Played there yesterday for the first time with some internet golf types. I'm going to go against the grain and say that I was underwhelmed. However, this does not change the fact that the golf course has amazing "bones". The contours in the fairway, the greens, the way the golf course uses the land, it's all wonderful. I was especially impressed with how long a 5800 yard course could play. I think that a golf course of Aiken GC's type could be a way out of this financially-induced mess of the golf business. It's simple, open, challenging, and fun. Very reminiscent of some stories Arble and Mayhugh tell of English golf.
However, the owner is is serious danger of overdoing it. He has added little pot bunkers in weird places. He has allowed the wonderful par 4 3rd hole to become a parody of itself with odd additions here and there. He has added a big scar of a black asphalt path in around the 1st, 2nd, 17th holes which serves no purpose.
What I wish he would do instead of looking for the next place to over-bunker the course or add an ineffectual path, is to pay more attention to how his fairways and green surrounds are being maintained. He has wonderful contours being negated due to leaving these areas un-mowed. So many good to great golf holes with very cool green surrounds and fairways leading to those greens are ineffectual due to the high Bermuda.
I think the beauty of Aiken GC lies in its simplicity and great greens. If it is maintained simply, with emphasis on the ground game around all those great old contours--rather than focusing on bunker count--it could live up to its billing.
All in all, I put it at a 7-3 split with my beloved Palmetto.