Charleston Golf Trip

[dawg94]

I was lucky enough to score sunday tix to the Masters for 2013. We are thinking that spending the week playing around Charleston might be a good idea. Does anyone have any suggestions for places to stay and play that are a great bang for the buck?

[mrfullwm]

The absolute best courses are on Kiawah but they aren't exactly cost effective. If you do go down there...other than the Ocean Course you need to play Osprey Point and Cougar Point. Turtle Point is overrated, IMO. If you don't go down there I would rate the true public courses like this...Rivertowne, Dunes West, Stono Ferry, Charleston National, Patriot's Point. Rivertowne is the most expensive of these but it has one of the best layouts in the area and is always in good shape. Likewise with Dunes West, though it isn't as difficult as Rivertowne. Stono Ferry is down near Kiawah and has some nice holes along the Stono River. Charleston National is a really nice course and has a good variety of holes, but the staff there is sub par, to the point that I don't like playing there.

Since I live here I'm not sure about places to stay, though you should be able to grab a condo or house on Isle of Palms or Sullivan's Island for lower rates since it isn't during the peak beach season.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

I like Stono Ferry, have played there four or five times. The river-facing holes are cool but the entire course is pretty well laid out (except for a couple holes through a "chute" of houses in the middle of the round) and it drains about as well as any place you're going to play that isn't a couple hundred bucks a round. Some of the more affordable courses in the Lowcountry suffer from budget drainage which does not work well during wetter spells.

For a decent round of golf that's so cheap it's almost free you can play The Muni. It is also more or less out on the Kiawah side of town. Speaking of which, don't get that close to the Ocean Course and not play it. Period. It is a fabulous, wonderful, nearly perfect golf course. Even at the extortionate high-season prices it's worth one round. Stay somewhere around Charleston, drive out for a round at the Ocean Course then cheap out at the The Muni if you need another round or two before you move on to Augusta.

P.S. And you are going to be moving on to Augusta. Charleston is not within daily commuting distance of Augusta National. South Carolina is a small state but not that small. From the south side of Charleston (West Ashley or similar) to ANGC is at least 3 hours not even allowing for the traffic congestion near the golf course on Masters week. You'd end up being in the car eight hours a day if you tried to commute. And the most direct route is not the Interstates, either.