[Jon Heise]

What a well rounded club!  Great clubhouse, great history, great golf course, great place to play and hang out.  It had a little of everything.  I think this course probably got more out of its land than any of the other 2 courses we played.  The front 9 had some gentle hills, almost too gentle, and the back 9 was relatively flat, but saying that, I thought it was a fantastic, seamless walk, and I dont recall any boring holes.  The greens had some intresting movement to them.  Add to that the bermuda grass, which I am certain that my yankee ass would need more than a weekend to adapt to.  

Here's some pics!

A nice opener.  Get your first shot of the day in the fairway and have yourself an easy par.  Or in my case, my only par...




The wild, downhill #2.  Some tree interference off the teebox that apparently some members seem to love...  dont go long!


#3 is a short par 5 that gives you every opportunity to hit a fairway off the tee, then makes your second shot totally blind.  Thanks!




The 4th is a long, tight driving hole that steers a tee shot towards 3 fairway bunkers.  Another difficult green awaits.


Probably my favorite hole, unfortunatley my pics arent that great.  #5, ~320 yds, up the hill to a tucked green.  Jamey explained that this was initially a long par 3, onlyl to be changed to a short par 4 by Ross.  The following hole was formerly a short par 4 turned to a long par 3...




#6, long par 3 with a big green.  A tough hole for sure.


I liked #7.  Par 4 with a big swing to the right, then up the hill to a green.  Difficult pin position Sunday, lots of chances to roll it off.  Pic is from the fairway.


A cool short par 3 at #8.  Hit the right part of the green or big numbers are a possibility.


9 is a straightforward hole.  Come and get it.


After a short walk, the 10th is a medium length hole with the first glimpse of water.  Wide fairways accept errant drives, but make sure you're on the right line to go at the pins on this tough green.




11 is again a straight ahead par 4.  A HUGE bowl on the left side of the green.  Rumor is that chip ins are a-common here...




12 is a long par 3, straight up the hill.  Wild, sloping green.  Long is dead, short is good, even if you're chipping up to the hole.


Back to back par 5s ahead, 13 bends to the right.


Small and tough green at 13


Some tree trouble at 14.  It's necessary to hit a big hook off the tee and carry 210+ yards.  A very difficult task.  Another hole where the treehuggers are prevailing...


Strategic bunkering and a large green make you think on this par 5.


A mid length par 4, #15


#16, an intimidating par 3 looking straight at the clubhouse...


A great finishing stretch begins here, 17 is a mid level par 4 with a tough green.  Fall offs surrounding this elevated green.




A partially blind par 4 finisher, 18 goes up and to the right, with loud, boisterous crowds waiting and watching golfers finish.

[Brent Hutto]

I said during the weekend that I think Palmetto is the "better course" but for my own game a round at Camden is equally as enjoyable. The easiness of the walk (notwithstanding the brief trek Across the Tracks) and my own preferences concerning greens (the smaller the better, basically) along with the generally excellent conditioning make playing there a treat. Jamey and his fellow members that I've encountered there are a credit to their club, as well.

I think the stretch of 4-5-6-7-8 is as varied and as fun an hour-plus of golf as one could ever hope for. And the only relatively weak stretch to my mind are the back-to-back Par 5's on the second nine which, while perfectly good holes, are not as imaginative as the other sixteen at Camden. Then again they are sort of squeezed in and around the railroad tracks and a corner or the property so maybe it's best to just "use up" the least inspiring terrain in the routing with a couple of long holes and be done with it.

Finally, for a course that doesn't seem particularly long or tough (until you've played it and toted up the strokes, that is) the finishing four holes with the brutal 15th, scary 16th and the demanding approach on 17 are a great way to decide a match. Unless ones pain-in-the-neck opponent makes a 30-footer that had no business going in if that damned leaf hadn't been there. Even the 18th requires a certain amount of judgment to get the tee shot in the short grass and set up a simple approach to the very approachable green that always seems to end up farther away than you thought it would be.

[JC Jones]

Brent,

I particularly like the 16th green, you?

[Brent Hutto]

Brent,

I particularly like the 16th green, you?

I love it. I just think the area under the trees to the right needs OB stakes!

[Mark Pritchett]

Jon,

Thanks for these photos.  While recapping all the rounds, I completely forgot about the green on #11 here, what fun.  I also enjoyed the Par 3's a lot.  The 17th was a challenging green for our group.  

Brent,

I liked the railroad tracks between the back to back 5 pars, something that would probably never be built today.  

Cheers,

Mark

[Brent Hutto]

Mark,

Ask my esteemed opponent for advice on what to do if your drive on thirteen ends up between the trees and the railroad tracks...

[JC Jones]

Mark,

Ask my esteemed opponent for advice on what to do if your drive on thirteen ends up between the trees and the railroad tracks...

Well, I played left over the railroad tracks to the rough of 14, then back over the railroad tracks to short of the green then pitch on and 2 putt to win the hole w/ a 6. 

Yes, playing left over the railroad tracks to 14 was intentional and provided me with a better option than punching back through the trees to the fairway.

[Brent Hutto]

Yes, playing left over the railroad tracks to 14 was intentional and provided me with a better option than punching back through the trees to the fairway.

It's true, he did call his shot. In fact he asked for a "ruling" before doing so.

The third shot was a nicely-executed one, taking into account the railroad rock and such.

ObGCA: Would the fourteenth hole be "better" if the green were moved closer to the tee and it labeled a Par 4?

[Bill_McBride]

Mark,

Ask my esteemed opponent for advice on what to do if your drive on thirteen ends up between the trees and the railroad tracks...

Well, I played left over the railroad tracks to the rough of 14, then back over the railroad tracks to short of the green then pitch on and 2 putt to win the hole w/ a 6. 

Yes, playing left over the railroad tracks to 14 was intentional and provided me with a better option than punching back through the trees to the fairway.

Excuse me, but wasn't the RR track OB its full length from both directions?  i.e. what you just described!   

[JC Jones]

It was determined that the OB stakes cancelled each other out so that the only part that was OB was the railroad tracks in between the stakes.

[Mark Pritchett]

It was determined that the OB stakes cancelled each other out so that the only part that was OB was the railroad tracks in between the stakes.

That is correct, the assistant superintendent and a Camden member played in our group and said if you go towards the railroad tracks, either be short or long, because we don't own the track!

[Jamey Bryan]

This is an interesting situation that I've only seen at Camden.  Maybe Mark VB or Tom Paul could explain better, but my understanding is:

1)  At some time, the USGA suggested that when internal out of bounds was encountered, the interpretation should be that the OB existed for that hole and all shots beyond for that hole.

2)  At some later time, it was decided that internal out of bounds was inherently bad and should be eliminated.

At Camden, we play the RR right of way as OB, but you can golf your ball if you're lucky enough to be beyond it.  When we host USGA events, they play the RR as an immovable obstruction with free relief (which I think is really stupid).

I think the first idea makes the most sense.

Jamey

[Brent Hutto]

I'm with Jamey. Getting a free drop when you hit the ball onto a bloomin' train track that far away from the fairway is just silly. A gift.

[John Mayhugh]

I'm with Jamey. Getting a free drop when you hit the ball onto a bloomin' train track that far away from the fairway is just silly. A gift.

That's why you need to be really wild rather than off just a bit.

Nice pics of Camden.
I can attest to how much the outcome of a match can change on the last six holes.

[Bill_McBride]

Youse guys are all DQ.  The OB rule says you are OB if you are beyond the little white stakes.  Anything else, youse change da rule, youse are DQ.

[Jason Topp]

I really enjoyed all of the courses.  I thought Camden demonstrated the value of good ground. 

I thought the front 9 and 16-18 were much more interesting than holes 10-15.  (Although given how often I hit it in the wrong fairways on those holes, one could fairly ask how I purport to know anything about the holes on the back nine).

10-15 had interesting greens, but the route there was generally less interesting and the ground more boggy.

[JC Jones]

Youse guys are all DQ.  The OB rule says you are OB if you are beyond the little white stakes.  Anything else, youse change da rule, youse are DQ.

You realize you'd be taking another 3 points away from the North team with this, dont you?  I'm beginning to question your loyalty to the North!

[Tim Taylor]

This is an interesting situation that I've only seen at Camden.  Maybe Mark VB or Tom Paul could explain better, but my understanding is:

1)  At some time, the USGA suggested that when internal out of bounds was encountered, the interpretation should be that the OB existed for that hole and all shots beyond for that hole.

2)  At some later time, it was decided that internal out of bounds was inherently bad and should be eliminated.

At Camden, we play the RR right of way as OB, but you can golf your ball if you're lucky enough to be beyond it.  When we host USGA events, they play the RR as an immovable obstruction with free relief (which I think is really stupid).

I think the first idea makes the most sense.

Jamey

Jamey,

I had exactly that situation on 14. I pull hooked my second shot all the way across the train tracks to the rough on the left side of the 13th fairway. I found my ball and hit it back to the 14th fairway!

Tim

[John Mayhugh]

Youse guys are all DQ.  The OB rule says you are OB if you are beyond the little white stakes.  Anything else, youse change da rule, youse are DQ.

Decision 27/20
Q. A public road defined as out of bounds divides a course. A ball crosses the road and comes to rest on the part of the course on the other side of the road. Is the ball out of bounds?

A. No. Since the ball lies on the course, it is in bounds unless a Local Rule provides otherwise. However, because it is unfair that a ball on the road is out of bounds and a ball beyond it is in bounds, it is suggested that the following Local Rule should be adopted:

"A ball which crosses a public road defined as out of bounds and comes to rest beyond that road is out of bounds, even though it may lie on another part of the course."

I don't think there was this sort of local rule on the scorecard. 

[Bill_McBride]

Youse guys are all DQ.  The OB rule says you are OB if you are beyond the little white stakes.  Anything else, youse change da rule, youse are DQ.

You realize you'd be taking another 3 points away from the North team with this, dont you?  I'm beginning to question your loyalty to the North!

Well i am a Georgia boy who lives in NW Florida, right? 

[JC Jones]

Youse guys are all DQ.  The OB rule says you are OB if you are beyond the little white stakes.  Anything else, youse change da rule, youse are DQ.

You realize you'd be taking another 3 points away from the North team with this, dont you?  I'm beginning to question your loyalty to the North!

Well i am a Georgia boy who lives in NW Florida, right? 

I think there should be mutiny on the North team ship.  We need a new Captain, ours can't be trusted!

[Bill_McBride]

Youse guys are all DQ.  The OB rule says you are OB if you are beyond the little white stakes.  Anything else, youse change da rule, youse are DQ.

You realize you'd be taking another 3 points away from the North team with this, dont you?  I'm beginning to question your loyalty to the North!

Well i am a Georgia boy who lives in NW Florida, right? 

I think there should be mutiny on the North team ship.  We need a new Captain, ours can't be trusted!

Too late now but we looked pretty good after the round at Aiken! 

[Sean_A]

This looks another superb course.  Who would have thought that SC could get so down n' dirty with its golf?

Thanks Jon.

Ciao

[Michael Whitaker]

This looks another superb course.  Who would have thought that SC could get so down n' dirty with its golf?

Thanks Jon.

Ciao

Sean - your comment is exactly why we wanted to host the Dixie Cup this year. Too many uninformed think that SC is just Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head.

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