The
Patriot Club at Grand Harbor Named South Carolina’s
Best New Course in 2004
Greenville, SC – January 26, 2005 – The Patriot Club at Grand
Harbor has been named the Best New Course
in South Carolina for 2004 by a panel
jointly sanctioned by SouthCarolina Magazine
and South Carolina Golf Today.
The results of the South Carolina Golf Course Rating
Panel’s vote were announced in the February issues
of the two monthly magazines. The panel, an independent
editorial advisory board founded to identify the
best courses in the state, is composed of nearly
100 golf enthusiasts from across the state. SouthCarolina
Magazine is published by Peachtree Communications
of Greenville. South Carolina Golf Today
is published by Metro Golf Magazines of Davidson,
NC.
The Patriot Club at Grand Harbor, a Davis Love
III design located on Lake Greenwood near Ninety
Six, edged Hampton Hall Club in Bluffton for the
honor. A private Pete Dye design, Hampton Hall
is located in the Buckwalter development in Bluffton.
Courses which opened between Labor Day 2003 and
Labor Day 2004 were eligible for the voting.
Courses were evaluated on a 10-point scale in each
of seven categories: routing, design balance,
strategy, equity, memorability, aesthetics and
overall golf experience. Average scores in each
category were then totaled to produce the final
score for each course.
The Patriot Club finished with 54.5 points to win
the best new course honor. Hampton Hall received
43.7 points. The Patriot scored at least a 7.4
average in each of the seven voting categories,
including 8.1 for aesthetics and 8.0 for routing.
The winning course received perfect “10s” in both
aesthetics and memorability on four individual
ballots.
A
private club that is part of a residential community
being developed on Lake Greenwood, The Patriot
Club pays tribute to the area’s rich history dating
to the Colonial period when the Star Fort at nearby
Ninety-Six represented a stronghold of the powerful
British Army. Love and his design team replicated
that same Star Fort, site of what historians recognize
as the first major land battle of the Revolutionary
War in the South, at the center of the 7,045-yard,
par-72 layout. The first and 10th
holes tee off from two points of the fort and
the par-five finishing hole plays to a green set
within the walls of the earthen fortification
which rises some 45 feet above grade.
“No
doubt, everyone who plays The Patriot Club comes
away talking about the ‘fort,’” said Bruce Lawrence,
president of Grand Harbor Real Estate Co. “But
I think they are just as impressed, if not more
so, by the quality of the overall course. Davis
has created some spectacular golf holes – holes
with classic architectural appeal.” Panelists
who played The Patriot Club agreed, as evidenced
by comments that accompanied the voter’s ballots.
“I loved the traditional feel, ŕ la (Donald) Ross
and (Seth) Raynor” and “maybe Davis’ best course
to date!” were comments from two panelists.
Background
The
South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel was formed
in 2004 to promote excellence in South Carolina
golf course design and operations through competitive
rankings, education and public advocacy. The Panel
was designed to serve as an ambassador for golf
in South Carolina by striving to stimulate and
facilitate the promotion and marketing of outstanding
golf courses, resorts, and real estate developments
as follows:
1)
South
Carolina’s 50 Greatest Courses - At the conclusion of each year, the members of the
Panel cast a ballot identifying their choices
for the top 50 courses in the state. The results
of this poll will be published in the April issues
of SouthCarolina Magazine and South
Carolina Golf Today (the Panel’s sponsoring
publications), along with feature articles on
the top courses and resorts.
2)
New
Course Of The Year - As new courses open during the year Panelists will
evaluate and "rate" them. The results
of these ratings will be used to determine the
winner of the "New Course of the Year"
award, which will be published each February along
with featured articles.
Structure:
The Panel consists of 100 members, 8 of which serve as
Regional Directors. Approximately 25 Panelists
have been chosen from each of the following geographical
regions: The Upstate, The Midlands, The Lowcountry,
and The Grand Strand. The governing body of the
Panel is its Board of Directors, consisting of
the eight Regional Directors plus six at-large
members.
Membership
in the Panel is by invitation from its Board of
Directors.
Categories
of Membership:
1)
Golf
Industry – members who are affiliated with a business that has
a direct or indirect connection to golf.
2)
Players
& Coaches – members who are extended invitations due to their
skill at playing, teaching, or coaching the game.
3)
Media – members who cover the game of golf for one or more
media outlets.
4)
Associate – members who do not fall into one of the three categories
above.
Total
membership is currently limited to 100, with approximately
25% of the panel representing each of the four
categories above.
For
more information on the South Carolina Golf Course
Ratings Panel contact its Executive Director,
Michael Whitaker via email at mikew@scgolfpanel.org.
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