SC
Golf Panel Selects State's Top Courses Available for Public Play
for 2019
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Michael Whitaker info@scgolfpanel.org
North
Myrtle Beach - Hilton Head’s Harbour Town Golf Links Claims
Top of Rankings
After
several years of playing runner-up to Kiawah Island Resort’s
Ocean Course, which debuted by hosting the 1991 Ryder Cup, Harbour
Town Golf Links has returned to the top of the rankings
among Lowcountry golf courses.
The Hilton Head course is the site of South Carolina’s annual
PGA Tour stop, the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. The vote
was reportedly close (totals are not disclosed), but the “elder
statesman” among Pete Dye-designed golf courses in South Carolina
(1969) regained the title as Best in the Lowcountry, bumping
The Ocean Course (built in 1991) out of the top spot.
A total of 32 courses across the state were named to the list
by members of the ratings panel, made up of about 120 media,
golf business and avid player members.
A year ago, The Ocean Course was the state’s top course, public
or private, out of the Top 50 selected by the panel. So what
gave Harbour Town, which had held the No. 1 spot in the state
in the panel poll dating back to the early 2000s, an edge this
year?
How about a multi-million dollar renovation of the Sea Pines
Resort headliner, from the course to a new and improved clubhouse
and everything in between? And of course, hosting the 50th Heritage
in April 2018 couldn’t have hurt publicity-wise, either. “Quite
a battle has taken place at the top of our ‘Best You Can Play’
listing,” ratings panel executive director Michael Whitaker
said.
“Fifteen years ago, Harbour Town was at the top of the list.
Then The Ocean Course hosted the PGA Championship (in 2012)
and took the throne. Harbour Town has now regained the top spot
by impressing our panelists with outstanding course renovations
and a magnificent new clubhouse. No one is sitting on their
laurels,” Whitaker said. “Everyone is really upping their game,
and the golfing public is the beneficiary.”
Cary Corbitt, Director of Sports Division for Sea Pines Resort,
said, “we’re extremely excited that we’ve been recognized for
the efforts we’ve made here at Sea Pines. For us, it’s about
the guest experience, the enjoyment, so that when (guests) arrive
it’s a memorable day, from the course conditioning to the clubhouse
and all that has to offer, including one of the best locker
rooms in golf. That provides everyone with a wonderful environment
before and after golf. And we couldn’t be more proud of the
work we’re doing and the recognition.”
While Harbour Town earned this year’s Lowcountry “throne,” the
Charleston area continued to rule the region overall. Of the
13 golf courses receiving votes from the region, eight are from
Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms. Four of those
are located on Kiawah Island: The Ocean Course, Turtle Point,
Osprey Point and Cougar Point, designed by Dye, Jack Nicklaus,
Tom Fazio and Gary Player, respectively. Neighboring Seabrook
Island’s Ocean Winds (designed by Willard Byrd) and Crooked
Oaks (Robert Trent Jones) courses also made the rankings, along
with Isle of Palms’ Wild Dunes Resort Links Course (one of Fazio’s
first solo designs) and Rivertowne Country Club (Arnold Palmer)
in Mount Pleasant.
Brian Gerard, director of golf at Kiawah Island Resort and former
head professional at The Ocean Course, also had four of his
five courses named to the previous “Best You Can Play” rankings
in 2017. “To have all four in the top 30 is pretty special,”
Gerard said then. “The people who come here and give us that
ranking know the area, so it’s a special honor and we’re proud
of that.”
The rest of the Lowcountry’s lineup includes Harbour Town; May
River Club at Palmetto Bluff (Nicklaus); Sea Pines Resort’s
Heron Point (Dye) and Atlantic Dunes (Davis Love III); and Palmetto
Dunes Resort’s Robert Trent Jones Course.
Another 13 courses from the Grand Strand made the rankings,
led by area best Caledonia Golf & Fish Club. located in Pawleys
Island. Three Barefoot Resort courses, designed by Dye, Fazio
and Love, also earned spots.
In the Midlands, Orangeburg Country Club was tops among four
courses named to the rankings, joined by North Augusta’s Mount
Vintage Golf Club, Florence’s Country Club of South Carolina
and Aiken Golf Club.
Two Upstate courses – Clemson’s Walker Course and the Furman
University Club in Greenville – rounded out the list.
Two of the 32 courses in the rankings – Orangeburg and The Dunes
Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach – earned “Best You Can Play”
spots despite being "private" clubs. Both allow outside
play via hotel and vacation packages in Santee-Cooper and Myrtle
Beach, respectively.
Information
on previous rankings can be found on the organization's website
www.scgolfpanel.org
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The
"Best You Can Play" Public Access Courses in South
Carolina for 2019
#
= Best In Region *
= New to the list of Best You Can Play for 2019
Listed alphabetically within region
UPSTATE
The
Furman Golf Club
Greenville
(864) 294-2000
www.furmangolfclub.com
# The
Walker Course at Clemson University
Clemson
(864) 656-0236
www.clemson.edu/madren/golf/index.html
MIDLANDS
Country
Club of South Carolina
Florence
(803) 669-0920
www.countryclubsc.com
Mount
Vintage Golf Club
North Augusta
(803) 278-5000
www.mountvintagegolf.com
# Orangeburg
Country Club
Organgeburg
(803) 534-5988
www.orangeburgcc.com
*
The Aiken Golf Club
Aiken
(803)649-6029
www.aikengolfclub.net
LOW
COUNTRY
Kiawah
Island Resort - Cougar Point Course
Kiawah Island
(800) 576-1570
www.kiawahresort.com
Kiawah
Island Resort - Osprey Point Course
Kiawah Island
(800) 576-1570
www.kiawahresort.com
Kiawah
Island Resort - The Ocean Course
Kiawah Island
(800) 576-1570
www.kiawahresort.com
Kiawah
Island Resort - Turtle Point Course
Kiawah Island
(800) 576-1570
www.kiawahresort.com
May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff
Bluffton
(843) 706-6580
www.montagehotels.com/palmettobluff/experiences/golf/
Palmetto Dunes Resort - R.T. Jones Course
Hilton Head Island
(800) 827-3006
www.palmettodunes.com
Seabrook Island Club - Crooked Oaks Course
Seabrook Island
(866) 586-6380
www.discoverseabrook.com
*
RiverTowne Country Club
Mt. Pleasant
(843) 849-2400
www.rivertownecountryclub.com
Seabrook
Island Club - Ocean Winds Course
Seabrook Island
(866) 586-6380
www.discoverseabrook.com
* The Sea Pines Resort - Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III
Hilton Head Island
(866) 561-8802
www.seapines.com
# The
Sea Pines Resort - Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island
(866) 561-8802
www.seapines.com
The
Sea Pines Resort - Heron Point by Pete Dye
Hilton Head Island
(866) 561-8802
www.seapines.com
Wild
Dunes Resort - Links Course
Isle of Palms
(888) 778-1876
www.wilddunes.com
GRAND
STRAND
Barefoot
Resort - Dye Course
North Myrtle Beach
(800) 320-6536
www.barefootgolf.com
Barefoot
Resort - Fazio Course
North Myrtle Beach
(800) 320-6536
www.barefootgolf.com
Barefoot
Resort - Love Course
North Myrtle Beach
(800) 320-6536
www.barefootgolf.com
# Caledonia
Golf and Fish Club
Pawleys Island
(800) 483-6800
www.fishclub.com
Grande
Dunes - Resort Course
Myrtle Beach
(843) 315-0333
www.grandedunes.com
Heritage
Club
Pawleys Island
(843) 237-3424
www.legendsgolf.com
Pawleys
Plantation Golf & Country Club
Pawleys Island
(800) 367-9959
www.pawleysplantation.com
Pine
Lakes Country Club
Myrtle Beach
(877) 283-2122
www.pinelakes.com
Prestwick
Country Club
Myrtle Beach
(843) 293-4100
www.prestwickcountryclub.com
The
Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Myrtle Beach
(843) 449-5236
www.thedunesclub.net
Tidewater
Golf Club and Plantation
Little River
(843) 913-2424
www.tidewatergolf.com
TPC
of Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach
(843) 357-3399
www.tpcmyrtlebeach.com
True
Blue Plantation
Pawleys Island
(800) 483-6800
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)
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.
2)
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.
- Variety
– 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 the enjoyment.
- Experience
– Incorporates all elements of the course: practice areas, clubhouse
and more.
Structure
The
Panel consists of a maximum of 130 members with twenty-five percent
representing each of the following geographical regions: The
Upstate, The Midlands, The Lowcountry, and The Grand Strand.
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
info@scgolfpanel.org.
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