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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 Top Courses Available for Public Access (2023)
The Palmetto State enjoys an embarrassment of riches with quality golf courses, a fact on display annually with the South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel’s surveys. The gems range from the renowned Ocean Course, Harbour Town Golf Links and the Dunes Golf and Beach Club to a lesser-known — but equally challenging — beauty called the Aiken Golf Club. All those earned spots among the 30 courses on the Golf Panel’s “Best You Can Play 2023”. To emphasize the quality of golf facilities in the state, the International Association of Golf Travel Operators named South Carolina among the top five golf designations in the world for 2023. More than 500 golf tour specialists from around the world voted on sites that delivered the best experiences from their customers. The Palmetto State joins Cyprus, Dubai, Los Cabos and Thailand on the association’s Top Five. That’s no surprise to Duane Parrish, director of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, spreads the gospel of Palmetto State golf. “Incredible recognition,” he said. Echoing the thought is Michael Whitaker, executive director of the Golf Panel, who said, “There are so many outstanding courses that you’re really splitting hairs in the voting. “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.” More emphasis on the quality: The “best you can play 2023” does not include private courses designed by the likes of Seth Raynor, Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones, Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer. It’s no surprise that courses along the Atlantic coast dominate the “Best You Can Play” list. Only four of the 30 are from either the Midlands or Upstate. One of those is the Aiken Golf Club, voted “the best kept secret” a couple years ago. But borrow a thought from a song popularized by Ray Charles and Hank Williams: “The news is out.” “We’re unique,” said Jim McNair Jr., owner of the family operated facility within a 5-iron shot of downtown Aiken. “We’re quirky.” Indeed, the course features a touch of yesterday with today’s modern agronomy and maintenance. No practice range. No maintenance facility. A mere 5,800 yards from the tips. Only 37 acres of sod. But a definite challenge, a point emphasized by members who complain to McNair, “It’s too hard from the tips.” That’s thanks in large part to the green complexes, which have the fingerprints of Donald Ross on them. More than 100 years old, disciples of the famed architect laid out part of the course that pened in 1912. “Being selected is a huge honor for us,” McNair said. History abounds, too. The Ocean Course can claim a Ryder Cup and two PGA Championships, and the PGA Tour visits Harbour Town annually. Aiken GC ranks among the first to have women’s tees and staged high profile women’s tournaments in the 1930s that featured Babe Zaharias and Patty Berg. Men’s events attracted Julius Boros, Johnny Palmer and P.J. Boatwright. And, yes, players from out of state are discovering the Aiken GC. Golfers who seek to play the layout during Masters week need to make their tee times far in advance. “We’re already full one day (of Masters week) and we’re adding players all the time on other days,” McNair said. The SC Golf Course Ratings rating panel is composed of 125 golf enthusiasts who represent a diverse range of occupations, handicaps and backgrounds. The group’s objective is to promote excellence in the state’s golf course design and operation through competitive ranking, education and public advocacy. The “Best 50” courses (public or private) are chosen in even-numbered years and the “Best You Can Play” (offering public access) are announced in odd-numbered years. Criteria used in judging include routing, variety, strategy, equity, memorability, aesthetics and the golfer’s experience. # # # The
"Best You Can Play" Public Access Courses #
= 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 Charleston
Municipal Golf Course 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 - Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III #
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 Myrtle
Beach National - Kings North Course Pawleys
Plantation Golf & 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 courses in the state providing some type of access to the public. 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. # # # |