Blythewood / Columbia, SC

[Gunsynd]

I will be with 3 buddies staying in blythewood, SC on our way to the Masters. Hope to play on the Sat & Sun before the masters. Looking to see if anyone has any preferences between the courses below:

 

Woodcreek Farms

Windemere

Cobblestone Parks

Golf Club of SC at Crickentree

 

Any suggestions appreaciated.

[Fourmyle of Ceres]

Even though I've played golf in the area for years and years, for some reason I've never played Windermere or Woodcreek. Probably because neither is much fun to walk (not that they'll let you walk as a Masters Week visitor anyway). But I've played Cobblestone a couple hundred times and Crickentree maybe forty or fifty. Cobblestone is a very fine course in my opinion, most people who play there like it.

Crickentree is a different beast. You'll either like it (as I do) or hate it. The thing about Crickentreee is that in many places is it is narrow. Not so much absolute narrow distance from tree line to tree line (although a couple of holes are quite tight in that regard) but fairly narrow distance-wise and playing much narrower because the fairway tilts to the left or right severely. The greens tend to be decent sized but if conditions are reasonably dry and firm there are some fairways where the effective landing area is only 6, 8, 10 yards wide. If the fairway tilts left you may have to land the ball on the very right edge of the fairway to keep your drive from rolling off into the left rough.

I'm a not very long but fairly straight hitter so I find Crickentree an interesting challenge as long as I play it up from the proper set of tees. From back at 6,700 yards or whatever it is a very, very tough driving course. But like I say, the greens tend to be pretty hittable if you can just find the fairway off the tee. Expect to lose a few balls if you're not having a real straight day with the driver (or else tee off with some other club you can hit really straight). Now if you can actually turn a driver or 3-wood left and right to work with the slopes it will be an awesome course.

Cobblestone is more conventional. Lot of elevation change, big greens that tend to be pretty receptive, the bunkers aren't too scary deep and the fairways are mostly generous, although there are some doglegs you have to take care with. It's a very fun course where you can shoot a good score if you're putting well on the big, sectioned greens.

[Gunsynd]

We have decided to start the weekend at Woodcreek Farms. Looking forward to seeing the track, and very appreciative that they have allowed us in. I have booked Golf Club of Crickentree for 36 on Sunday. Looking forward to a great weekend. With a winter storm heading towards toronto tonight, I can't wait to get back on a golf course. Thanks to fourmyle for the advice.

[JJCOOP7]

Love Golf Club of Crickentree.

If in metro area like Atlanta, DC, Charlotte, etc etc.. would cost 3x the price.

[seasuks]

I was a member at Cobblestone when it was still known as the University Club before it was bought, and subsequently ruined with the addition of houses on a lof of the holes by Bobby Ginn in 2005. I then joined Windermere for a year and ultimately ended up at Columbia Country Club. Cobblestone has three nines with the Garnet/Black being the best course and the one used for USC golf tournaments. Lots of elevation changes and some great holes. I wish I'd never been forced to leave (Ginn jacked the dues up over 300% the day he took it over).

Windermere is a PB Dye course and also a very good track. They don't overseed any more so the fairways should be absolutely fantastic by Masters Week. It's also the only course in the area (that I know of) that still has bent grass greens. They are usually very receptive and roll pretty well.

If you can get on Columbia Country Club, I'd recommend trying to do it. It's always in fantastic shape. Greens (Tifeagle) were always at 10-11 cross grain and somewhere in the vicinity of 15-18 if going down grain. Lots of good players there. When I was a member there were 192 (out of 400) members that were a 8hdcp or less.

Woodcreek is a good layout but condition was always spotty at best. I heard it's under new management so maybe things have changed for the better.

I never played Crickentree even though I lived in Columbia for five years based on its reputation.

The one course you really want to try to get on to play while you're in the area is Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken. It's an Alister Mackenzie design and absolutely awesome. It used to be the best/hardest 6300 yard course I've ever played. Then they added 400 yards to it for the 2006 SC State Am and it became the best/hardest 6700 yard course I've ever played. They redid the greens with Tifeagle in 2009 so I can only imagine how good it's going to be during Masters Week. FYI, Masters week is the only week Palmetto allows outside play. Out of all the courses I've played in my life, if I could only play one for the rest of my life, Palmetto would be in the top 3 with Bandon and Pacific Dunes. It's that good.