Grand Strand Golf Comprises More Than Half of “25 Best Courses You Can Play” List

http://www.fishclub.com/photo_tour/tb_18_2.jpgThe “25 Best Courses You Can Play,” the list just released by the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel, remains dominated by the Grand Strand and Charleston markets as it was in the Panel’s initial listing in 2005. Those two major tourism regions account for a combined 18 of the top 25.

A sizable chunk of the Grand Strand’s entries includes four courses along the South Strand’s Waccamaw Golf Trail - Caledonia, Pawleys Plantation, Heritage Club and True Blue (see full list after the jump).

The Midlands, Upstate and Hilton Head areas each have newcomers on the latest list of premier public access facilities announced by the Panel. The trio of fresh faces in the line-up includes May River Club in Bluffton, The Walker Course at Clemson University and the Country Club of South Carolina on the outskirts of Florence. Their arrival in the top echelon is all the more meritorious given that the panel this year trimmed its list from 30 to 25 courses. Notable departures include the TPC of Myrtle Beach, which has undergone a change of ownership and only recently reopened with newly grassed greens, and Pine Lakes International Country Club, which has been closed for a year awaiting a major overhaul.

“The list we have released is one that any state in the nation would be proud to offer,” said Golf Panel Executive Director Michael Whitaker. “To be truthful, it is a list that the vast majority of states would die to have.”

Whitaker can hardly be accused of parochialism. No fewer than 10 of the top 25 courses you can play in the Palmetto State also appear on Golf Digest magazine’s list of the best 100 public play facilities in the nation. An 11th, May River is missing from the Golf Digest list but ranks higher than some of the other 10 when it comes to the magazine’s list of best courses of any kind in the state.

The apparent anomaly could be explained by the fact that May River, voted best new course in the state by the SC golf panel in 2005, is a private course that allows public access for guests staying at Palmetto Bluff Resort. This is also true of the Country Club of South Carolina, host of this year’s South Carolina State Amateur Championship, which extends playing privileges to guests using on-site accommodations. The course was designed by Ellis Maples, who was tutored in the craft by the legendary Donald Ross.

The Walker Course at Clemson University has been the recent training ground for PGA Tour stars including Lucas Glover, Charles Warren, Jonathan Byrd and D. J. Trahan. Designed by D. J. DeVictor, the course winds over rolling terrain and heads for home alongside Lake Hartwell. The most talked about hole on the course is the par-three 17th that uses four bunkers behind the green to create the footprint of Clemson’s renowned Tiger paw.

“I think we are spoiled in South Carolina when it comes to golf,” Whitaker says. “And this list of the best 25 public access courses in the state is just one reason why.”

The 25 Best You Can Play in South Carolina

Listed alphabetically within region

*New to the list of 25 Best You Can Play

Grand Strand

• Barefoot Resort – Love Course, North Myrtle Beach
• Barefoot Resort – Dye Course, North Myrtle Beach
• Barefoot Resort – Fazio Course, North Myrtle Beach
• Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, Pawleys Island
• Grande Dunes - Resort Course, Myrtle Beach
• Legends Resort - Heathland Course, Myrtle Beach
• King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Myrtle Beach
• Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club, Pawleys Island
• Prestwick Country Club, Myrtle Beach
• The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Myrtle Beach
• The Heritage Club, Pawleys Island
• Tidewater Golf Club and Plantation, Little River
• True Blue Plantation, Pawleys Island

Midlands

• *Country Club of South Carolina, Florence
• Mount Vintage Plantation, North Augusta

Upstate

• *The Walker Course at Clemson University, Clemson

Charleston

• Kiawah Island Resort – The Ocean Course, Kiawah Island
• Kiawah Island Resort – Osprey Point, Kiawah Island
• Kiawah Island Resort - Turtle Point Course, Kiawah Island
• RiverTowne Country Club, Mt. Pleasant
• Wild Dunes Resort - Links Course, Isle of Palms

Hilton Head

• Daufuskie Island Resort - Melrose Course, Daufuskie Island
• *May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton
• Palmetto Dunes Resort - Arthur Hills Course, Hilton Head Island
• Sea Pines Resort - Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island

About the SC Golf Course Ratings Panel

The South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel is composed of golf enthusiasts representing a diverse range of occupations, handicaps and backgrounds. These individuals have been charged with the task of identifying the best that South Carolina golf has to offer. The Panel’s objective is to promote excellence in S.C. golf course design and operations through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy. The Panel serves as an ambassador for golf in South Carolina by striving to stimulate and facilitate the promotion and marketing of the outstanding golf courses, resorts, and real estate developments.

1. New Course Of The Year - As new courses open during the year Panelists are asked to evaluate and "rate" them. The results of these ratings are used to recognize courses for outstanding achievement in course design. These awards are presented annually.
2. South Carolina’s 50 Best Courses – Bi-annually (in even-numbered years) members of the Panel identify their choices for the “50 Best Courses” in the state, public or private.
3. The Best Courses You Can Play – Bi-annually (in odd-numbered years) the Panel releases a listing of the best non-private courses in the state. Every resort, public access, and daily-fee course is eligible for this elite listing.

How They're Rated

In determining their ratings panelists consider the following criteria:

• Routing – How the course flows from hole to hole in harmony with existing topography.
• Design Balance – Degree to which the course demands a full range of shot requirements.
• Strategy – How design features test course management.
• Equity – The course’s capacity to reward good shots and penalize poor ones.
• Memorability – The distinctiveness of the golf course and its individual holes.
• Aesthetics – The degree to which scenery and surrounds lend to enjoyment.
• Experience – Incorporates all elements of the course from pro shop, to practice range, clubhouse and more.

Structure

The Panel consists of up to 125 members, eight of which serve as Regional Directors. Twenty-five percent of the panel represents each of the following geographical regions: The Upstate, The Midlands, The Lowcountry, and The Grand Strand. Twenty percent of the panel is women. The governing body of the Panel is its Board of Directors, consisting of the eight Regional Directors plus two at-large members.

Categories of Membership

• Golf Industry – individuals who have a direct connection to the golf industry.
• Players & Coaches – individuals who excel at playing or coaching the game
• Media – individuals who report on golf for one or more media outlets.
• Business & Industry – individuals who utilize golf within the business community.

For more information on the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel contact its executive director, Michael Whitaker, via email at mikew@scgolfpanel.org.

Source: South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel

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