Columbia, the state's capital, is a city that's tough to love. Primarily a government town buttressed by state politics and a significant army base--Fort Jackson--Columbia boasts all the ambiance of a strip shopping center. In the summer, it's also a city to avoid: The volcanic heat is simply deadly. If it's 90 in Charlotte, just 100 miles to the north, then it's 105 in Columbia. Why? Who knows?

Thankfully, there's a lot of superb golf in the Columbia region. Some of the soil to the east of the city is sandy and presents perfect, almost Pinehurst-like terrain for the golf course architect. Columbia has worked hard to promote its golf packages in an effort to lure touring golfers who usually visit Myrtle Beach and the coast. Still, it's tough to imagine anyone visiting Columbia for a holiday.

And if you should run into a person wearing a baseball hat that says "Go Cocks!" don't panic. They're not employed in the pornography industry, they're supporters of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, whose stadium in downtown Columbia seats almost 90,000 die-hard Cocks' fans.

South of Columbia is Aiken, a retirement and horse-breeding town dripping with old-South charm. Visit there in July and you'll be dripping as well, but join the legions of golfers who winter here and you'll find some outstanding courses best savored in the cooler spring and fall months. Aiken is just a few miles from Augusta and becomes especially popular during Masters week.

West of Columbia lies the undulating farmland and dense forests of the Greenwood and Abbeville regions. Paper, light industry and agriculture are the mainstays of the local economies.

East of Columbia, in the Pee Dee region, the land flattens. Towns like Sumter, Orangeburg and Bamburg offer sporty courses, many of which attract Canadians and Michiganers looking for good tracks while theirs are used for cross country skiing. Walk into a hotel bar in the Pee Dee in February and the TV will often be showing ice hockey.