Article About Palmetto Golf Club

[Billsteele]

Here's a link to an interesting article about Palmetto Golf Club: http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1608483,00.html

[Brent Hutto]

Thanks for posting that, Bill.

I've only played Palmetto once (ridiculous given that it's only 70-odd minutes from my house) and it is a very special throwback. I wonder what are necessary factors for a course like that to exist. There are plenty of low-budget golf courses and lots of them are fun to play. But I've not come across one that's nearly as fun and pleasant as Palmetto.

Does it take a Leeds/MacKenzie caliber architect to route a course and build greens that will suit such a wide variety of players?

Is the terrain in that edge of Aiken something special?

Does the combination of the land being owned by a trust and the club consisting of a non-elite (i.e. non-wealthy) membership force a salutory leanness and patience upon the way the course is managed?

Or is it just the luckiest club around and its nature is not reproducable?

[Adam Clayman]

If this is the course I think it is, they say Ben Hogan use to do his Master's warm ups at this course. The strength of the par 4's was one of the reasons why. I recall great one shotters too.

[Brent Hutto]

Adam,

Palmetto is indeed the course Hogan loved. It has one of the three best short Par 3's I've ever played. I'm terrible with hole numbers but it's on the front nine somewhere around six or seven.

[Adam Clayman]

Brent, Yes I recall that hole. Down in the corner of the property. The drop shot par 3 was also very well done.

I also recall the home hole's teeing ground being one of those mounded efforts. I'm reminded of it every time some yahoo insists that every teeing ground need be level.

[jeffwarne]

Brent,
It's #7-I believe that was the hole you pressed on

4 great, different par threes.
and the other holes are pretty darned good as well.
It's as good as it's ever been right now,having fully recovered from its' late 80's Reestoration.
Thanks to some fine work by Tom Doak, Tom Moore(pro),Rhett Baker(superintendant), and most recently Gil Hanse.

It's actually being closed may 1 for complete regrassing with Gil Hanse doing the work...
Despite my great respect for Gil, I remain nervous.
kind've like going a beautiful woman going in for a facelift, you sometimes wonder what will emerge. I kind've like classic, older beautiful women...

Here's hoping it will emerge better,which is hard to imagine.

[John Shimp]

Bill,
Thanks for the link. Unfortunately a couldn't make it work? Could be on my end?

Anyway, a good profile of a wonderful and strong golf course that is really not well known on this site.  Because of the feel of the golf club and pleasure of playing the course, Palmetto is often cast as short and quirky.  While it is that, it plays longer and is much more challenging to score on than one might expect.  (last years 75th SC Am had only one player break par in 72 holes. the 59 highlighted in the article was pre the Doak work on greens and bunkers that have really toughened the course.  In the same collegiate tourney this yr that Dane Burkhardt shot 59 several yrs ago, the winning score was -2)  It also requires tremendous creativity around the greens and a good approach shot game.

I'd love to figure a way to host some GCA'rs in the fall after Hanse's regrass and ~100 tree removal effort are complete.  It really is a unique course that is hard to categorize or compare to many other US courses.  



 

[Brent Hutto]

John,

If nothing else, it would be a popular side trip before or after the Dixie Cup matches at Cuscowilla and Long Shadow this coming October.

[Brent Hutto]

It's #7-I believe that was the hole you pressed on

You know, I believe you're right. The tee shot was made easier by not knowing just how small the green is on that side and how close it is to woods. I won't have that advantage next time.

[Tim Gavrich]

A couple summers ago, my father and I were fortunate enough to play Palmetto.  We arrived a bit early, before the pro shop had opened, so we walked around a little and then sat in the rocking chairs outside the pro shop.  Up walked a gentleman (it might have been Tom Moore, in fact), and we had a wonderful conversation with him about area history, including the golf course.

Despite the fact that the course was starting to be renovated and the greens were recently aerated, it was one of the most enjoyable days I've ever spent on a golf course.  It is exactly the type of club of which I'd love to be a member when I'm older: spectacularly unassuming.  I ought to try to qualify for the Palmetto Amateur this summer.

[Tom_Doak]

In fairness, I should point out that I really didn't do anything there.  The green chairman, an old friend, asked for my advice on the bunkering and I offered some and sent one of my associates up for 3-4 days to help them get started, but most of the work was done in-house by the superintendent.

I've heard the bunkers turned out great, but they must not have liked my laissez-faire approach, because they brought in Gil shortly thereafter.  I guess I didn't understand why a club which has been roundly praised for being such a great "throwback" place suddenly wants to do a bunch of work to modernize.  Unfortunately, I think it has a lot to do with somebody shooting 59 there.

[John Shimp]

In response to Tom Doak's post, I should have been clearer about how the work at Palmetto went down.  Nevertheless his and his team's suggestions really stuck.  The new bunkers are terrific and the widening of the greens are also great.  From what I hear , I think a lot of the work stems from some agronomic issues (ie trees in play, trees causing poor growing conditions on and around the greens, etc) and from the desire to bring back a scruffier look that existed into the late '80's.  Somewhere along the way the course started to be more heavily manicured and some traditional waste areas and fescue grasses removed.  The greens sup Rhett Baker has been around the club for a long time as a member and really has a great sense of where the course needs to go.

Since the Doak team recommendations the only real changes have been the addition of 6-8 fairway bunkers and the waste area restoration on holes 2, 4, 8, and 18.  The regrassing to remove common bermuda and chg the greens to mini verde is happening this may-sept.  We'll see how it turns out.  The greens on certain holes are pretty wild and small.  I hope they don't become too hard and fast to play reasonably.

[John Shimp]

John Stiles,
I got your IM but I can't seem to respond to you.

I don't think I know how.

Sorry.
JS

[john_stiles]

JS,

There are at least three ways.  Try clicking on my name in the upper left corner of this repsonse.  

Or you might ty clicking on the line at the top of the discussion group page........Hey, 'you', you have 'x' messages, 'x' are new.

But then you might have a different set-up with your computer.

JS