airports were closed. They discovered Barnsley Gardens Resort and decided to seek a place in the States to celebrate, close to home and in easy driving distance. Denise heard of their great disappointment and found herself determined to make the two ladies’ visit flawless. She strung fishing line throughout their cottage and hung pictures of Paris. A huge picture of the Eiffel Tower was attached to their cottage bedroom window creating a great view. To make it more special, she added French pastries, chocolates, French Champagne and even a Beret to make it all more authentic. The two ladies continue to come back every birthday to celebrate.
In the summer of 2006, the two ladies had a special garden dedicated to Denise Webb at Barnsley Gardens along with a hand carved marble marker. “They wanted me to know that they enjoyed America more than they ever would have being overseas during such a critical World crisis time. Fairies are the good things in your heart you do for other people without expecting or needing a thank you." she said with a big grin on her face.
When asked what are the qualifications to become a Fairy Godmother? She gave the following response: vivid imagination, GREAT listener, can see good in everyone and everything, endless energy, able to work 65 -70 hours a week, love children, love animals, love all people, multitasking a must, endless patience, able to go to bed each night hoping you have done your best to make someone feel better about their life or themselves, never give up, and keep a secret till you die
Barnsley History:
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The Barnsley Gardens and Mansion
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| The mansion at night |
When Godfrey Barnsley came to the United States from Liverpool, England in 1824, he was not a very wealthy person. He settled in the Savannah, Georgia area and made his wealth from growing and shipping cotton. Barnsley became one of the 10 most affluent men in the South. Some four years after arriving in Georgia, he fell in love with a beautiful lady from Savannah named Julia Scarborough. They were married in 1828. In the 1840’s Barnsley purchased almost 4,000 acres of land in the Northwest corner of Georgia for a summer home for Julia.
Barnsley wanted a place away from the heat and the big city to raise his children. Shortly thereafter Julia became ill, returned to Savannah and died of a lung ailment. He was devastated over the loss of his wife and ceased construction of the estate. His six children were placed in the care of their governess while he immersed himself in his shipping business.
About a year later, Barnsley returned to the estate to visit his children. While here, the spirit of Julia appeared in the fountain in the formal garden. She instructed him to finish the estate for their children and future generations. With continued direction from Julia, the estate and gardens were completed and became known as Woodlands. The mansion was designed and built in Italian villa style, with gardens modeled after the architectural designs of Andrew Jackson Downing (Downing [1815-1852] was one of the most important pre-Civil War designers who began his career as a landscaper and founded The Horticulturist Magazine.). The 14-room manor house included such luxuries as modern plumbing, marble from Italy and France and furnishings from around the world.
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| Barnsley built the mansion in the 1840's |
Barnsley’s fortune was devastated by the Civil War. However, the Woodlands were not damaged until 1906 when a tornado struck and took the roof off the house and forced the family to take refuge in the kitchen wing. The estate was occupied and cared for by descendants of Barnsley until 1942. At that time it was auctioned and the gardens and manor house fell into disrepair with their fate in question.
The next 46 years would not be good times for the Woodlands, as it would be sold off in parcels to various individuals. But, in 1988, Prince Hubertus Fugger from Germany purchased 1,300 acres of the estate and surrounding property. He began the creation and transformation into Barnsley Gardens, a luxury resort.
The Reign of Prince Fugger:
In keeping with the Andrew Jackson Downing architecture and landscape design that Barnsley had used, a village of 70 (non-smoking) cottage suites with king-size beds was built to resemble a 19th century English style village. The gardens have also been fully restored and expanded. There are more than 150 types of roses among many other century old plants. The cottages are exquisitely appointed to create a most memorable stay. They are situated along tree-lined walkways and in close proximity to the fine and casual dining, golf shop, swimming pool, spa, bike and horseback riding.
Amenities:
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There are several styles of cottage
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The cottages are built in a community style layout
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Today, visitors to this true magical and enchanting resort destination enjoy the dream, love and passion of Godfrey and Julia. It is here we find luxurious cottages, world-class amenities, attentive service and quiet serenity. Remnants of The Italian Villa still stand and the spirit of Julia still exits and has been felt by some of the staff. The villa is dramatically lit and is a great backdrop for receptions and parties. I was there during a full moon and the ambience was both romantic and eerie at the same time. The attached kitchen is set up as a small museum recreating the resorts history.
As a corporate retreat, this is the perfect place to “get away from it all” and focus on the business at hand. There is some 5,000 square foot of space to accommodate the most discriminating conference. They offer the Pavilion for the more intimate setting of club-style private boardrooms, to the customize event catering to all needs. For a more casual business get together, you can select the Town Hall, or Historic Ruins and Gardens.
For the outdoorsmen, Barnsley Gardens offers the Orvis center for fly or spin fishing, a sporting clay course overseen by the British School of Shooting, guided horseback riding, explore on a mountain bike, take on a challenging game of paintball, or take a leisurely paddle by canoe or kayak. There’s something for everyone.
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Living area of cottage
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Bedroom of cottage
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Pool, Spa and Fitness Center |
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Barnsley Gardens began as a testament to love. Today, Barnsley Gardens remains a romantic place for couples to exchange vows and begin their lives together. Almost every weekend a wedding is held someplace on the ground of these beautiful gardens.
From a wide array of massages, therapeutic skin treatments, body wraps, and aromatherapy, The Spa offers 10 treatment rooms, a large co-ed whirlpool, and ladies and gentlemen’s grooming areas with separate saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpools. Water and hot teas are served in the Relaxation Room. Adjoining the Spa is a full-fledged fitness center with weight training and cardiovascular equipment, and a large Grecian-style swimming pool.
These are your dining options:
The Rice House puts an epicurean spin on classic Southern cuisine. The main dining room surrounds the original 1854 stone fireplace, while a glass-enclosed sun porch overlooks the Historic Ruins and Gardens.
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| The food is delectable |
The Woodlands Grill is a true steakhouse serving only the finest prime beef and fresh fish amidst spectacular views of our golf course and surrounding hills. The Grill has the feel of an English hunting lodge, with an inviting bar providing beer, wine and spirits.
On a seasonal basis, the Beer Garden serves German beers, sausages, pretzels, and other fare in a casual atmosphere. An open fire pit keeps diners warm at night and makes a great place to toast s’mores.
Delicious and romantic picnic lunches are also available, allowing guests to dine at their leisure on the beautiful grounds.
Pet friendly is one of Barnsley Gardens’ features. They offer a pet turndown, pet beds and bowls for guests traveling with their dog. Guests and pets are welcome to roam the 12 1/2 miles of hiking trails, and pets are welcome to frolic in the ponds and lakes or run with other animals on the 1,300 acres. There is a one-time fee to bring your pet.
So, there you have a magical resort, outstanding amenities, great location, a Fairy Godmother and the spirit of Julia …”put ‘em together and whadda ya got… bibbidi, bobbidi, bibbidi bobbidi, biddidi bobbidi, boo.”
Recent accolades about Barnsley Gardens Resort:
- Barnsley is one of Condé Nast Traveler’s – "Top 75 North American Resorts for 2003"
- Barnsley Gardens Resort has earned the honor of being listed as one of Condé Nast Traveler’s "World’s Best Places to Stay" of 2003 & 2004"
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Barnsley Gardens Resort
597 Barnsley Gardens Road
Adairsville, GA 30103
Phone: 877-773-2447
E-mail: info@BarnsleyResort.com