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Promoting excellence in South Carolina golf
course design and operations
through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy. |
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SC
Golf Panel Selects State's Top Courses Available to Public Play
for 2021
Take
architect Pete Dye at his best and add the late Mike Strantz’
artistic genius. Next, dip into history for an antique called
the Aiken Golf Club that features the fingerprints of Donald
Ross and stir in the products of famed designers named Jack
Nicklaus, Tom Fazio and Robert Trent Jones. The recipe produces
a cross-section of South Carolina’s golf courses open to public
play. The “30 Best You Can Play” (public only) are announced in odd-numbered years, and the “Best 50” courses (public or private) are chosen in even-numbered years. Criteria used in judging include routing, variety, strategy, equity, memorability, aesthetics and the golfer’s experience. “There are so many outstanding courses that you’re really splitting hairs in the voting,” said Michael Whitaker, executive director of the panel. “When you think about the number of really good golf courses in this state and reduce that number to 30, it’s a daunting task. It’s our good fortune to live in a state where even some of the finest courses do not make the ‘best’ lists.” To emphasize the depth of quality, consider that purely private courses are not eligible for consideration on this year’s “30 Best You Can Play” list. The restriction eliminates acclaimed gems such as the Country Club of Charleston and Yeamans Hall (Seth Raynor), Camden Country Club (Ross), Chanticleer at Greenville Country Club (Jones), Berkeley Hall and Belfair (Fazio), Colleton River (Dye and Nicklaus) and the works of Nicklaus, Fazio and Gary Player at mountain layouts. The PGA of America brings its flagship event, the PGA Championship, to Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course for the second time in May. The United States Golf Association frequently utilizes South Carolina courses. “Just think about the national tournaments we’ve had recently,” said Biff Lathrop, executive director of the SC Golf Association, referring to a list that includes the U.S. Women’s Open, the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. The U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur comes this fall. “We’re very fortunate to have some of the finest courses in the nation." The Ocean Course garnered the most votes in this year’s survey. Other results are listed alphabetically. The tourist-heavy areas dominate the list with 25 of the 30 along the Atlantic coast from Little River to Hilton Head Island. Thirteen are located on the Grand Strand, eight in the Charleston area and four in the Lowcountry. Information on previous rankings can be found on the organization's website www.scgolfpanel.org # # # The
"Best You Can Play" Public Access Courses in
#
= Best In Region *
= New to the list of Best You Can Play UPSTATE The
Furman Golf Club # The
Walker Course at Clemson University HONORABLE
MENTION MIDLANDS # Orangeburg
Country Club HONORABLE
MENTION GREATER CHARLESTON Kiawah
Island Resort - Cougar Point Course Kiawah
Island Resort - Osprey Point Course # Kiawah
Island Resort - The Ocean Course Kiawah
Island Resort - Turtle Point Course Wild
Dunes Resort - Links Course LOW COUNTRY May
River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff # The
Sea Pines Resort - Harbour Town Golf Links The
Sea Pines Resort - Heron Point by Pete Dye HONORABLE
MENTION GRAND STRAND Barefoot
Resort - Dye Course Barefoot
Resort - Fazio Course Barefoot
Resort - Love Course # Caledonia
Golf and Fish Club Grande
Dunes - Resort Course Heritage
Club Pawleys
Plantation Golf & Country Club Pine
Lakes Country Club Prestwick
Country Club The
Dunes Golf and Beach Club Tidewater
Golf Club and Plantation TPC
of Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach True
Blue Plantation HONORABLE
MENTION Background On SC Golf Course Ratings Panel Overview The
South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel is composed
of golf enthusiasts representing a diverse range of occupations,
handicaps and backgrounds. These individuals have been charged
with the task of identifying the best that Objective and Purpose The
objective of the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel
is to promote excellence in SC golf course design and operations
through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy. The
Panel serves as an ambassador for golf in 1)
2) The Best Courses You Can Play – Bi-annually (in odd-numbered years) the Panel releases a listing of the best non-private courses in the state. Every resort, public access, and daily-fee course is eligible for this elite listing. How We Rate Them In determining their ratings panelists consider the following criteria:
Structure The Panel consists of a maximum of 125 members with twenty-five percent representing each of the following geographical regions: The Upstate, The Midlands, The Lowcountry, and The Grand Strand. Categories of Membership · Golf Industry – individuals who have a direct connection to the golf industry · Players & Coaches – individuals who excel at playing or coaching the game · Media – individuals who report on golf for one or more media outlets · Business & Industry – individuals who utilize golf within the business community For more information on the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel contact its Executive Director, Michael Whitaker, via email at info@scgolfpanel.org. # # # |
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