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SC Upstate Golf CoursesBonnie Brae
Golf Course Bonnie Brae Golf Course opened in 1961. According
to the well-informed staff, Charles Willimon designed the course, which is
set on wooded and mostly undulating terrain. You'll find bermudagrass in
the fairways and on the greens.
Charles Willimon may not be the best-known architect in the great
golfing state of South Carolina. That doesn't matter. Bonnie Brae is one
of those wonderfully basic golf courses that proves you don't need a
big-name architect for a fun course. The greens vary in size, shape and
slope. No two bunkers look the same. The fairways are wide in some places,
narrow in others. It's just difficult to characterize this course, which
is what makes it interesting. It's also popular with locals.
Bonnie Brae starts with a bang: a 457-yard par 4. On some holes, the
superintendent left chipping areas. Water comes into play on a few holes
but won't ruin your day unless you're hitting the ball just terribly.
There's nothing earth-shattering or jaw-dropping about Bonnie Brae, but
it's certainly worth a look if you're in the mood for a relaxed round on a
mature course.
Amenities include a practice green, range, snack bar, rental clubs, the
occasional beverage cart, pro shop and help with crossword puzzles (the
pro shop staff are wizards!).
The course is walkable anytime. You can book a tee time seven days in
advance. Approximate cost, including cart, is $28 weekdays and $30 on
weekends. Boscobel Golf Club Boscobel opened in the 1930s. Architects of Golf
lists Fred Bolton as the original designer, although Russell Breeden has
worked on the course. You'll find bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass
greens amid rolling terrain.
Boscobel is a decent and challenging course set among mature trees.
According to the experts in the pro shop, the course is "sneaky
long" and plays every bit of its 6500 yards from the tips. You need
accurate mid-iron play and well-honed short-game skills--most of the
greens are small, and there will be plenty of those sneaky short putts we
all love. The front nine is hilly; the back is slightly flatter. And water
is a factor on three holes.
No. 8 is a difficult hole--just 410 yards from the tips, yet the most
challenging on the course--you'll need two great shots and two excellent
putts to make par.
Amenities include a practice green, locker room, bar, snack bar and pro
shop.
Walk anytime you wish. You won't need a tee time during the week, and
you can book for the weekend on Thursday. Boscobel is a good value too.
Approximate cost, including cart, is $26 weekdays and $30 on weekends. Carolina Springs Golf andCountry
Club Pines/Cedars Course Pines/Willows Course Cedars/Willows Course Carolina Springs opened in 1968. Russell Breeden
designed this course with bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass greens on
gently rolling terrain. Most of the 27 holes are wooded.
This course is somewhat typical of a Russell Breeden track in that it
presents ample difficulty while appearing straightforward. The recent
change in ownership portends improvements in the courses and facilities.
There's trouble off the tee in the form of the occasional raised
bunker, but the fun begins when you consider your approach shot. Most of
the green complexes include one, two or three large bunkers. The beauty of
the course is that each hole presents its own set of challenges and
decisions without a lot of silly mounds and other contrivances. Water
comes into play on a few holes but should only affect the truly awful
shot. Play the course from the tips and you'll have your hands full.
On first inspection, there isn't a massive difference between the three
9-hole courses; play them in any combination for a wonderful round. The
5th on the Willows is a great par 3. It's slightly downhill, just 172
yards from the tips and 154 yards from the middle tees. The narrow green,
flanked on the left by a bunker, slopes downhill toward water on the
right. You can bail out short or long, but only a perfect chip and putt
will yield par--right of the green is wet, and a sand save requires a
touch as soft as minister's handshake. It's a simple hole that demands
precision and rewards finesse over power. Big numbers lurk.
Amenities include a practice green, range, snack bar, rental clubs, a
beverage cart and pro shop.
The course is walkable anytime. You can book a tee time five days in
advance. Approximate cost, including cart, is $30 weekdays and $37 on
weekends. Cobb's Glen Country Club Cobb's Glen opened in 1975. The name says it all:
George Cobb designed the course with help from John LaFoy on pleasant,
rolling terrain. Houses and woods border many of the holes. In the
fairways, you'll find bermudagrass; on the greens, bentgrass.
At Cobb's Glen we found a fun, traditional, mature, well-designed and
challenging course that's well worth a visit if you're in the
Clemson/Anderson area. It's a hefty course from the back tees, so you
might want to play it from the middle or front if your last name isn't
Daly and your first name isn't John. If the bermudagrass rough is long and
the fairways hard, you might be in for a long day. Adding to the challenge
off the tee are numerous fairway bunkers. The greens are mostly large and
undulating. These, too, are heavily bunkered. Water comes into play on a
couple of holes.
With a tasty hot dog in your belly, you might enjoy the 10th, a
reachable par 5 just 446 yards from the forward tees and 508 yards from
the tips. A good drive over a couple of bunkers (come on--go for it!)
leaves a fairway wood or long iron to a heavily bunkered, raised green. A
good pitch and a firm putt later, it's off to No. 11, one-under for the
back nine.
Amenities include a practice green, range, locker room, bar, snack bar,
restaurant, rental clubs, an occasional beverage cart and a pro shop.
The course is walkable, and you can walk late in the day. You can book
a tee time 48 hours in advance. Approximate cost, including cart, is $40
weekdays and $45 on weekends. Cotton Creek Golf Club Cotton Creek Golf Club opened in 1968. Russell
Breeden designed the course, which is set on slightly rolling terrain. In
the fairways and on the greens, you'll find bermudagrass.
Cotton Creek is a typical Breeden design. The routing and overall
layout are sound and basic. The occasional raised bunker lurks in the
fairway. The green complexes feature two or three bunkers, a pampas grass
bush here and there, a mildly undulating putting surface and some small
mounds. But you'll also find grass bunkers--a rarity on a Breeden course.
Overall, this track is open, straightforward and fun, providing a venue
for an enjoyable round of golf in a country setting. Keep the ball in
play, smack it to the middle of the medium-size greens, two-putt, and
you'll leave with a smile on your face. Easy game, isn't it?
The toughest hole might be the par 4 No. 6--449 yards with a second
shot over water to a difficult green. But you might get a shot back from
the course on No. 7, a 485-yard par 5.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
bar, snack bar, restaurant, rental clubs, a beverage cart and a pro shop.
The course is walkable anytime, and you can book a tee time whenever
you choose. Approximate cost, including cart, is $20 weekdays and $27 on
weekends. Falcon's Lair Falcon's Lair, a Harry Bowers design, opened in
1991 and features bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass greens set on
undulating terrain.
After graduating from Michigan State University with degrees in park
planning and turfgrass science, Bowers joined Robert Trent Jones as an
associate designer. He supervised several new designs and remodeled
others. In 1991, Bowers and Curtis Strange built Odyssey Golf Course in
Illinois.
Falcon's Lair is a challenging course that demands accuracy off the
tee. Several greens are tricky, and trouble spots exist on almost every
hole. There are some extremely pretty holes on the course as well.
The No. 1 handicap hole, the par 4 13th, is just 370 yards from the
tips and 327 yards from the forward men's tees! It's a hole that requires
absolute precision--big numbers await the wayward drive. Lock away the
titanium driver for this hole.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
snack bar and rental clubs.
You can walk anytime; book a tee time up to seven days in advance.
Approximate cost, including cart, is $22 weekdays and $25 on weekends. The Gauntlet Golf Club The Gauntlet Golf Club, a P.B. Dye design, opened
in 1992. Most of the holes are bordered by woods, and the course is very
hilly. Fairways are bermudagrass; greens are bentgrass.
The Gauntlet is one-third of a triumvirate of perilous Carolinas golf
courses, including The Gauntlet at St. James Plantation in Southport,
North Carolina, and Myrtle West Golf Club outside North Myrtle Beach. One
company developed all three tracks.
The "PB" in P.B. Dye must stand for Pin Ball, which is how
your ball will behave if you miss the green just slightly or, on occasion,
if you actually hit a green. This is a Pete Dye course on steroids. (P.B.
Dye is Pete Dye's son.)
The Greenville version of The Gauntlet is set in the foothills of the
Smoky Mountains and provides one of the greatest challenges in the
Upstate--a challenge that borders on the absurd in places. Earth was
moved. Sands were shifted. The sky was shaken. The golfing world has never
been the same. No two holes are alike, and all are difficult. Score par on
most holes and you should be extremely pleased with yourself. Each hole
has a name with a King Arthur and the Round Table motif. If the course
beats you up in a particularly nasty fashion, our advice is to restore
your sense of humor by renting Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
As you might expect with a modern course, there are plenty of mounds,
bunkers, steep drop-offs, water, blind shots and uneven stances. Some
holes defy description. The par 5 16th, a 521-yard monster, looks innocent
enough off the tee, but that's because the shot is uphill to a flat
landing area. From here, you can lay up to a series of terraced landing
areas or fire away at a massive green divided by what appears to be an
elephant buried in the shallowest of graves. We tried to putt from one end
to the other while keeping the ball on the green and failed miserably.
Consider yourself warned. The other hole of anxiety is the par 5
11th--more than 500 yards straight uphill to a difficult green.
The Greenville-Spartanburg area is full of solid layouts, but visit
here for the experience of playing a Dye course. Whether or not you'll
return depends on your ability to suck up mental anguish. There's nothing
that comes close to describing the semi-hallucinogenic thought processes
that went into designing the aptly named Gauntlet.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, snack bar,
rental clubs, an occasional beverage cart and a pro shop.
You'll only add injury to insult if you try to walk this course, but
you can if you want to. You can book a tee time five days in advance.
Approximate cost, including cart, is $34 weekdays and $45 on weekends. Greer Golf & Country Club Greer Golf & Country Club opened nine holes in
1954. The club added nine more holes in 1965. There's no record of any one
designer. Bermudagrass covers the fairways; bentgrass, the greens.
As mentioned in this chapter's introduction, Greer is known around the
world as the site of the young and massive BMW automotive factory.
However, this friendly South Carolina town is also home to a decent golf
course--once again proving you don't need a big-name, hot-shot architect
to provide a challenge. The track is popular with locals, many of whom
find time in their schedules to exercise their beer drinking muscles in
the clubhouse, which is well equipped with a few card tables and a
state-of-the-art (in 1954) television.
The course is relatively straightforward until you reach the undulating
greens. The fairways are tree-lined. The course has a pleasant country
ambiance, well removed from the hustle and bustle of life in the rapidly
expanding and booming Greenville-Spartanburg metropolis. Have fun.
Amenities include a practice green, range, locker room, bar, snack bar,
restaurant, rental clubs, a beverage cart, TV and pro shop.
The course is walkable for the limber, and you can walk anytime. You'll
need a tee time on the weekend, and you can book that starting on
Wednesday. Approximate cost, including cart, is $30 weekdays and $35 on
weekends. Hickory Knob State Resort Park Hickory Knob State Resort Park Golf Course opened
in 1982. Tom Jackson designed it amid rolling, wooded terrain. Fairways
and greens are bermudagrass.
Hickory Knob is part of McCormick State Park. We found it to be an
excellent course with plenty of challenge--a good example of sound
government and well-spent tax dollars! We found hickory, but we failed to
find a knob. You won't encounter the abundance of mounds that typically
defines Tom Jackson courses; the attraction lies in the variety. You'll
find greens of all sizes and shapes. Some are sloped, while others pitch
and roll. Bunkering is extensive, and there's plenty of water, some of
which comes from the picturesque lake bordering the course.
You'll barely have time to limber up before the course delivers the No.
1 handicap hole as its second challenge. A stunningly narrow par 5, No. 2
spans 501 yards from the middle tees, and only the bravest drivers will
risk taking out the big stick to try to reach the green in two.
You won't have to bang the ball a mile here to score well, but you will
need to keep it in play and take what the course gives. You'll also have
to carry the ball over water on a few occasions. The setting alone is
worth the modest price of admission. Seek this place out.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
bar, snack bar and pro shop.
You can walk and book a tee time at Hickory Knob whenever you choose.
Approximate cost, including cart, is $25 weekdays and $30 on weekends. Hunter's Creek Plantation Maple/Willow Course Willow/Oak Course Oak/Maple Course The Oak Nine at Hunter's Creek Plantation opened in
1995. Tom Jackson designed the course. Many of the holes are open, while
others are bordered by woods. You'll find bermudagrass on both the greens
and fairways.
All three nines are now open at Hunter's Creek. Each of the courses is
a modern treat complete with mounds, tough greens, big tee shots and a
variety of nasty bunkers. All three nines are extremely challenging from
the back tees too. If you're a fan of modern and difficult courses, take
the challenge at Hunter's Creek.
The first hole on the Oak nine is much more than the average warm-up
opener. At 506 yards from the tips, it tempts even the moderately long
golfer into going for it. A stiff green with plenty of trouble awaits
those who are a bit too bold.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, bar, snack
bar, restaurant, rental clubs, a beverage cart and a pro shop.
The Oak nine is walkable, while you need a cart on the other two. You
can book a tee time seven days in advance. Approximate cost, including
cart, is $25 weekdays and $35 on weekends. Lakeview Golf Club Lakeview Golf Course opened in 1954. In the
fairways, you'll find 419 bermudagrass; the greens are 328 bermudagrass.
Although we searched high and low, we could not determine who designed
this course.
Lakeview offers a fun and relaxing round in a pleasant country setting.
Like its neighbor, Bonnie Brae, the course is set on gently rolling
terrain. Some of the holes are wide open, while others are set in
woodland. One of the first things you'll notice, depending on the time of
year, is that the first fairway is crosscut--a landscaping touch evident
from the elevated tee. The greens are small to medium-size and not overly
undulating. The layout is predominantly straightforward--what you see is
what you get. There's a distinct lack of water and heavy bunkering.
Perhaps the back nine is a little tighter than the front. The course
offers enough challenge and variety to keep the novice as well as the
low-handicapper happy, which may explain its evident popularity.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, snack bar,
rental clubs and a pro shop.
You can walk the course anytime. You won't need a tee time during the
week, but you should call on Wednesday to book for the weekend.
Approximate cost, including cart, is $20 weekdays and $25 on weekends. Links O'Tryon Links O'Tryon, a Tom Jackson design, opened in
1987. The course is set on gently rolling terrain bordered by woods and
houses. Fairways are blanketed with bermudagrass, and greens are bentgrass.
Links O'Tryon is well known in the Upstate as one of the area's most
popular courses, and it's often the site of local amateur tournaments. For
a number of years, GolfWeek magazine voted the course No. 1 in
Upstate South Carolina.
The layout offers many Tom Jackson touches even though it's a parkland
course, not a links. The course is somewhat forgiving and rewarding.
Perhaps this course is less penal than other Tom Jackson designs. The open
aspect that defines most of the course and its proximity to the foothills
of the Smoky Mountains mean that wind may be a factor in your round here.
Many of the holes are quite memorable, including the uphill, 562-yard,
par 5 No. 8, which requires considerable heft off the tee. The hole
features a small and undulating green fronted by a large and deep bunker.
The 6th hole, a 377-yard par 4, requires an excellent tee shot to avoid
the trees on the left of the fairway.
The key to this course's attraction is the variety. You'll have to
place all of your shots to score well here. No two holes are the same.
It's a great example of why Tom Jackson is such a well-respected
architect. Bunkers come in all shapes and sizes; some are massive. Jackson
took a page out of Robert Trent Jones's book with a couple of cloverleaf
bunkers that are fun to look at but no fun to be in. Water comes into play
on a few holes, but it shouldn't pose too much of a problem unless you're
shots are very wayward.
Amenities at this fine golfing facility include a practice green,
range, chipping green, locker room, bar, snack bar, restaurant, rental
clubs, a beverage cart and a pro shop.
The front nine is more walkable, and you can walk after 2 PM. Book a
tee time whenever you choose during the week, but you'll need to call
after 1 PM on Thursday to schedule for the weekend. Approximate cost,
including cart, is $45 weekdays and $55 on weekends (including Friday). Oak Ridge Country Club Oak Ridge Country Club opened in 1980. George Cobb
designed the course on picturesque rolling terrain. Fairways are 419
bermudagrass, and greens are bentgrass.
The club remodeled the course in 1992. Much of the difficulty on this
well-designed track is the result of the hilly terrain. At times, you
might feel like you're on a mountain layout. The greens vary in shape but
are primarily midsize and sloped, with some subtle undulations. The
combination scorecard/yardage book is a useful aid. You'll find bunkering
in the fairways and around most of the greens. Keeping the ball in play on
this somewhat short course is crucial, so you might want to leave your big
stick in the trunk. The course narrows a touch on the back nine, and water
comes into play on a few holes. You can't go wrong with a George Cobb
design, so visit this course if you can. It's also an excellent value.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, snack bar,
rental clubs, a beverage cart and pro shop.
The course is walkable for the physically fit, and you can walk
anytime. You can book a tee time two days in advance. Approximate cost,
including cart, is $28 weekdays and $30 on weekends. Parkland Golf Club Parkland Golf Club opened in 1986. John Park
designed the course (maybe he named it after himself too) on rolling
wooded terrain, with bermudagrass greens and fairways.
The aptly named Parkland is a fine and formidable country course
crafted by a little-known architect. Overall, the layout is relatively
flat and features a number of tricky holes surrounded by towering pine
trees. Some of the holes are tight off the tee. Streams and ponds come
into play, particularly on the back nine.
The short, par 4 16th hole and the longer par 4 17th could ruin a good
round. Both are flanked by water and could produce some big numbers.
You'll find a great deal of sand around the greens and an occasional
bunker in the fairway. The greens undulate and vary in size. There's
nothing tricked-up about the course; it exudes an old-style, country club
feel. Definitely play here if you can.
Amenities include a chipping green, snack bar and pro shop.
The course is walkable for the fit, and you can walk anytime. You won't
need a tee time. Approximate cost, including cart, is $25 weekdays and $34
on weekends. Peach Valley Golf Club Peach Valley opened in 1960. The course is set on
open and primarily flat terrain. In the fairways, you'll find bermudagrass;
on the greens, you'll find both bentgrass and bermudagrass. Who designed
this course? We don't know, and neither did anyone or any text source we
consulted.
Peach Valley offers low-cost, worry-free, relaxed golf in a pleasant
setting. Greens are raised and small to medium-size, with subtle slopes.
The fairways are wide and open, so feel free to take out the boron-shafted
big daddy you just purchased from the clubmaker in the pro shop and let
the big dog eat.
Even though it's just 350 yards, the 1st hole is a little bit
intimidating and could easily wreck your round from the outset. There's a
relatively short carry over water followed by an approach to a green with
water to the right. Don't slice.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, snack bar,
restaurant, rental clubs and a pro shop.
The course is walkable--you should walk and you can do so anytime. You
can book a tee time whenever you choose as well. Approximate cost,
including cart, is $25 weekdays and $30 on weekends. Pickens Country Club Pickens Country Club opened in 1954 with nine
holes, and the club added a back nine in 1958. Willie B. Lewis designed
the course. Woods border some of the holes, and most of the fairways are
defined and delineated with evergreens and hardwoods. The course is set in
rolling terrain; water comes into play on only a couple of holes. You'll
find bermudagrass in the fairways and bentgrass on the greens.
At Pickens Country Club, we found a fine, mature, traditional layout.
You won't encounter anything tricked-up or gimmicky here; it's fairly
straightforward. The trees are mature and magnificent, there's barely a
house in sight anywhere, and many of the holes sweep majestically right
and left, giving you the feeling that you're on a country club
track--which you are. You might ask yourself why modern courses aren't
like this one.
Like a lot of older, more traditional designs, the degree of trouble
off the tee depends on the length of the rough. If it's long and shaggy,
you'll need to keep your ball in the short grass with a little less stick
off the tee. The greens are small, undulating and, according the staff,
fast outside the summer months. They're probably harder than they look.
Though you won't find an overabundance of them, some strategically placed
sand and grass bunkers make you think about your approach shot.
Older courses offer something modern courses often lack: interesting
short par 4s. And Pickens Country Club might offer the best crop of short
par 4s in the Upstate. The dogleg 8th hole is just 314 yards from the
middle tees--a long iron downhill to a narrow landing area leaves a
pitching wedge or short iron shot uphill to one of the Pickens' small
greens entirely fronted by a large bunker. Sound easy? Anyone caught
trying to overpower the hole may be staring at a big number.
The course offers a yardage book that includes swing thoughts and golf
tips on each page, including one tip that encourages you not to over-think
. . . a good example of yardage-book irony.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
bar, snack bar and pro shop.
You can walk anytime. Nonmembers can book a tee time two days in
advance. Approximate cost, including cart, is $30 weekdays and $35 on
weekends. River Chase River Chase, a fine Russell Breeden design that
opened in 1976, is set in rolling wooded terrain, with bermudagrass greens
and fairways.
You'll find there isn't much room off the tee, which makes the course
play longer--as if it weren't long enough already (6607 yards from the
tips). The green complexes are challenging and feature numerous bunkers
and extreme undulations. The most difficult hole might be the 5th, a
432-yard par 4. It's particularly narrow, and the long-iron second shot
will not find a receptive welcome on the green. Par is an excellent score
here.
The renovation of the course is complete and makes it one of the better
challenges in the Upstate.
Amenities include a practice green, range, locker room, snack bar and
pro shop.
River Chase is walkable for the fit, and you can walk anytime. You can
book a tee time whenever you choose. Approximate cost, including cart, is
$23 weekdays and $26 on weekends. River Falls Plantation Gary Player designed the golf course at River Falls
Plantation, which opened in 1990. Most holes are bordered by woods, and
some holes have a mountain feel. In the fairways, you'll find bermudagrass;
on the greens, bentgrass.
Player designed an excellent course here. He routed the course
exceedingly well, and the result is a track with a number of memorable
holes. We found outstanding variety: It's the sort of course where, as the
old saying goes, you'll have to use every club in your bag. You'll find
yourself forced to plan a strategy with just about every shot. Some holes
offer great elevation changes. Fairway widths vary a great deal, and on
certain holes you'll want to throttle back with a long iron. On other
holes, take out the big stick and fire away. Water frequently comes into
play. The green complexes vary in size, shape and protection to the point
where it's impossible to generalize. On certain holes, you might think of
this course as a sort of kinder, gentler Dye-ish effort.
You'll find two tremendous holes: The par 5 12th is 591 yards downhill
to a shallow green fronted by a stream. The par 4 13th is short at 327,
but the blind second shot severely downhill to a narrow green is one of
the most spectacular in Upstate golf.
Amenities include a range, chipping green, locker room, snack bar,
restaurant, rental clubs, a beverage cart and pro shop.
Walking is not allowed, but you can book a tee time whenever you
choose. Approximate cost, including cart, is $35 weekdays and $45 on
weekends. Rolling Green Golf Club First Nine/Second Nine Second Nine/Third Nine Third Nine/First Nine Rolling Green offers 27 holes. The first nine
opened in 1968, the second nine two years later, and the third nine opened
in 1991. Willie B. Lewis designed the first nine, while the owners, the
Dacus family, designed the second and third nines. The course is set on
rolling terrain and is bordered by woods. Water comes into play on a
number of holes. You'll find bermudagrass in the fairways and bentgrass on
the greens.
As you might expect from a course built in three stages, each section
has its own character and feel. The front nine is relatively narrow and
pretty yet straightforward. You won't find any significant water. The
greens are medium-size, sloped and protected by bunkers. Keep the ball in
play and you'll have some fun. On the second nine, the bunkers seem a
little deeper and a bit more menacing; the greens are a little larger. The
layout retains the traditional feel of the first nine. Water also comes
into play. The third nine offers a bit more variety, with fairways defined
and delineated by evergreen trees. There are some significant elevation
changes on the final nine plus a bit more water. Considering that the
final nine is just a few years old, it feels remarkably mature. Overall,
Rolling Green offers three fun, varied and interesting nine-hole layouts.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
bar, snack bar and pro shop.
You can walk anytime. Nonmembers can book a tee time seven days in
advance. Approximate cost, including cart, is $25 weekdays and $29 on
weekends. Southern Oaks Golf Club Willie B. Lewis designed Southern Oaks Golf Club,
which opened in 1989. The course is set on gently rolling terrain and is
predominantly open. Fairways are bermudagrass; greens, bentgrass.
An important fact about Southern Oaks: Head PGA professional Wayne
Myers shot here what might be the world-record golf score for 18
holes--57. Obviously, there were numerous eagles and birdies during this
impressive round, but don't think that Southern Oaks is a pushover. This
is one of the finest courses in the Greenville-Spartanburg metroplex, and
it surely rates as one of Willie B. Lewis' best efforts. We'd also call it
somewhat underrated.
The course is modern inasmuch as it was built fewer than 10 years ago,
but the design borrows more from the traditional than from today's
trickery and treachery. In many ways Southern Oaks reminded us of
Tanglewood in Clemmons, North Carolina, without the 100-plus bunkers. Most
of the holes are open. Each hole has a distinctive character. There's
usually plenty of room off the tee. The greens are midsize to large, with
plenty of slope and/or undulation. Bunkers come into play on quite a few
holes, and water poses a hazard on several holes as well.
You'll enjoy the tee shot on the par 4 No. 3, where you must clear
nearly 200 yards of water to reach a peninsula landing area; the hole
measures 465 yards from the back tees. There's also a 625-yard par 5 on
the front nine. So make sure you bring your big stick and be ready to
smack it on a few holes, although some holes favor placement over distance
off the tee. Overall, Southern Oaks is a course you must play if you're a
fan of traditional yet challenging golf courses. Southern Oaks is an
excellent value, especially if you walk.
There's something special about Southern Oaks.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
snack bar/grill, rental clubs and a pro shop.
The course is walkable, you should walk, and you can anytime (amazing
for a modern course!). You can book a tee time for the weekend on the
preceeding Thursday, seven days in advance for the weekdays. Approximate
cost, including cart, is $30 weekdays and $38 on weekends. Stoney Pointe Stoney Pointe opened in 1991. Tom Jackson designed
the course to be open in some places and bordered by woods and houses in
others. In the fairways, you'll find 419 bermudagrass; the greens are
seeded with bentgrass.
Stoney Pointe is a wonderful design and, for our money, it's one of Tom
Jackson's best efforts. In places, the course has a links feel, with
mounds bordering the fairways and undulations within them. Many fairways
are tight, with OB and water lurking off the tee. The greens vary in size,
and many are sloped and rolling. If the rough is tall, you must avoid it
to score well. The yardage book/scorecard is a useful tool.
The difficulties begin on the 1st hole, a moderate-length par 4 with a
clump of trees flanking the left edge of the fairway. It's a shot-makers
delight right off the bat.
As with many Jackson courses, bunkers come in all shapes, sizes and
depths. If the rough is grown up around the greens, it will hamper your
finesse pitches and chips. You'll also find some grass bunkers--just to
make the course all the more difficult. Stoney Pointe is a really fun and
challenging course that we suggest you play on more than one occasion.
It's also a good value.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
bar, snack bar, rental clubs and a pro shop.
You can walk anytime and book a tee time seven days in advance.
Approximate cost, including cart, is $28 weekdays and $35 on weekends. Summersett Summersett opened in the late 1930s. Architects
of Golf lists Tom Jackson as the man who revamped the track in 1979.
The course is set on undulating terrain, and you'll play on bermudagrass
fairways and bentgrass greens.
Summersett is short from the back tees (6025 yards), but it's also
tight off the tee. In reworking it, Tom Jackson resisted the temptation to
lengthen the course to absurd proportions. Instead, it appears that the
renovation made good use of the original routing, and the course was made
more difficult by adding variable pitch and roll to the greens. There's
plenty of variety here, and you'll discover it's most sensible to keep the
driver in the bag, especially on the back nine.
With the foothills of the Smoky Mountains surrounding it, the course
has a mountainous feel, and the rolling terrain makes for some interesting
tee shots. It's definitely worth a visit if you're looking for a good game
on a short but well-planned course.
Amenities include a practice green, chipping green, snack bar, rental
clubs, a beverage cart and a pro shop.
You may walk the course anytime except weekends before 2 PM. You can
book a tee time whenever you choose. Approximate cost, including cart, is
$26 weekdays and $35 on weekends. Table Rock Resort The golf course at Table Rock Resort was designed
by Willie B. Lewis and opened in 1983. Table Rock is a mountain
course--most of the holes are bordered by woods, while others are wide
open, with a couple of shared fairways. You'll find common bermudagrass in
the fairways and bentgrass on the greens.
Table Rock's management recently made several improvements and many
locals praised the changes. The basic layout and design is sound, with
some fine holes beautifully framed by trees. If everything goes according
to plan, the modifications should make the course both more fun and more
playable.
Many of the fairways are narrow, particularly on the back nine where
the course is more wooded. There are a couple of fun driving holes where
you need to bang it through a chute. Locals advise keeping the driver in
the bag unless you know you can keep it straight. The greens are primarily
small, flat and interestingly shaped, although the recent changeover to
bentgrass may alter their character. Most holes are flat, although a few
feature significant elevation changes. Water comes into play mainly in the
form of pretty mountain streams that need be avoided: Take a photograph,
but don't let your ball anywhere near them. A smattering of bunkers lurk
here and there. Overall, Table Rock boasts a course with a lot of
potential.
If you're fed up with golf, the resort also offers horseback riding,
hiking, tennis or fishing in a stocked lake. Table Rock State Park is just
a few minutes away.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
bar, snack bar, restaurant, rental clubs and the occasional beverage cart.
You can walk anytime, and the course is walkable for the fit. You can
also book anytime. Approximate cost, including cart, is $25 weekdays and
$30 on weekends. Verdae Greens Golf Club Verdae Greens opened in 1990. Willard Byrd designed
the course in rolling terrain. Woods border many of the holes. In the
fairways, you'll find bermudagrass, while Pencross bentgrass covers the
greens.
Verdae Greens (an interesting name) is owned by Embassy Suites Hotels
(note the large multistory Embassy Suites adjacent to the course; call
(864) 676-9090 for reservations). Thus the course is a magnet for golfers
on corporate outings, retreats and getaways.
S&P 500 aside, Verdae Greens is home to one of the most difficult
and prettiest golf courses in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, an
excellent example of Willard Byrd's magic. The course has hosted the Nike
Greater Greenville Open (see our Tournaments section in this chapter). We
found excellent variety and some serious challenges. Water comes into play
often. The course is not overly long, but it's narrow and exacting in
places. You'll need to play some target golf to play well. It's important
to be in the right place at the right time. Bunkers taunt you off the tee
and around the relatively large but sometimes mercilessly undulating
greens.
The par 4 No. 4 is only 352 yards from the middle tees but surely must
be one of the most exacting holes anywhere in the Upstate. The tee shot is
downhill to a narrow fairway, which slopes precariously towards a stream
on the left side of the course. The approach must carry the stream to a
narrow green with a tiny pot bunker on the left--short but hair-raising.
It seems that almost every hole on the course features woods or a stream.
This brand of target golf will really mess with your head the first or
second time out.
If you're a mid-handicapper, play from the "Other" tees and
you'll have a good time at this must-play course in the
Greenville-Spartanburg area. A useful purchase is the witty yardage book:
Heed its advice.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, bar, snack
bar, restaurant, rental clubs, a beverage cart and pro shop.
The course is walkable for the fit and dedicated, and you can walk
anytime on weekdays. You can book a tee time seven days in advance.
Approximate cost, including cart, is $39 weekdays and $49 on weekends. Village Green Country Club Village Green Golf Course opened in the mid-'60s. Architects
of Golf lists Russell Breeden as the course designer; give an assist
to Dan Breeden. The course is seeded with bermudagrass fairways and
bentgrass greens.
Village Green is a fine course--a playable and attractive track that
provides good value for your hard-earned golfing dollar. The course
features all the typical Breeden elements and includes a number of truly
fine golf holes. There's a definite lack of hardship off the tee, but
you'll have to plan your approach shot to avoid the bunkers and leave
yourself a viable birdie putt. The back nine is slightly hillier. As the
shadows lengthen at the end of the day, the subtle undulations in the
green become more evident. To score well, keep the ball in the fairway and
avoid the deep rough around the greens. True to Breeden form, the course
becomes a little tougher as you come home.
Village Green is worth a visit. Oh, and call ahead on the 9th and 18th
tees for your Kenburger and adult beverage from Ken's Grill.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, bar, snack
bar/grill (Ken's), rental clubs, a beverage cart and pro shop.
You can walk anytime. No advance tee times are necessary during the
week, but book on Thursday for the weekend. Approximate cost, including
cart, is $27 weekdays and $32 on weekends. The Walker Course at Clemson
University The Walker Course at Clemson University is the
official course of the Clemson Tigers. D.J. DeVictor designed the course
with bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass greens. The course is set in
primarily open and rolling terrain.
Clemson welcomes you not to Death Valley (the university's football
stadium) but to the Walker Course, an amenity made possible primarily
through the donations of several wealthy, orange-clad alumni. DeVictor
designed an impressive and challenging course with plenty of trouble for
the wayward. From many of the holes, the campus is clearly visible. The
most difficult hole, the par 4 No. 9, is 460 yards from the
"Tiger" tees. A creek runs through the middle of the hole,
meaning longer hitters might have to lay up. If you do stop short, it's
200 yards over water to an undulating green set in a bowl. You should be
extremely happy with par here. If you're a diehard "my blood runneth
orange" Clemson fan, then you'll love the 17th hole, a moderately
difficult par 3 shaped like a tiger's paw. Only at Clemson...
The course offers tremendous variety. DeVictor made good use of the
land to create a number of truly challenging and interesting holes. There
isn't a great deal of trouble off the tee except for wayward hitters. The
greens are predominantly large and rarely flat. Bunkers and other hazards
are placed to make you think quite hard--play the percentage shot and
you'll be in great shape. Unless you're a superstar All-American golfer,
play the course from the white tees for the most fun. The Walker Course at
Clemson is the newest course in the Upstate, it's one of the prettiest,
and it's a course you definitely should visit, even if you graduated from
the rival universities of Georgia or South Carolina.
You'll enjoy the local color on the right flank of the 7th hole, where
the odor of fresh ordure from the university's Department of Agriculture
facility creates a uniquely pungent olfactory hazard.
Ironically, the Walker Course is barely walkable even if you are fit.
But you are allowed to walk at anytime. Approximate cost, including cart,
is $32 weekdays and $42 on weekends. Willow Creek Golf Course Willow Creek Golf Course, a Tom Jackson design,
opened in summer 1995. The course combines open holes with some bordered
by woods. Water frequently comes into play. You'll find bermudagrass in
the fairways and state-of-the-art Crenshaw bentgrass on the greens.
Willow Creek demonstrates that Tom Jackson is not a cookie-cutter
designer. The course is flatter and apparently less penal than some of
Jackson's other tracks--the mounds bordering the fairways aren't quite as
large. Still, the course has a links feel, and if the wind is blowing,
you're in for a challenge. The tee boxes are massive, and clearly were
built to withstand the expected heavy play. The greens are also large, and
the influence of the bunkering and slope of the green will vary depending
on pin placement.
Based on the looks of the clubhouse and the track record of the
ownership, there's an initial commitment to make this young course one of
the better facilities in the area. This should be achieved once the course
has had some time to grow and mature.
Amenities include a practice green, range, chipping green, locker room,
snack bar, restaurant, rental clubs and a pro shop. There's no beverage
cart, because your cart is the beverage cart: The course supplies you with
your own personal cooler.
The course is not especially walkable, but you're allowed to walk on
weekdays. You can book a tee time five days in advance. Approximate cost,
including cart, is $37 weekdays and $45 on weekends.
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