I was fortunate to recently spend a day at Old Barnwell, going around their new course twice. Having tracked the progress of the build (mainly via Instagram and Twitter), and knowing the design pedigree of Brian Schneider and Blake Conant, I went in expecting there would be plenty about the course I would enjoy. However, my taste in recent years has skewed heavily toward much older designs, particularly those on the UK links and heath, and I haven’t seen many of the heralded new course designs of the past few years. So, I guess I approached with high hopes, but healthy skepticism (for lack of a better description). While I am not familiar (or observant) enough with the course to feel comfortable doing a full hole by hole tour, I did want to share several of my takeaways after a couple of plays.
Upon arrival, you walk around the small, temporary clubhouse, and you are immediately struck by the scale of the property. Standing on the tightly mown area between the clubhouse and the 18th green, you can see out across at least two-thirds of the golf course, which is routed across and through significant sand ridges, and on the outskirts of the course, some stately pine trees. To anyone interested in course architecture, your mind is immediately engaged (if not almost overwhelmed) by the many cool features, both natural and man-made, visible from that spot. At this early point, it is perfectly clear that you are in for an interesting day of golf.
In terms of the routing, I am merely a gca hobbyist, but all the elements that I typically seek could be found at Old Barnwell. Despite covering a seemingly large expanse (total property is 575 acres, but I am unsure of the golf course footprint), green to tee transitions are about as short as I think they could be. We played the white tees (6,520 yards, one up from 7,095-yard tips), which I imagine will get the most use, and the transitions were mostly effortless. With one or two exceptions, elevation change develops gradually, so the walk itself was far from strenuous. It also seemed like the architects put the land to very good use, in terms of maximizing its potential. The direction of holes was constantly changing, with two different three hole stretches in the same direction. 5, 6, and 7, each a challenging and varied par 4, play gradually from higher to lower ground, across most of the property. Then, 16, 17, and 18, a par 5, 3, and 4, play from a corner of the course, over and across a ridge, all the way back up to the clubhouse.
The flow or pacing of the course was quite good – it felt natural and unforced. It made sense to me. After a 5, 4, 4, 3 start, there are six consecutive par 4s, but I only realized that after my second round. Later, there are back-to-back par 5s at 15 and 16, two holes which seemingly couldn’t be more different. The listed par of the course is 73, with only three par 3s, and four par 5s. The front has only one par 3 and one par 5, while the back has two 3s and three 5s.
The variety of holes felt nearly optimal to me. From the white tees, the 4th hole plays 165 slightly downhill to a medium sized green, sloping from back to front. The 11th plays 210 slightly downhill to an enormous green with a massive ridge in the middle, and additional bold internal contours. Many would consider it a par 3.5. The 17th plays 120, uphill to a small, well-guarded green, with some room to miss and still scramble for par. All three play in totally different directions.
The par 5s include one true half-par hole (the first, 490 from the whites, slightly downhill), another reachable, but full 5 (the 12th, 505 yards to a deep and highly contoured green), and two full three shot holes (15th at 565 yards and 16th at 515 yards uphill). Only the first seems a definite go in two, and only 15 seems a guaranteed layup, so doubt and temptation come into play throughout.
The par 4s include at least three half par holes, and tremendous variety in strategy. Hole distances (from the white tees) range from 245 to 425, and when considering wind direction, natural features, bunkering, and greens, no two holes are very similar. For me (mid-length, mid-cap), only 3 or 4 par 4s were definite drivers off the tee, and a couple almost certainly were not. There are decisions to be made off every tee.
This brings me to what impressed me most about the course. The course is extremely playable for virtually all skill levels, with wide fairways and plenty of room to miss around most greens. However, bunker placement and size, combined with green contours and surrounding features require the better player to attack from the correct position to have legitimate chance for birdie. I believe this is essentially what most of the best architects aim for, so it is a credit to Brian and Blake, and everyone who helped them build Old Barnwell.
The greens are mostly very large and challenging. Just as it is easy to hit lots of fairways here, but still have very tough approach shots, it is not unusual to hit a green in regulation but have a decent chance at three putting. There is a nice combination of big bold contours and slope used in the greens design. I found them to be a lot of fun to putt on, even with multiple three putts. I usually felt my score on a hole reflected the quality of my play, for better or worse.
Finally, I must comment on the bunkers, which are large and numerous, but far from excessive. The positioning, both in fairways and around greens seemed entirely appropriate (in terms of the expansive fairways and greens) and strategic. As I said at the outset, the scale of the course is immense. The fairway bunkers are in line with this scale and used to force sometimes difficult decisions from the tee. Greenside bunkers are similarly strategic, presenting different challenges depending on the day’s hole location. Virtually all greens have ample room to miss and still have reasonable chance at saving par. The style of the bunkers varies somewhat, with the most interesting bunkers having rolled up grass faces around the entire edge (not just the side facing the green, as you would see on several golden age courses).
While I wanted to post about the course itself, it would be wrong not to acknowledge the unique culture that is already being established at Old Barnwell. As has been documented here and elsewhere, founder Nick Schreiber, his team, and the membership seem all-in on making it a place for all players, with focus on a youth caddie program, sponsoring up and coming female players, partnering with HBCUs, and creating opportunities for young people in maintenance and agronomy.
Hopefully, as more people visit and play, we will get plenty of discussion about the course and club. I hope to visit again in the not-too-distant future.