March 28, 2008

Upstate golf courses rate high

Greenville Country Club's Chanticleer Course ranked No. 6 in South Carolina

By Ed McGranahan
STAFF WRITER

Four Upstate golf courses are among the baker's dozen of the top layouts in the state, and three others are listed among the 50 best, according to the annual ranking by the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel.

Golf course architect John LaFoy of Greenville agrees that Upstate courses fare well when compared to those around the state.

"I'd say we certainly hold our own," said LaFoy, who did not participate in the survey and was not asked about specific courses. "In the last 20 years, there have been some really nice golf courses built in the Upstate."

Again topping the list from the Upstate was the venerable Chanticleer Course at Greenville Country Club, which was down a spot to No. 6 this year.

Clinton's Musgrove Mill, which will host the state amateur championship this year, moved from No. 16 to 11. The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards in Salem is up from 13 to 12, and the Jack Nicklaus-designed Cliffs at Keowee Falls made its debut in the poll at No. 13.

The ratings are compiled in a closed vote by a panel of 125 representing a wide range of playing ability.

Coastal area courses dominate with Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island retaining the No. 1 rating for the fourth consecutive year. No. 2 again was Sage Valley of Graniteville followed by the Ocean Course at Kiawah, May River Club in Bluffton and Hilton Head's Long Cove.

"As a general rule, great golf courses are built on great pieces of land," LaFoy said. "The perfect example is the Ocean Course at Kiawah.

"The place that really has the potential for the best golf courses in South Carolina is in the Midlands around Columbia, Aiken (and) Camden where the soil is real sandy. I'm a little bit surprised there aren't more, better golf courses in the Columbia area."

Also in the top 50 from the Upstate are The Cliffs at Glassy, The Reserve at Lake Keowee and Thornblade Club.

"Physical beauty is really important," LaFoy said. "And I think we have a lot of that in some of the newer courses, especially up in the foothills as you approach the mountains."

There are a number of other factors LaFoy would weigh in judging courses, but by and large he believes there's still opportunity to build great courses.

"In the Upstate, course for course, we more than compete with the Midlands as far as the quality of the courses," he said. "And to be honest with you ... other than a few courses, I think we compete with the lower part of the state."