IMAGES: GETTY; KIAWAH ISLAND GOLF RESORT; PINEHURST
USA SOUTH CAROLINA
Crossing the border into South Carolina is entering a time warp: cobbled streets, carriage rides, colourful colonial- era mansions, mammoth oak trees dripping with moss and atmospheric antebellum plantations. Other atractions include palm-studded beaches and the chance to get beter acquainted with the Gullah, a people whose language and culture reaches back to the time of Atlantic slavery. Meanwhile, the state’s biggest draw is its Southern hospitality — don’t be surprised if you’re invited home for sweet tea and Southern fried chicken.
Wild Dunes Resort The Links Course here was Tom Fazio’s first major solo design.
Today it is newly renovated and still among his favourites — the American Society of Golf Course Architects called the layout ‘an architect’s dream’ owing to the rustling palms lining lush, rolling fairways and a finishing hole overlooking the Atlantic. Elsewhere, the Harbor Course is famed for its water lagoons, and salt marshes come into play on every hole. Make no mistake, the Harbor Course may be the Links’ litle sibling but it poses huge challenges. Green fee: From £41.
wilddunes.com
Harbour Town Golf Links Tiny Hilton Head island, South Carolina’s largest barrier
island, is one of the US’s top golf spots and home to more than 400 golf holes. It is Harbour Town, however, whose 18th green is backdropped by a lighthouse — Hilton Head’s enduring symbol — where most golfers want to tee it up; and, of course, the Calibogue Sound, the channel between the island and the mainland. Harbour Town Golf Links was Jack Nicklaus’s first foray into golf architecture back in 1969. The course, which Nicklaus co-designed with Pete Dye, continues to challenge pros and tourists in equal measure, owing to its interestingly shaped greens and lagoons. Green fee: £142-£285.
seapines.com/golf/harbour-town-golf-links
Kiawah Island Golf Resort Siting prety by the sea, this resort is a haven
for golfers with five public courses — step forward Cougar Point, Osprey Point, Turtle Point Oak Point and The Ocean Course — certain to challenge anyone with a passion for the game. The later, which plays along 7,296 yards, is arguably the jewel in Kiawah’s crown. As its name suggests, golfers can look forward to panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and more seaside holes than any other course in the Northern Hemisphere. Litle wonder then that The Ocean Course was chosen as a key location for the 2000 film The Legend of Bagger Vance. Green fee: From £225.
kiawahresort.com
ESSENTIALS
WHEN TO GO: Sept- Oct and April-May when the weather is warm and pleasant. GREEN FEE: From around £41-£360. FLIGHT TIME: Around 13h (indirect). VISA REQUIREMENTS: UK citizens must register with the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) online 72 hours before arrival. Registration costs £10.50 and is valid for two years.
esta.cbp.dhs.gov GETTING AROUND: Renting a car is the best way to explore. CONTACT:
visitnc.com discoversouthcarolina. com
Clockwise from left: Flying heron; Pinehurst; Kiawah Island Golf Resort
countrybycountry.com 219
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228