Greenville,
SC – November 1, 2007 – The Midlands, Upstate and Hilton Head areas
each have newcomers on the latest list of premier public access
facilities announced by the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel.
The “25 Best Courses You Can Play,” the panel’s second such release
for the pay-and-play golfer, still remains dominated by the Grand
Strand and Charleston markets as it was in 2005. Those two major
tourism regions account for a combined 18 of the top 25.
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,” golf panel, executive director, Michael Whitaker,
said. “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
Midlands
*Country
Club of South Carolina
Florence 843-669-0920
www.countryclubsc.com
Mount Vintage Plantation
North Augusta 803-279-5422
www.mountvintage.com
Upstate
*The
Walker Course at Clemson
University
Clemson
864-656-0236
www.clemson.edu/madren/toc/walker
Charleston
Kiawah Island Resort – The Ocean Course
Kiawah Island 800-576-1570
www.kiawahresort.com
Kiawah Island Resort – Osprey Point
Kiawah Island 800-576-1570
www.kiawahresort.com
Kiawah Island Resort - Turtle Point Course
Kiawah Island 800-576-1570
www.kiawahresort.com
RiverTowne
Country Club
Mt Pleasant
888-576-1311
www.rivertownecountryclub.com
Wild
Dunes Resort - Links Course
Isle of
Palms 888-778-1876
www.wilddunes.com
Hilton Head
Daufuskie Island Resort
- Melrose
Course
Daufuskie Island 800-648-6778
www.daufuskieresort.com
*May River
Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff
Bluffton 843-706-6500
www.palmettobluffresort.com
Palmetto
Dunes Resort - Arthur
Hills Course
Hilton Head Island 800-827-3006
www.palmettodunes.com
Sea
Pines Resort - Harbour
Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island 800-955-8337
www.seapines.com
Grand Strand
Barefoot
Resort – Love Course
North Myrtle Beach 800-320-6536
www.barefootgolf.com
Barefoot
Resort – Dye Course
North Myrtle Beach 866-326-4065
www.barefootgolf.com
Barefoot
Resort – Fazio Course
North Myrtle Beach 800-320-6536
www.barefootgolf.com
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Pawleys Island 800-483-6800
www.fishclub.com
Grande
Dunes - Resort Course
Myrtle Beach 888-886-8877
www.grandedunes.com
Legends
Resort - Heathland Course
Myrtle Beach 800-299-6187
www.legendsgolf.com
King’s
North at Myrtle Beach National
Myrtle Beach 800-882-3420
www.mbn.com
Pawleys
Plantation Golf and Country Club
Pawleys Island 800-367-9959
www.pawleysplantation.com
Prestwick Country Club
Myrtle Beach 888-250-1767
www.prestwickcountryclub.com
The
Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Myrtle Beach 866-386-3722
www.dunesgolfandbeachclub.com
The
Heritage Club
Pawleys Island 800-299-6187
www.legendsgolf.com
Tidewater
Golf Club and Plantation
Little River
800-446-5363
www.tidewatergolf.com
True
Blue Plantation
Pawleys Island 888-778-1876
www.truebluegolf.com
Background On SC Golf Course Ratings
Panel
Overview
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.
Objective and Purpose
The
objective of the South Carolina
Golf Course Ratings Panel is to promote excellence in SC 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 We Rate Them
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, 8 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 are 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
