Played this relatively new "core" golf property last weekend outside of HIlton Head, SC. I found the place to be almost over the top in ammenities outside the golf course. Clubhouse is absolutely immense, bag attendents and a few other things we're almost too much. (The guy at the gate had a tie on for cryin out loud!) The range & practice area may be the best I've ever seen. The devleopment is a few years old and they are trying to sell homes (which are very removed from the "core" golf courses) and a lifestyle and you can tell.
Once you hit the tee it very much a differnet story. Fazio has taken a painfully flat site (is there anythiong but in that area?) moved a tremendous amount of earth and delivered a superb course that is both challenging and beautifull. A few positives about the course:
Chipping area's - excellent use of them and w/ some of the grren siide slopes it was easy w/ an agressive put to find yourself off the green.
Greens - Sloping, tiered, greens w/in greens & a few false fronts. Extremely fine putting surfaces. Didn't ask if they we're bermuda, they could have been bent thought. Very fast & true.
Water hazard - It was very refreshing to find a course where, for the most part, the hazards we're on one side and the option to play wide was given. Only the approach to the par 5 7th and the par 3 16th was over water.
Walkability - The course is routed w/ the walker in mind. Very close tee-green complexes. Caddies available, but that may not last.
Rather than go into a hole by hole review, I'll drop a few of the standouts (yardage from the blue tee's).
#2 Par 5 502 yrds. Smoke the drive down the right side and you can get home in two. Water all down the left side penalizes the hook. Green has a few run off area's.
#5 Par 4 410 yrds. Straight w/ Bunkers pinching the LZ right and left. Water right. Carry the right bunker you get a little turbo boost. Green is wide but shallow and sloping front to back. Bunkers short and right make missing short a tough recovery.
#6 Par 3 199 yards. Slightly uphill par 3 w/ huge bunker short & left. Lots of room on the right, but the native grasses make it blind to that area. Backside of the bunker integrates the green and carries any ball hit there back and left.
#7 Par 5 546 yards. Hole is shapped like and upside down & backwards J w/ the center being a water hazard. Bunkers in LZ w/ plently of roles in the FW. Many an uneven lie. Cutting across the hazard w/ a well struck drive offers a go at the green which slopes back left to fron right w/ slopes on each side repelling all but the perfectly struck golf shot.
#8 Par 3 141 yards. All the fill out of the hazard on # 7 was used to build up the tee on # 8. Plays downhill to a small green w/ a false front and bunkers short center & long right. Missing long in the bunker will leave an impossible shot trying to stay on the green
#14 Par 3 207 yards. Best hole on the course IMHO. Green is huge w/ large bunkers short & left. Green has a false front. Any ball which tries to run up will either find the bunker or the chipping area to the right unless it's played perfectly. Green has three distinct area's and trying to get from to one from the bunker or chipping are'a is quite a feat.
On the negative side:
Native grasses (is it love grass or something else?) while placed somewhat open, they made bad misses amost unplayable.
#9 & #18 are mirror holes seperated by a water hazard (on left for #9 on right for #18). While in and of themselves, they may have been two of the tougher holes, finishing each nine w/ a somewhat identical hole was a little downer.
Like I said Fazio moved tremendous amounts of earth but made it work. The golf is challenging and the playing field a tremendous site. I did not get to see nor play the South, but from what I understand the North is the much better course. I would expect many to enjoy the course and would be shocked to find even the most adamanet Fazio basher very surprised by course.
One last note, I am amazed by the amount of golf popping up in the Bluffton area. On the private side you've got 36 at Berkley Hall, Belfair & Colleton River and Oldefield around the corner. On the public side it's HH National, Old South, Old Carolina, Cresecent Pointe & Eagles Ponite and a few others. I had always thought of Hilton Head as a destination, but other than drinks & dinner one night we played for 4 days and never saw HH Island. While Harbour Town and Long Cove are reportedly great places, I don't feel we missed much.