Being An Addict Of Carolina Golf

[Sean_A]

My name is Sean A and I am a Carolina Golf Junkie.  This is the one and only step I will take towards recovery 

Having been to the Carolinas many times...and always finding something cool to play and see....I realize there must be plenty more out there.  I want to continue returning to the Carolinas, but I am running out of ideas. Of course, I am happy to return to places such as Aiken, Pinehurst/Southern Pines, Charleston/Kiawah and Asheville, so golf suggestions based around these places are most welcome.  However, I am also looking for new ground to explore.  Below is a list of what I think are the best 10 courses I have played. 

Kiawah 2*
Palmetto 2*
Old Town 2*
Dormie Club 1*
Pinehurst #2 2*
Midpines 1*
Roaring Gap 1*
Tobacco Road 1*
Yeamans Hall 1*
Bulls Bay 1*


While not of the quality of the above courses, I have a lot of time for Mimosa Hills and Aiken and would include both as 1*s.

Once Pine Needles is finished with the reno I would like to give it another go because frankly I was disappointed after the last bit of work was completed many years ago now. 

I don't know if Southern Pines will make an effort to bring the course where it should be, but until they do I don't have much interest in playing it unless its a convenient add on to a trip. 

While I liked Bald Head Island a lot, the course is very average.

Harbour Town?  Some very cool features, but I don't dig the congested tree deal.   

Given the time of year I envision my visits will take place, I would like to find cooler parts of the states  The blazing saddles heat does not make for a good walking experience.

I have identified a few courses I want to play...keeping in mind that wives and adult children will be in tow:

The Pinehurst area will never lose its appeal and Forest Creek North is a course I want to play.

Wilmington has never struck me as a place I want to spend time, but Wilmington Muni appeals.

I am not overly enamoured with the idea of going to Myrtle Beach, though there is Dunes Golf & Beach Club and Caledonia which appeal.  Are there cool places to be in Myrtle..or is just a mess? 

There is CC of Charleston (because its a Raynor) I would to play and the area is cool. The Cassique Course looks interesting as well.

Hilton Head...is it a mess?  Would like to play Long Cove and more especially Chechessee Creek.

I have heard very good things about Greenville as a town, but I haven't identified any courses in the area which appeal.

The Charlotte area moving north toward Asheville is a big hole with loads of courses, though the the two courses which stand out in pix are Charlotte CC and Myers Park. The advantage of this area is that its possible to escae the heat. 

Are there any cool "mountain" courses/towns working back to toward Raleigh where Roaring Gap is? 

What say you?  The experience and knowledge of folks on this board should see me through!

Cheers & Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Is there a big difference price point $ wise between playing in the summer as against playing during the winter or spring/autumn?
Atb

[Ronald Montesano]

I don't understand the 1* 2* numbers. Is that a ranking system? The number of times you played them? Some other numerologist reference?


Are you only interested in the golf, or in the overall value of the area?

[Tom Fagerli]

I suggest you shoot for Linville Golf Club and Grandfather. The weather will suit you too.

[ChipRoyce]

2 random responses:


Wilmington Area: Wilmington Muni, Eagle Point and Cape Fear CC (Ross) may merit a visit. Also an opportunity to experience 80's Dye and Nicklaus at Landfall.


Myrtle Beach: Yes, its a mess, but Dunes and Caledonia are both required reading. Others will likely chime in with additional courses - either I haven't played those or wouldn't suggest.

[Sean_A]

I don't understand the 1* 2* numbers. Is that a ranking system? The number of times you played them? Some other numerologist reference?


Are you only interested in the golf, or in the overall value of the area?

Ron...personal recommendation guide

3* = Don't miss for any reason and don't leave the parking the same day looking for another course!  Only seen four so far that I consider in this class...TOC, North Berwick, Sandwich & Merion

2* = Great courses that are great experiences, often of historical significance...plan a significant trip with this course as the centre piece.  Only seen sixteen so far that I consider in this class....Sunny Old, St Enodoc, Kington, Old Town, Palmetto, Lahinch, Ganton, WHO, Prestwick, Deal, Portrush, Muirfield, Hoylake, Birkdale, Kiawah & Pinehurst #2.

1* = Good or great course, sometimes somewhat unusual...worth the hassle of an overnight car detour

R = Worth a significant day trip (drive time no more than it takes to play and have drinks ~5 hours)

r = A good fall back on course/trip filler

NR = Not recommended...can be a very average course or perhaps a good course that is very expensive.

Tom...I will check out Linville and Grandfather...don't know much about them. Is the area nice...good town(s) etc?

Chip...are there cool areas near Myrtle to set up camp for a few days?

ATB...many of the courses are private so I don't know that score.  Certainly many high profile publics charge a premium in the fall and near Easter.

Ciao

[Anthony_Nysse]

Long Cove, Colleton-Dye, Secession and C3.

[A.G._Crockett]

It has been a popular ethic here on GCA to be sickeningly elitist and look down the nose at Myrtle Beach golf; I'm always both amused and dismayed by this.  Just a couple of notes of reality therapy to consider when talking about golf in that area:

1. The area that we are talking about, roughly from Southport, NC to Pawley's Island, SC, is over 90 miles long, and includes over 100 courses. 

2. Like any area that size, and any area with that many golf courses, there are great courses, good courses, and "other" courses.  In any group of 100 courses in any geographic area, the vast majority are simply not must-play venues.  That is NOT, however, especially useful in assessing the top-end quality of golf available.

3. In the Golfweek State-by-State rankings for this year,  SC and NC have 15 courses each listed.  Nearly half of those (12) could be considered as "Myrtle Beach" golf.  Feel free to take a run at being elitist or dismissive about the Golfweek rankings, but I doubt there is a similar concentration of highly-regarded courses many other places in the country.

4. I'll go a step beyond Golfweek, and add several other MB courses that aren't mentioned there as worth seeing.  All of the stuff that Tim Cate has done on the north end of the Strand, such as Tiger's Eye, are worth a look.  The Thistle is very good, as is Pearl West.  River's Edge is excellent, and I really like Glen Dornoch, even though the last three holes perplex me on multiple levels.  I like the Parkland course at The Legends almost as much as I like Heathland.  I wish I knew as much about the South end as I do the North, but my golf down there is limited to a yearly 36 hole day at True Blue (am) and Caledonia (PM); it's as good a day of GCA-related golf as I can imagine.

Sean, you found so much fault with Hope Valley in a previous thread that I can scarely imagine what you are going to do with this.  But the simple fact is that the MB has great golf available in volume, with absurdly low prices if you work at it just a bit.  There is no reason to argue otherwise.

[Tim Martin]

Long Cove, Colleton-Dye, Secession and C3.

I don't get the love for Colleton Dye although you certainly are not alone. I found it overly difficult and the mounding seemed out of place to me. Just my opinion.

[Tom Fagerli]

Sean- Linville is a Ross design and Grandfather an Ellis Maples (his best IMO). Linville NC is a quaint place. Summer resort, skiing in winter. Very nice in summer. Lots of other courses but these are the best. There is an old Nicklaus at Elk River and Diamond Creek nearby. However Linville and Grandfather would be more your style I think.

[Rich Goodale]

I was an occasional (South) Carolina golf junkie in my callow youth (late-20s), taking holidays multiple times to Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach with my regular Boston-area 4-ball.  This was the early-mid 1970's, and later on I thought that Harbour Town (with manageable trees) was as good or better than Pebble Beach or Spyglass (which were my US benchmarks in the late-70's).  At Myrtle B. we liked Arcadian Shores the best (undoubtedly influenced by the fact that it was a Golf Digest top-100 track at the time).  Anybody know what happened to that Rees J. "masterpiece?"


More recently (5 years ago) I really enjoyed Chechessee, but fear that the recent changes in the course might be pimping up what was a marvelously understated design.


Rich

[Bill Gayne]

May River in Palmetto Bluff is very good.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Your miscasting of Ganton must give any advice giver pause for fear his words will be ignored or, worse, questioned, but to repeat for the millionth time:

Play Carolina Rosses. It's not complicated.

On the positive side, your thread topic is a strong rejoinder to GMBF's declaration of his home state's "pitiful" golf. 

[Bill_McBride]

May River in Palmetto Bluff is very good.

Best Nicklaus I've played, at least most enjoyable

[Sean_A]

AG


Sorry if you think I may have sinister motives or that we can't agree on the merits (mostly good merits I might add) of Hope Valley. Going beyond this, what are the few Myrtle Beach courses which you think may turn my head and do you know of a cool area to hole up for a few days?


Bills...you are the second and third persons to mention May River....cheers.


Tom...cheers.


Anthony...C3?


Ciao

[Matt MacIver]

Sean - in your post describing your rating you gave Old Town a 1* when I think (HOPE!) you meant 2*.


Don't forget Carolina GC in Charlotte, a great Ross - better even than MP. 


Wade Hampton in the mountains is oft touted as Fazio's best, though I've not seen it.


Perhaps the grass is greener...I long to play the quirky British courses you often post about, and I've yet to see one in person!


In Asheville, Biltmore Forest (Ross) gets high praise and Grove Park Inn is worth a look.


Greenville CC has two courses, I hear the most about Chanticlear (sp?).

[Jerry Kluger]

Sean: You are a tough grader - Old Town and Yeamans Hall are outstanding - I'm surprised that you don't have them graded higher.  I recently played Carolina Trace which is an RTJ Sr. course that recently had some work done and has really good holes - don't just judge it by the drop shot par 3s on the front 9.  For some reason I have always liked Chapel Ridge in Pittsboro which is public and less than $40 - excellent par 3s, good variety of par 4s , long and short, as well as very good par 5s which do have risk/reward options - course has fallen on hard times financially so some fairway bermuda is creeping into the greens and rough has some areas full of weeds but overall a fun course.

[Jay Mickle]

May River in Palmetto Bluff is very good.

Best Nicklaus I've played, at least most enjoyable

+1

[A.G._Crockett]

AG


Sorry if you think I may have sinister motives or that we can't agree on the merits (mostly good merits I might add) of Hope Valley. Going beyond this, what are the few Myrtle Beach courses which you think may turn my head and do you know of a cool area to hole up for a few days?


Bills...you are the second and third persons to mention May River....cheers.


Tom...cheers.


Anthony...C3?


Ciao

Sean,
I think that staying on the far north end (Sunset Beach area) or the far south end (Pawley's Island) is preferable to Myrtle Beach proper because of traffic and sprawl.  Because of bypass construction in the last decade, you can stay on either end and get to pretty much everything with reasonable drive times.  Unless you want easy access to night life, then that's the way to go.  Sunset is a personal favorite; Mike Whitaker stays on the other end at Pawley's.

The list of courses isn't mysterious at all.
These are all listed in the Golfweek Best You Can Play for SC this year:
Caledonia
True Blue
Tidewater
The Dunes
King's North
TPC Myrtle Beach
Heathland (Legends)
Love Course at Barefoot Landing
Heritage Club
Grande Dunes
I haven't played the Fazio course at Barefoot, but have heard good things.  I already mentioned that I like Parkland at the Legends almost as much as Heathland.  There are others I've heard good things about as well, but haven't played, so I won't list them.

These are listed in the NC rankings:
Bald Head Island
Leopard's Chase (I like Tiger's Eye better, but that's just me, and both are excellent)
Cape Fear National

Also on the NC end are River's Edge, Pearl West, Glen Dornoch, and The Thistle, all of which I really like.  And it's only an hour's drive to Wilmington, where The Muni redo is a must see, and Cape Fear CC is excellent in every respect.

Let me know when you get all of those played; it's a good list, filled with top shelf GCA's (Doak, Ross, Strantz, etc.) along with some guys like Tim Cate who never get mentioned here but just do great work.  And there are many other courses at MB that I've thoroughly enjoyed that I didn't list for one reason or another.  A good example is Oyster Bay; excellent Dan Maples design that is all over the place in terms of condition, so harder to recommend.

[Matt MacIver]

Sean - in your post describing your rating you gave Old Town a 1* when I think (HOPE!) you meant 2*.


Don't forget Carolina GC in Charlotte, a great Ross - better even than MP. 


Wade Hampton in the mountains is oft touted as Fazio's best, though I've not seen it.


Perhaps the grass is greener...I long to play the quirky British courses you often post about, and I've yet to see one in person!


In Asheville, Biltmore Forest (Ross) gets high praise and Grove Park Inn is worth a look.


Greenville CC has two courses, I hear the most about Chanticlear (sp?).


Camden CC in between CLT and Columbia I hear is solid and Musgrove Mill down that way is fantastic - worth an * or ** at least!

[Carl Johnson]

Sean --

You say:  "The Charlotte area moving north toward Asheville is a big hole with loads of courses, though the the two courses which stand out in pix are Charlotte CC and Myers Park. The advantage of this area is that its possible to escape the heat."

Wrong on Charlotte -- you will not escape the heat here.  Yes, Asheville will be somewhat cooler, and then up in the Linville area it will be even cooler yet.

[Amol Yajnik]

If you enjoyed Tobacco Road, I think you would also enjoy a 36-hole day at Caledonia and True Blue.  If you didn't know that Mike Strantz designed both courses, you would never know it because those 2 courses play so differently.  True Blue isn't as visually intimidating at Tobacco Road, but has the abundant waste bunkering and wide fairways of Tobacco Road.  Caledonia is on a much smaller piece of land, and it's a course where accuracy and shotmaking is favored over length.  The courses are about a 5 minute drive away from one another, so even in the spring and fall 36 holes is easy to do. 


I second the suggestion of Camden Country Club, which is near Columbia.  It's a Ross course that was originally built in the 1920s that was recently renovated and really fun to play.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Sean, the Carolinas have enough golf that you cold just play there and be happy.
I am surprised that no one has mentioned Musgrove Mill outside Greenville. It may be Palmer's best course by a mile.
It is in the middle of nowhere but is a stunning course that tests every part of your game, especially around the greens.


http://golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/musgrove-mill/


Sedgefield is a wonderful Ross course where the Wyndham is played. As Cape Fear and Biltmore Forest.
I think Fazio's Diamond Creek is better than Wade Hampton.
Others have added some excellent choices.
I played Bald Head this summer and they have done a bunch of work. It is now more than fun, it is pretty good.

[Tom_Doak]

Sean:


I saved the mountain courses of N.C. and Virginia for Volume 3 of The Confidential Guide, since they are summer destinations.  It will be out shortly.  But, yes, there are 6-8 courses in the mountains you'd enjoy playing.

[Anthony_Nysse]

AG


Sorry if you think I may have sinister motives or that we can't agree on the merits (mostly good merits I might add) of Hope Valley. Going beyond this, what are the few Myrtle Beach courses which you think may turn my head and do you know of a cool area to hole up for a few days?


Bills...you are the second and third persons to mention May River....cheers.


Tom...cheers.


Anthony...C3?


Ciao

Chechessee Creek Club