The East Course at Belfair Plantation was our last stop during our late-February trip to Hilton Head Island and the South Carolina Lowcountry. Known slightly more for Belfair Oaks Boulevard, its majestic canopied entrance drive (think Magnolia Lane writ large, and with oaks instead of magnolias), than for its golf courses, Belfair is another upscale housing community in Bluffton. If you've never been to one, you should just for the experience. (The other prominent ones in the area include Berkeley Hall, home to two more Tom Fazio designs, Colleton River, home to one Dye and one Nicklaus design, and, farther west, Palmetto Bluff, home to Nicklaus's May River.) Unlike gated communities up north, the communities in the Lowcountry are essentially small towns; with everything a resident could ever need, including excellent golf courses, leaving the premises on a regular basis holds little appeal. For those wondering how I was able to play at Belfair, which is private, I followed the same approach I used at May River: ask, and see if you receive. The Director of Marketing and Membership kindly replied to my email the day after I had sent it and put me in touch with the Pro Shop to arrange a tee time.
Belfair's logo is an elegant green silhouette of its famous oak-canopied entrance; 1811 is the date that Belfair, an amalgamation of a married couple's last names ("Bellinger" and "Telfair"), was established as an agriculture-based plantation:
Both courses at Belfair are Tom Fazio designs, and he himself holds them in high esteem, apparently once declaring that "I honestly think the Belfair courses represent my best work." Although I had heard good things about the West Course (1994), which hosted the prestigious Players Amateur from its inception in 2000 through 2011 (the winner gets to play in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head), I chose the East Course (1999) based on the recommendations of several GCAers. I very much appreciated their advice and am glad I followed it, as the East Course is a fun, challenging, and varied course to play. It's an easy walk, too. Unfortunately, the skies opened as we teed off on the first hole, and we were one of the only groups to continue playing after the rain turned torrential a few holes later. Continuing was a smart move not only because we had paid good money to play the course and were heading back home that evening, but also because the course gets better, with a few exceptions, the deeper into the round you go.
I am not familiar with Tom Fazio's work in general, but the adjective that jumped out to me from the first hole was "broad-shouldered." The scale of the land isn't particularly big, but the design features--in particular, mounds and bunkers--are. Compared to the surrounding features, the greens feel small (in actuality they are plenty large) and run very true and fast. My only complaint with the design is the somewhat internally inconsistent use of both bunkers and massive waste areas. Although I loved the look of the waste areas, they felt more out of place at Belfair than at May River. The course has several very good holes (the drivable par-4 5th and the dogleg-left par-5 10th are the best), but what sticks in the mind are its two distinct areas: the first 13 holes wind through the Belfair Plantation housing community and around man-made lakes, while the last five holes wind through, and ultimately empty out into, the natural marshland that defines the Lowcountry. (Arguably, the stretch from 11-13 is its own distinct area; although those holes also wind through the community and man-made lakes, they sit on much flatter land--not unlike May River--than the first 10 holes.) Somewhat like the 17th at Harbour Town, albeit less so (as the crossing of the road to the 14th hole has a similar effect), the 18th at Belfair East feels like a release of sorts and inspires, even compels, the golfer to return.
Because of the weather, I took fewer pictures than normal (and almost none of the first several holes, when the rain was at its worst), but I hope the ones I did take suffice to convey the course's overall feel. Enjoy.
Taking respite from the rain, and finding a photo op, under the trees on the inside of the dogleg on the sharply bending par-5 3rd hole; the elevated, well-bunkered green plays small, as a steep false front guards the entrance:
Some of the waste areas, like this one on the par-3 4th hole, extend all the way to the green and function as bunkers:
The elevated nature of the tee at the course's signature hole, the short par-4 5th, adds further temptation to drive a green only 240 yards away as the crow (or any other bird) flies:
The large bunker at the front makes driving the green less risky, and frames the hole well:
The gradually climbing par-5 7th hole is emblematic of the type of elevation changes found at Belfair; seeing a waste area underneath the trees lining the right of the fairway was unexpected, and unnatural:
The minimalist aesthetics of the approach to the par-4 8th green lull the golfer into believing the shot is straightforward; but carrying the large front bunker and then holding the front-to-back sloping putting surface, which isn't visible from the fairway, is no easy task:
The long dogleg-left par-5 10th was my favorite hole, with a blind (and therefore refreshingly attention-getting) layup for those wishing to leave only a flip-wedge third shot:
This massive bunker on the inside corner of the dogleg on the 10th obscures the landing area for bold layup shots:
The par-4 12th is emblematic of the three-hole stretch from 11 through 13 that occupies the flattest ground on the property, and brings to mind the land at May River:
Belfair East's most picturesque hole, the par-3 14th with the Colleton River as a backdrop, is the first on the marshland tract of land that defines the final five holes; note another waste area that extends all the way to the green:
The enchanting marshland of the Colleton River beyond the 14th green; 16 fairway and green are off to the left behind the trees:
The tee shot on the par-4 15th demands a long carry over the beautiful native marshland:
The approach shot on 15 is equally appealing to the eye; the safe miss is left, where the green extends into the fairway, while a bold shot at the pin brings bunkers and water into play:
The view from behind the 15th green, with marshes and the Colleton River in the distance, captures the best of what Belfair has to offer:
Vegetation within waste areas, here to the right of the fairway at the long, meandering par-5 16th, is a common theme at Belfair:
Fazio wisely built numerous low-profile greens, here at the 16th, to offset the large scale of the design features:
The uphill par-3 17th, unfortunately framed by a home (albeit a nice one), showcases an example of the internal inconsistency between waste areas and bunkers at Belfair East:
The reverse view at 17, obscuring the greenside bunker but still capturing the beauty of the waste area with the marshes and Colleton River behind, is superior and among the more calming on the course:
When the golfer turns the corner on the dogleg-right par-4 18th, he encounters a stunning sight that leaves a strong lasting impression and, in doing so, perhaps makes his memory of Belfair East better than the course deserves--an open-back green with long and wide sightlines out over the 18th on the West Course and the Colleton River; the white-brick hut to the left is one of many surrounding the closing hole and the clubhouse and gives off a distinctly southern vibe:
The view from 18 fairway gets even better the closer you get to the green:
The slightly perched green of the East's 18th obscures the green, but not the top of the flagstick, of the West's 18th (at right):
The Georgian clubhouse and gardens at Belfair are intricate and beautiful:
***
Previous reviews and photo tours:
South CarolinaHarbour Town:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60589.0.htmlMay River:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60597.0.htmlFloridaStreamsong Red:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60262.0.htmlStreamsong Blue:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60276.0.htmlCaliforniaLake Merced:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60650.0.htmlAustraliaBarnbougle Dunes:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60516.0.htmlBarnbougle Lost Farm:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60509.0.htmlNew South Wales:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60529.0.htmlRoyal Melbourne West:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60489.0.htmlRoyal Melbourne East:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60484.0.htmlKingston Heath:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60395.0.htmlVictoria:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60377.0.htmlMetropolitan:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,60387.0.html