Golf would be better if there were more places like Aiken Golf Club.
Sandy soil and firm, sparsely irrigated turf and very few hazards. $25 to walk Mon-Fri and $30 walking at weekends -- and with rolling gentle undulation and a 5800-yard (par 70) length from the tips there's no reason for the able-bodied to take a cart.
The setting is as idyllic and the perfect southern town it's located in. Pines, a railway line that flanks the first five holes, some quiet roads to cross, a smattering of homes that you can see a different version of yourself living out his days in.
Everything about the place is quiet, simple and understated. Everything except the greens.
Ensuring the modest card length doesn't equate to a cakewalk of birdies and eagles, the greens demand precise approach play and a deft touch with the putter. There's turtleback shapes, false fronts and sides, buried VWs and hidden tongues that in some cases make it look from 150 yards out like the pin is cut in a bunker. It's the greens that will bring you undone.
I was lucky to get two looks at Aiken GC when I was in town for the Masters, which was handy because on your first look the ample blindness and wild greens keep you from ever feeling comfortable. The second time around I already felt I was getting the hang of the quirk and I wished I could have a weekly game here for a year or two, but I had to be content with a 1h53 round playing solo in the crisp air under a blue sky and a sun that was there for light but not warmth.
I won't post a full tour because I want you to be surprised when you eventually get to Aiken and hand over your $25. And at that price, I'll gladly give a money-back guarantee!
The first green (a double green with #17), viewed from short right. At 311 yards from the back, this hole is the perfect introduction to the type of golf you're about to engage in.
The fairway on the par five second, its dramatic green tucked around to the right to ensure you either have to draw your drive or fade your long approach to get home in two. Two straight shots won't do.
Landforms are a key feature of the course and make for wonderful driving hazards if you don't play the right lines.
The green of the 194-yard par three 4th hole is a monster, and doled out my only four-putt of the trip.
Shaping shots is the order of the day at Aiken, and some smart low-maintenance sandy areas off tees celebrate the fact that golf is the most fun when you're hitting over something.
The beautiful bunker shapes are another highlight, this one at the 6th.
330 yards and downhill, the 8th is one you might want a full wedge in to, on account of this green.
A back right tongue of green at the short par five 10th isn't apparent until you arrive at it.
Another sub-300-yard par four seems like it might offer up an eagle chance for a well-struck drive over the crest, but...
... that's before you see the smart greenside defences and aggressive front-to-back slope cutting the narrow green in half.
Aiken Golf Club is really special. You should go see it.
Want to read more? Start with Andy Johnson's profile on The Fried Egg:
Aiken Golf Club Review - The Fried Egg