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Columbia-area Golf CoursesCharwood--The Country Club of
Pineridge No one seems to know who designed Charwood--The Country Club of Pineridge. Too bad, because we'd like to credit whomever produced these three distinctly pleasing and pleasingly distinct nine-hole courses just west of the state capital. Greens and fairways are all seeded with bermudagrass. The rerouting and revision of some holes is now complete. Note the particularly interesting nuggets of sagacity and advice included on the score card for each hole. Amenities include a practice green, practice range, pro shop, bar, snack bar and rental clubs. You can walk these courses and book a round anytime. Approximate cost for 18 holes, including cart, is $24 weekdays, $29 weekends. The three nines are detailed below. Charwood Course The Charwood Course, also known as the White Course, boasts tight fairways, so accuracy is key off the tee. This nine-hole track is relatively short and poses no major problems until you get to the sloped, slick greens. Ridgewood Course The Ridgewood Course, or Blue Course, is slightly more open than the Charwood Course. The fairways are flatter and wider. The ball must carry bunkers to reach the built-up greens, which are predominantly flat. If the rough has been allowed to grow up around the greens, getting up and down will not be easy. Pinewood Course The Pinewood Course (a.k.a. Rose Course) is the most interesting and modern of the trio at Charwood. Needless to say, because the course is a typical modern design, there are mounds. This nine offers the most variety and challenge, including big elevation changes and some fun driving holes. The fairways are tight in places, and the holes are relatively longer than on the counterpart courses. Coldstream Golf Club Coldstream, a Michael Mungo design just northwest of Columbia, opened in 1975. Bermudagrass covers the fairways and greens. Some holes are flat, some feature elevation changes. The course is part of a residential development near the shores of Lake Murray. At Coldstream, we found narrow fairways, plenty of variety, a couple of spectacular holes and, for the most part, small greens. Miss the green here and you might be in trouble: Your ball will roll into deep rough or bounce almost anywhere. Still, the relatively straightforward layout makes for a fun round if you're playing at a relaxed pace. If your approach shots are accurate, you'll score well. Most golfers will enjoy the final hole on the front nine--a 196-yard par 3, which requires a downhill shot through a chute to a green backed by a row of hedges. Amenities include a practice green, pro shop, bar, snack bar, occasional beverage cart and rental clubs. Walking is allowed primarily on weekdays. Approximate cost, including cart, is $25 weekdays, $30 weekends. Cooper's Creek Golf Club Cooper's Creek opened in 1973 about 15 miles south of Columbia. Red Chase designed the course. Bermudagrass covers the greens and fairways, and most of the track is set in wooded terrain with some significant elevation changes. Cooper's Creek offers tremendous variety in a pleasant country atmosphere. Each hole boasts a character all its own. Some fairways are wide, others are narrow. Some holes are flat, others may remind you of a roller-coaster ride. The greens differ in size, shape and undulation. We found that the course is not overly penal, although really awful shots will likely yield really awful numbers. One of the most difficult holes might be the 3rd, a 177-yard par 3 with a nasty bunker right in front of a small and unreceptive green. Make sure you bring your brain to this course: Cooper's Creek is a thinking-player's track. Concentrate, take what the course gives you, and you'll have lots of fun. Seeing as the course is quite close to Interstate 20 on the way to Augusta, Cooper's Creek would be a fun stop on the way to The Masters in April. Amenities include a putting green, practice range, chipping green, locker room, snack bar and rental clubs. If you're fit, the course is walkable, and you can walk anytime. You can book up to seven days in advance. Approximate cost, including cart, is $30 on weekdays, $35 on weekends. Golden Hills Golf and Country Club Golden Hills, a Ron Garl design, opened in 1987. Bermudagrass covers the fairways and greens, and most of the holes are set in woodland bordered by a residential development. The course combines undulating and flat terrain, and water hazards come into play on several holes. Golden Hills used to be an ersatz links course, with tall, ball-eating rough bordering many of the fairways. The members apparently changed all that: What used to be rough is now fairway or light rough. But you'll still find plenty of tight holes, particularly on the back nine. Resist the temptation to swing the driver too much. In many instances, Golden Hills forces you to play target golf--the big stick simply might get you into big trouble. As you drive up to the clubhouse, you come face to face with the terrifying 10th hole--a 361-yard par 4 requiring a 200- to 215-yard tee shot to a narrow downhill landing area fronted by a large pond. Once you've lobbed an accurate long iron down the fairway, you have to smack the ball about 140 yards over water to a thin green. You should feel very pleased to score par on this wild hole. The course boasts interesting variety; no two holes are the same. If you're up for a challenge that will test your brain as much as your swing, play Golden Hills. And as one member told us, "The course will give you all you want from the tips." Amenities include a practice green, pro shop, locker room, restaurant, pro shop, bar and rental clubs. The practice range is open to members only. You can walk anytime, but it's a tough round on foot. There's a lot of member play here, so make sure you call ahead. Approximate cost, including cart, is $35 weekdays, $40 weekends. Indian River Indian River, a Lynn Young-designed course, opened in 1992. Bermudagrass covers the well-maintained greens and fairways. The course is undulating on the front nine and somewhat flatter on the back. The holes are bordered by pine forest, wetlands or both, and water comes into play on several holes. Indian River boasts a links-style design in a serene and peaceful wooded environment. The mix works well: Indian River is one of the more popular public tracks in the Columbia area. A modern course, you'll find mounds off the tees, wide and rolling fairways, decent variety and some fine views. And for a modern course (typically replete with tricks and trappings), Indian River is fair. We found little trouble off the tee but plenty of challenge around the sizable greens--some of the most undulating in the entire Midlands area. Pat yourself on the back for reaching the green in regulation, but realize that getting down in two once you're on the green will likely produce massive beads of perspiration on your sun-drenched forehead. It's important to look at pin placement and find the best spot for a two-putt. The front nine ends with a stunning par 3--184 yards downhill to a small and, you guessed it, extremely undulating green. Amenities include a practice green, practice range, pro shop and snack bar. You can walk the course anytime on the weekdays and after 2 PM on weekends, although it's not a particularly easy trek. Approximate cost, including cart, is $32 weekdays, $40 weekends. LinRick Golf Course LinRick Golf Course opened in 1971. This Russell Breeden design is operated by the Richland County Recreation Commission. Thus LinRick is essentially Columbia's municipal course. Bermudagrass covers the greens and fairways. Eight lakes bring water into play on several holes. You might be asking, "Why a funny name like LinRick?" Well, the course is named after Thomas S. Lynton and J.W. Derrick, two gentlemen who played significant roles with the recreation commission. Instead of calling the course the Lynton-Derrick Columbia and Richland County Municipal Golf Course Open to All, they slimmed it down to LinRick. Nomenclature aside, LinRick is an outstanding municipal course. This Breeden design features lots of water, wooded terrain, doglegs, plenty of challenge, picturesque holes and midsize greens. We have a sneaking suspicion that Russell Breeden must be fairly happy with this layout, particularly the final five holes, which are among the most challenging and picturesque in the Columbia area. The double-dogleg par 5 16th won't yield a lot of birdies; even a low-handicapper should be happy with par. We found wide fairways on the front nine and narrower fairways on the back. The residents of Columbia should be proud; LinRick represents their city well and is well worth a visit--be sure to book ahead. Amenities include a practice range, putting green, pro shop, snack bar and rental clubs. You can walk the course anytime. Approximate cost, including cart, is $19 weekdays, $21 weekends (assuming that you share your cart). Mid-Carolina Club Mid-Carolina is open to the public on weekdays only; on weekends, you must play with a member. Or better still, be a member. Greens and fairways are bermudagrass. The course is development-free and set in wooded terrain. Mid-Carolina is a good example of a mature, well-maintained Russell Breeden design. Four sets of tees provide challenge for golfers of all levels. Some of the bunkers are larger than those on typical Breeden courses. Water comes into play on nearly half the holes, and it's most noticeable on three of the par 3s. The course offers some dramatic elevation changes on the back nine. We overheard one regular player saying he has played without his driver for the past 13 years in favor of a fourth wedge. His point is that you won't need to smack the ball a long way to score successfully at Mid-Carolina. The course plays less than 6600 yards from the tips. The premium here is on accuracy off the tee, not distance--particularly true on some of the dogleg holes and some of the tighter holes on the back nine. Even though a portion of the course abuts I-26, Mid-Carolina boasts a relaxed atmosphere. Amenities include a practice range, putting green, chipping green, pro shop, snack bar and rental clubs. You can walk the course anytime. The public can book up to a day in advance. Approximate cost, including cart, is $30 on weekdays and $33 on the weekends (if you can get on). Northwoods Golf Club Northwoods opened in 1990. Bermudagrass covers the fairways and greens. Some holes are set in wooded terrain, others are wide open. The course is hillier on the front nine than on the back, where there is more water. Northwoods is a modern course designed by P.B. Dye, son of Pete Dye, one of the most famous and highly paid ex-insurance salesmen turned golf course architects in the world. If you've never played a Dye course and you're within striking distance of Columbia, you must play here. Standing on some tees can be a mind-bending experience. Standing in the middle of the fairway can be a mind-bending experience. Standing in the middle of a bunker where the lip is above your head can be a mind-bending experience. Even though it's not a links course, some of the blind shots and deep bunkers will remind you of the Scottish golf experience. You get the picture. There are some massive greens with equally massive undulations, uneven stances in the fairway and some incredible blind shots. Hit a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway on the 14th and you'll have a wedge into the green. The only problem is that you can't see the green--such is the size of the mound in between you, your ball and the pin. Did we mention bunkers? At Northwoods they come in every shape and size, including a couple that could only have been created through the detonation of a large incendiary device. Have fun at Northwoods but don't be surprised if the course beats you up--physically and mentally. This might be Columbia's wildest yet most interesting course. The course is walkable for the very fit, and pedestrian play is allowed on weekdays and weekends after 1 PM. Approximate cost, including cart, is $35 weekdays, $39 weekends. Oak Hills Golf and Country Club Oak Hills Golf and Country Club opened in 1991. Steve Melnyck, a TV commentator, who used to play on the PGA Tour, and D.J. DeVictor teamed up to design this exciting modern track. The course is laid out on terrain that provides a good mix of open and wooded holes. Water frequently comes into play. Bermudagrass covers the fairways and greens. We found plenty of entertainment and variety at Oak Hills. Greens, fairways, bunkers and water hazards vary in dimension. However, the course provides excellent sight lines, so blind shots are rare. Keep the ball in play off the tee and prepare to play an approach shot possibly from an uphill or downhill stance. Get the ball to the green, and the slope will challenge your abilities with the blade. The management's favorite hole is the par 3 3rd--175 yards downhill to a receptive green flanked by two bunkers. Majestic trees frame many of the holes. With four sets of tees, challenges abound for golfers of all abilities. Overall, the course is friendly, playable, pretty and popular. Amenities include a practice green, practice range, pro shop, locker room, bar, restaurant, beverage cart and rental clubs. The yardage book inside the golf cart is an interesting touch. Walking is restricted, but you may book anytime. Approximate cost, including cart, is $35 weekdays, $40 weekends. Persimmon Hill Golf Club Persimmon Hill opened in 1962. The temperature on opening day--Labor Day--was 102, proving beyond any sort of reasonable doubt that Columbia is the hottest city in the world. Russell Breeden designed this popular course. Bermudagrass covers the fairways and greens, and the design wanders through some wonderful and scenic pine forests. The brochure for Persimmon Hill (an excellent name for a golf course, don't you think?) calls it "The Thrill on the Hill." The course boasts an excellent layout. Russell Breeden might even tell you that it's one of his better tracks. The land provides great variety, and the layout makes commendable use of the natural features. You won't find tremendous trouble off the tee, but you will need to think when playing around the spring-fed water hazards. The greens are large and rolling, and the bunkers are larger than we've seen on other Russell Breeden courses. Perhaps the course favors the long hitter. That's certainly the case on the monster 18th--a 630-yard slightly uphill par 5 (the longest hole in South Carolina). Once you've played Persimmon Hill, you'll understand why it's one of the most understated yet popular courses in the area. It's particularly popular during Masters week. Amenities include a practice range, putting green, pro shop, snack bar and rental clubs. Walking is allowed primarily on weekdays. Approximate cost, including cart, is $30 on weekdays and $33 on weekends. Timberlake Golf Club Timberlake Plantation, a Willard Byrd design, opened in 1987. Bermudagrass blankets the fairways and greens. This well-maintained course winds around the wooded shoreline of Lake Murray, and water hazards come into play on several holes. Timberlake Plantation is a magnificent modern course without too many of the huge mounds, bunkers and other absurdities often found on contemporary layouts. Byrd created an awesome and varied track that is fairly tight off the tee box yet lots of fun around the sloped greens. If the rough is grown up any, you'll need to be particularly careful off the tee. Many of the holes are straightforward, but the last four seem more difficult and breathtaking. La crème de la crème is the 18th hole, where Lake Murray guards the right side of the large green. Make par or birdie here and you'll have plenty to be happy about as you down a cold one at the 19th. Timberlake provides an excellent example of how a modern course can be fun, challenging and visually appealing without being tricked-up. This course is a must-play if you're in the Columbia area. There's a small marina on Lake Murray adjacent to the new clubhouse, so you can cruise up to the course in your power boat! Call Timberlake to inquire about specific details. Amenities include a practice green, practice range, pro shop, locker room, snack bar, beverage cart and rental clubs. Walking is allowed anytime and is manageable if you're fit. Approximate cost, including cart, is $33 weekdays, $40 weekends. Timberlake Plantation is a little tricky to find. Take I-26 toward Spartanburg. Take Exit 91 to Chapin and take a left into town. About a mile outside Chapin, the road forks; veer right and proceed for about 6 miles. The course is on the right. The Columbia Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a number of package deals that feature some of the better public courses in Columbia as well as some outstanding private courses. Those in the Columbia Golf Promotion include Crickentree, Cooper's Creek, Fort Jackson (on the U.S. Army base), Northwoods, Oak Hills, Timberlake Plantation, Windemere and The Woodlands. Call (800) 264-4884 or (803) 254-0479 for more information.
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