As most golfers know, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head both offer a premier golf vacation, with plenty of scenic courses built for different skillsets and experiences. But what many don’t know is that Inland South Carolina also offers a great golf destination with courses every bit as beautiful and challenging.
Here are three of the best.
The Walker Course at Clemson University
Play where the Tigers play. Exercise your swing and experience the 18-hole championship John E. Walker Sr. Golf course, one of South Carolina’s leading golf courses. Designed by DJ DeVictor, the Walker Golf Course is home to the Clemson University 2003 NCAA national champion golf team.
Open for public play! Voted the “Best You Can Play” public access course in the upstate and region by the SC Golf Panel for 2019. Designed to accommodate golfers of all skill levels, the course measures 6,911 yards in length from the tiger tees and a very playable 5,934 yards from the white tees. The last five holes, including the signature Tiger Paw 17th hole, run along the shores of Lake Hartwell and offer the most spectacular collection of finishing holes in the Southeast. Best Hole: No. 9, a par-4 dogleg left over a stream with more water on the left and a second shot to an elevated mounded green. The signature hole is #17, a par 3 with a tiger paw-shaped green. The Walker Course features a full-service driving range, putting green, and chipping green, a fully stocked pro shop, the Clubhouse Grill, and a staff of PGA golf professionals on hand for group lessons, clinics, and individual instruction.
Mount Vintage Golf Club
If you’re seeking a hands-on Southern golf experience as a player that is complemented by rolling hills, loblolly pines, and blooming dogwoods, then set your sights on playing the Mount Vintage Golf Club in North Augusta, South Carolina. The atmosphere is eerily similar to Augusta National- clear and simple signage, pristine grounds, first-class warm-up facilities, and an old clubhouse.
Mother Nature gave Mount Vintage Golf Club the perfect setting for a golf course. Architect Tom Jackson designed these 27 holes to fit perfectly into the diverse topography. The result is a championship layout that is scenic, challenging, and fun to play for all levels of golfers. A golf course that blends some of nature’s most beautiful handiwork with some of man’s most creative applications for the sport of golf. The course offers five sets of tees, wide corridors, hybrid Bermuda roughs and fairways, Crenshaw bent grass greens and concrete cart paths. The centerpiece of Mount Vintage is an authentic piedmont plantation home, circa 1840, known as the “Shaw House.” Fully restored, it now serves as the facility’s clubhouse.
Pine Forest Country Club
Pine Forest Country Club is a classic Lowcountry golf course amongst pines, live oaks, and dogwoods. Bob Spence, designer of the course, equally represented straight-ways, doglegs, and elevation changes. The 6,905-yard course meanders through beautiful waterways while providing golfers with a series of challenges that will bring out every club in the bag.
The Twenty-First Century version of Pine Forest offers an impressive array of recreational opportunities reminiscent of its’ historic predecessor. Pine Forest has been called Summerville’s “Most Family Oriented Country Club Community”. Pine Forest offers a quiet, secure neighborhood with easy access to employment centers, schools, churches, and shopping. Whether retiring or raising a family, Pine Forest is a perfect choice. The 18-hole golf course was recently rated four stars by Golf Digest placing it in the top 5% of courses in the United States. The course has earned the nickname “the hidden gem”. Five sets of tees are available so that players of all ability levels can enjoy the unique challenges provided by the course. Our PGA golf professionals are also available to help you improve your game through a variety of lessons and clinics. The lighted tennis complex is also considered one of the finest in the region with its’ ten meticulously maintained clay courts, while the junior Olympic size swimming pool allows members and their families to take a refreshing dip to cool down on a hot summer day and enjoy our unique cabana bar.
Source: Discover South Carolina