Three Carolina Courses: AIKEN GC

[Sean_A]

Not 10 minutes walk from the Aiken Brewing Company is one of the best wee courses I know, Aiken GC.  While the famed Winter Colony was still thriving prior to WWI, a group of investors decided to replace the burned down upscale Highland Park Hotel.  The new development was the vision of Richard Tufts, the Federal Highway Commissioner.  He had the idea to link Aiken with Pinehurst via the newly constructed US 1.  The new high end hotel was to have a golf course as an amenity for guests. With the help of golf professional John Inglis, the Ross routed course was completed by 1915.  When the depression took hold the Winter Colony had dried up and the Highland Park Hotel struggled to survive.  By the early 1940s the hotel was torn down.  However, the course survived as a public facility owned by the city and if one looks carefully at the proshop, it is evident this building was once part of the hotel, perhaps the laundry.  The course would become private (later to become semi - private) once again when in 1959 the city sold the course to Mr McNair due to a lack of funds. When Mr McNair's son took control of the facility in 1989 it was clear work needed to be done to keep the course financially viable. After a four year shut down the work was completed and the course re-opened in 2000.  It isn't clear to me what work was completed, but it was done with a very hands on approach by Jim McNair.  What is very clear to me is that like many Scottish town clubs, Aiken is a social hub and an incredibly important amenity for the town. 



The course isn't all about charm and ease of scoring.  I found Aiken to be a stern test with the blazing saddles temperature hovering near 100F and three showers a day humidity.  It seems like all courses in Carolina, Aiken is hilly and the bermuda is toffey pudding sticky.  Yes, we did play the fools and walk the course in August.  Yes, for comfort reasons I do regret this decision which wasn't entirely in my hands.  This sub-6000 yard course should be walked in about 3 hours, however, it took us 4.5 hours because we had to retreat from the oppressive weather conditions so often.  This relaxed pace not only insured I made it alive to dinner that night, but it also afforded a good opportunity to experience the course fully and see how others (those playing through on carts) played shots.  I didn't notice any of these folks burning up Aiken!





The interest is immediately apparent on the first hole,  but I was sold after seeing the stymie gauge on the card    A good drive leaves a short wedge to an uphill green with a false front. 


The real surprise is discovering a double green.


The short par 5 second plays blindly downhill to the optimal left side of the fairway.  Like the first, the green is very interesting.




More to follow.

Ciao

[Richard Fisher]

Sean,

Many thanks for this very enticing beginning. I think that this must be the same Aiken course that features in the preface to one of the most celebrated works in the literature of golf, The Heart of a Goof.
'And yet it may be that there are a few  gleams of sunshine in the book. If so, it  is attributable to the fact that some of it  was written before I went to Southampton and immediately after I had won my first and only trophy — an umbrella in a hotel tournament at Aiken, South Carolina, where, playing to a handicap of sixteen, I went through a field consisting of some of the fattest retired business-men in America like a devouring flame. If we lose the Walker
Cup this year, let England remember that.

P. G. WODEHOUSE

The Sixth Bunker
Addington'

So you are in (very) good company...!

[Sean_A]

Richard

It sounds like PG visited the Highland Park Hotel sometime soon after it was re-built because the Walker Cup referred to must be the 1926 matches at St Andrews.  It was a small world even then!

AIKEN TOUR CONT

The tight 3rd should see golfers leave the driver out, but greed will likely seize most and leave nothing but disaster in it's wake.  Other than railroad tracks, trees and a stream up the left, there is nothing to fear. 


Once again, the green is interesting.


The uphill 4th is a good hole with a very good green; shame about the rather suspect bunkering.  I have rarely seen a mix of the sublime and ridiculous where sand is concerned. 


A view from the 5th tee.  The hole is tucked into a small pocket on the far edge of the green.  Even with the reducing effect photos have on slopes, one can easily see the false front.  Very sensibly, the club keeps the greens at a pace which allows greens like this to be viable. 


The tough fifth isn't overly long, but if one is approaching with a longish club the perils are many.




A modest length two-shotter, the 6th has a sting in its tail with trees guarding the left of the green.  This must be a love it or hate it scenario.  I would usually shout this sort of thing down, but for some reason I wasn't fazed.  Although, I think the cause of the concept would be helped greatly with fairway flowing from the trees.  Currently, there is a band of rough which makes it difficult to bounce a shot through the otherwise very well maintained rough under the trees.


The green extends left of the forward three trees.


At this part of the course it is obvious there is a housing element involved.  Yet, the job was done very well to minimize the effects of development. The 7th is a tough down n' up hole with a domed green. 


Passing the very well placed snack bar, #8 is a blind par four playing to the bottom of a valley.  There is no way to know which side of the fairway is best unless one gets hold of a pin sheet. Given that the fairways were quite long and not at all keen, its a shame the short grass ends before the green.


The uphill par 3 is an over-utilized concept at Aiken; #9.


More to follow.

Ciao

[Mike Hendren]

If there is one course that defines me as a golfer for better or worse it's Aiken. 

[Sean_A]

AIKEN TOUR CONT.

There must have been some compunction on the part of early US architects when it was evident that again and again the same basic formula of down and up was used (or on par 3s...up).  Maybe these gentlemen were attempting to replicate what was found on the links of GB&I as best they could.  I don't know the reasons why, but unless vastly different greens and bunker schemes are employed, it very much feels to me like I am playing a slight variation of the same hole several times a round.  The 10 tee is reputed to be the highest point in Aiken. This three-shotter very much follows the pattern of down n' up. Good hole for sure, but all of these hilly properties need better variety to separate the playing characteristics of the holes.


Playing ever so slightly uphill over a valley, the 11th is a fine par 3 enhanced by excellent grassing lines near the green.




#12


The par five 13th is a good example of mixing up the bunker scheme to add more interest to the down n' and up theme.  What a lovely hole.


Although, for some reason, little flat bunkers were added (well right of shot).  These wee pits appear here and there throughout the course.  They aren't attractive nor particularly well placed.   


A very short par 4, the 14th legs a bit left to an angled green.  Given there are a handful of short 4s, I wonder if this flattish land wouldn't have been better served with a longish par 3.  Lets hope the idea of a minimum par of 70 isn't the reason for not having five short holes.

More to follow.

Ciao

[Sean_A]

AIKEN TOUR CONT

Passing the snack bar again, we come to 15, despite the propensity of housing and the nearby road, this is perhaps my favourite hole on the course.  A blind, downhill drive leads to a pulpit green cut-off by a large depression. 






Severely downhill, the 16th isn't all bad for that.


The penultimate hole climbs as much as 16 descended. As we saw previously, the green is shared with the second hole.


Being a par 3, the 18th isn't a totally satisfactory hole, but, playing at an even keel, it is probably the best short hole on the property.


Anybody who has been to Little Aston will recognize the garden putting green!


I won't say Aiken is a great course, but I will say that for lovers of cheap, cheerful and choice architecture, Aiken is an experience that is most congenial.  I can't point to any top fight holes yet there are many which are worthy and more importantly, fun to play.  As with the other courses on the Carolina Tour, the course was a bit shaggy due to summer heat, so the listed yardage is quite deceiving.  With the plethora of uphill approaches there are opportunties for the banger to have some fun as well.  The bottom line for me is if I return to Aiken, and I do hope to some day, I will make time for this course.  1*  2016

Three Carolina Courses Tour

Hope Valley
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,63496.msg1513006.html#msg1513006

Palmetto GC
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,63547.0.html

For those who do make the trek to Aiken, below are a few recommendations. 

If you can swing the cost (which isn't that much), try to stay at the Wilcox.  Its a very enjoyable smart hotel which mirrors the atmosphere of the golf clubs in town; very nice in a low key way and thankfully without the "yes sir, no sir" treatment. 


If you want to avoid the chain hotels and be in the centre of town, the Aiken Hotel is decent alternative with a good bar. 

For restuarants, the best I found was a converted house...an Italian place called Casa Bella on Chesterfield...best Italian I have had in a long time.  There is an interesting wee chain place called Takoshushi on The Alley (a newish road which connects public parking to Laurens St....effectively the High St)....a fusion of Mexican and Sushi.  Its a very odd menu with many items which are tempting and some which sound dire.

Favourite Course - both Aiken and Palmetto shoot into my Whip It Out Top 25

Palmetto
Aiken

Hope Valley

Best Course

Palmetto

Hope Valley
Aiken

More Carolina Course Tours

Pinehurst #2
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,65082.msg1552451.html#msg1552451

Pine Needles
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,65052.0.html

Raleigh CC
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,61993.msg1473385.html#msg1473385

Roaring Gap
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,61881.msg1469504.html#msg1469504

Mimosa Hills
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,61874.msg1469315.html#msg1469315

Lonnie Poole
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,61832.msg1468459.html#msg1468459

Mid Pines, Dormie Club, Wildwood Green & Old Town
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57154.0.html

Ciao

[PThomas]

Such a good course!!!!  plays so much longer than its yardage.

thanks Sean

[Matt MacIver]

In the pictures I saw glimpses of PV, Mid-Pines, ANGC and Roaring Gap - so Aiken must be a gem. Thanks for the tour.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

I used to travel to Aiken in March for spring training with my high school aged daughter and her horse towing behind when she was competing in the equestrian sport called eventing.  Now she is finishing up her clinical rotations at the Veterinary School at the University of Edinburgh.


Somehow I have been blessed in that trailering my daughter and horse around has led me also to enjoy some terrific golf and Aiken was one of those experiences.


Loved the loop at Aiken GC! I think that the greens fee was $20, an astounding value!


The sand hills around Aiken are potentially as golf course routing worthy as anything around Pinehurst/Southern Pines!

[Bill_McBride]

The Dixie Cup in Aiken a few years ago was great fun, with rounds at Palmetto, Aiken and Camden.  Aiken was the shortest and quirkiest but maybe the best value for money course ever. 

[Sean_A]

In the pictures I saw glimpses of PV, Mid-Pines, ANGC and Roaring Gap - so Aiken must be a gem. Thanks for the tour.

Matt


Can you offer details of your observation?


Ciao

[Matt MacIver]

In the pictures I saw glimpses of PV, Mid-Pines, ANGC and Roaring Gap - so Aiken must be a gem. Thanks for the tour.

Matt


Can you offer details of your observation?


Ciao

Sure, and with a grain of salt: maybe it's the pine trees and great photos, but I saw a mini HHA in #13 which reminded me of PV (although I bet it's not a second shot carry but rather closer to the tee?); I saw a downhill tee shot on 15 which reminded me of the first at Mid-Pines; the saucer cup green recalled #2; and one of the dog-leg pictures looked straight out of Augusta.


Reading back I know these are simple pictorial observations rather than anything more specific - but all are Golden Age gems. Maybe that's enough?


Oops forgot Old Town - #1 with the double green and cool contours.

[Sean_A]

Thanks Matt

Yes, the 13th is a wee carry off the tee over scrubby sand. 

I agree that Aiken is a reminder of classic design.  I don't know how much Ross remains, but the fact that the course hasn't really been lengthened is the biggest reminder of classic design.  The course is hemmed in by housing, on the town side, which btw, is a neighbourhood on the rise...and on the Palmetto side by the railway and Hitchcock Woods. Aiken is one of the more clever housing estate course I have seen...so is Hope Valley for that matter. 

Ciao

[ward peyronnin]

Yank
Cain't believe it. I took some buddies there on the the 15th on our way to Yeaman's and Palmetto Bluff. Two scratch golfers and hard to impress surgeon.

After forking over all of $30 incl cart; squinting there eyes and centering Augusta sensations at points on the course , and marvelling at the variety and cleverness and use of the land I was declared a genius for this diversion. I am so sorry I did not know you were around. Thanks for the view; I was having trouble on detail of 10, 12,, & 13

[Sean_A]

Chez Wardo

You are welcome.

Ciao