Athens, Ga to Jacksonville, FL - Anything worth seeing?

[Clyde Johnson]

The title says it all...

Looking at traveling down tomorrow (rather last minute), so would be playing in the afternoon - Would be willing to make a 2 or so hour detour, probably as far north as Hilton Head, SC (I have already played Long Cove and Harbour Town).

[Note: Anything around Jacksonville or Sea Island is likely to be a no go with the masses in town for game day!]

Any suggestions would be gratefully received!

Cheers,

Clyde

[Tim Gavrich]

Clyde--

Wexford GC, where a sizable group of GCAers swung and supped last sunday, is on Hilton Head and is a lot of fun; really cool greens.

A little closer to your route, I've heard very complimentary things about Brunswick (GA) CC.

[jeffwarne]

Play Athens CC early then drive to Jacksonville
or Longshadow
Augusta CC and Palmetto are within your detour radius

[A.G._Crockett]

Play Athens CC early then drive to Jacksonville
or Longshadow
Augusta CC and Palmetto are within your detour radius

I don't believe Longshadow has reopened yet.

[Mike_Young]

Clyde,
Stop in Hawkinsville and play Southern Hills or if you wish you are welcome to stop at Chechessee and play.  I am here at Chechessee and already have a game but can arrange for you to play if you wish...not sure of the guest fee...

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Mike will know all in that part of the world.

[A.G._Crockett]

I started to mention Southern Hills and didn't.  It was on a best "Thrifty Fifty" list that one of the mags did several years ago.  It's a good stop on that trip.

[Tom Ferrell]

If you want to play the best course you have never heard of, and especially if you are traveling the "real" route (not I-95) to JAX - GO DAWGS - then head for Waycross and play the hidden gem Okefenokee GC. Hard on the banks of the Satilla River, this is a classic Joe Lee desig. Sandy soil, surprising elevation changes. Great routing and lots of fun holes. It's inexpensive, and they will be happy to have you. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Mark Pritchett]

I played Okefenokee years ago in a high school tournament.  Fun place as I recall. 

[Tom Ferrell]

Here's the short 14th, playing downhill to a bluff above the Satilla.  Great little par-3.




This is #10 - fantastic mid-length par-4.  Uphill approach to a green with a lot of movement, both from left to right and back to front.



Tee shot on the 15th - a par 4.5 that plays over the Satilla River, to a crowned fairway.  The green sits above the river.  Beautiful hole



Number 18.  Really a great finishing hole. 



This is a good golf course - better than Brunswick CC in my opinion (and I LOVE Brunswick, by the way, and the work that Love Design did on it is WOW!).  The land at Okefenokee is unusual for south Georgia.  Rolling and interesting.  The Joe Lee design is sublime.  Not too many take-your-breath-away moments but lots of memorable shotmaking decisions.  Certain changes have been made over the years that I do not necessarily agree with (most notably the clearing of swampland to the left of 13; replaced by a pond), but again, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Tom Ferrell]

Not to mention one of the great stealth logos in golf!

[Clyde Johnson]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the tips...As it happened, i ended taking Mike up on his kind offer to play Chechessee Creek, and then slipped in an early morning round at Hyde Park (Jacksonville) the following day!

I will no doubt be making that or a similar trip again soon, so those other suggestions will not be wasted...

Cheers,

Clyde

[Jason Walker]

Go Dawgs!

[Bill_McBride]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the tips...As it happened, i ended taking Mike up on his kind offer to play Chechessee Creek, and then slipped in an early morning round at Hyde Park (Jacksonville) the following day!

I will no doubt be making that or a similar trip again soon, so those other suggestions will not be wasted...

Cheers,

Clyde

Clyde, observations of Hyde Park (Ross 1925 or so)?

[Steve_Lovett]

Hyde Park is a total diamond in the rough. Great Ross layout, fabulous property, beautiful mature trees, and always in a little bit sketchy condition. If it was maintained to the highest of standards it would compare with nearby Timuquana, another Ross design circa 1923.

Interested to hear about Clyde's experience there too.

[Clyde Johnson]

Bill, Steve...

A few thoughts on Hyde Park, as requested:

- There is definitely a good to very good course lying underneath the horrific bunkering (i don't know when or who did work here, but they definitely aren't nothing like the Ross bunkers i have seen) and poor conditioning of the greens (many had large bare patches and looked to be suffering from a wet season).
- Although the relatively flat land wasn't really offering much help, the compact routing with plenty of direction change worked well, especially on a windy day. There were some nice, subtle angles (8th hole comes straight to mind) with the pushed up greens. The best holes were understandable where the terrain got a little more interesting (14-18) - the final hole, with a green angled down a diagonal ridge was easily the best for me!

8th:


14th:


15th:


18th:



- A decent set of pushed-up green complexes, although i suspect some may have been tampered with. The 12th was the only one that really caught my attention. The 6th was slightly laughable, a green tilted sharply to a slightly obscured pond down its left edge, and guarded by a raised bunker to the right.

6th:


12th green, RHS:


- As expected, a few light hearted/frustrating moments: A sprinkler obscuring the 5th green from full view, and the cart paths cutting into the green tie-in and hidden drainage 'pond' combo on the 7th, personal favorites.

5th:


7th:


Anyway, not a bad alternative for $40, with Timuquana busy for the weekend and Sawgrass not letting me walk around (even at 8.a.m. and still dark!), and probably pretty different to most in that part of the world?

Cheers,

Clyde