I knew nothing about Bluffton SC prior to this tour and I know next to nothing now…other than I enjoyed using the small town as my base for several days while waiting out Hurricane Helene. The original trip called for games at Colleton River Club Dye Course, Palmetto Bluff Crossroads Course, Camden, Palmetto, Aiken and Old Barnwell. The two major reasons for the trip was to play the recently opened Crossroads Course I had heard so much about from fellow GCAer Wardo; and Old Barnwell, the Brian Schnieder & Blake Conant design opened a few years ago. Of course, playing one of my favourite courses, Palmetto, would be no hardship. It was not to be. Hurricane Helene smashed into the Carolinas and put to rest my plans and those of many others. As it turned out, I played Colleton River Dye Course, Crossroads, Chechessee Creek and Old Barnwell…and this excellent shortened itinerary was due to the largesse of some GCAers.
While small, Bluffton served me well as a base and not surprisingly, there is a long history of the area. By the 1830s the town eventually settled around May River which is now known as Old Town. During the extremely complicated period of the Antebellum South, under the leadership of Robert Barnwell Rhett there was talk of secession as early as 1844. Rhett was never to change his views and eventually became a member of the Confederate House of Representatives once secession was declared. Bluffton would be all but destroyed in during the Civil War. It wasn’t until the development of nearby Hilton Head that Bluffton really got back on its feet. Despite the immense growth of the town in the past 30 years the area retains the historic buildings that remained after the town was burned down. Bluffton is now a charming town with some sympathetic development which essentially provides a “downtown”.
As it turns out, I could not have picked four more diverse courses. Colleton River Club Dye Course and Chechessee Creek Club are both low country gems, but the difference in styles between Dye and Coore and Crenshaw is stark. The Crossroads is a mini marvel built from nothing. Old Barnwell is the opposite, a vast course with wide fairways and architectural hints of the late Victorian era.
I wasn’t prepared for Dye’s Colleton River. There is some similar shaping at Kiawah’s Ocean Course, but ramped up about four notches at Colleton River. I don’t care for much of the shaping, but underneath this façade is a course of quality whose holes are split between mature Low Country Forest and wetlands overlooking Port Royal Sound. The site is lovely which leaves one with no question as to why the course was used for filming some scenes for The Legend of Baggar Vance. The greens are generally small, starring meaningful slopes and contours. True to Dye principles, Colleton River is tough…tough enough to host the South Carolina Amateur and US Open Qualifying. The course was built in 1998, just as the current design renaissance was kicking off and restored in 2016 and is often compared to Dye’s much loved Long Cove Club built on Hilton Head Island in 1981. There are those who believe Colleton River is the better effort.
The setup seems designed to flow from the house, to the putting green to the range to the first tee. I always prefer to start off near the house, but at least we get Dye’s full flavour. A modest par 4, the opener’s tight target green is tucked among hollows and sand. Below is the approach after a poor drive.
The green.
A par 5, the second isn't onerous. To mye eye many of the bunkers seem under-sized. However, if we ignore the style for a moment, the placement is excellent.
Another good green. Its easy to get caught out by the small trenches which flow to the edges of the putting surface.
#3. I felt a mix of being appalled and bewildered while standing on the tee. I could clearly see a fine short hole...just beyond a mess of perhaps the most bizarre bunker "scheme" I have ever seen.
I don't recall what I said, but my host pointed out that there was a bunker behind me!
While heading to the green I saw the true nature of this excellent hole. After the third I stopped thinking about the crazy shaping and focused more on what the course is rather than what it isn't. The course looks scruffy...it wasn't. The condition was good, excellent even if we consider that a hurricane passed through a few days earlier and dumped I don't know how much rain and tree debris on the course.
More to follow.
Happy Thanksgiving