Country Club of Charleston is a top-notch championship golf course designed by Seth Raynor in 1923. It’s a club that is committed to championship golf, having hosted many amateur events, highlighted by the annual Azalea Amateur Championship, and in 2019 hosted the U.S. Womens Open.
Having played many rounds at Fox Chapel Golf Club in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, it’s always special to experience other courses designed by Seth Raynor. After receiving an invitation to attend the 2024 Masters, we routed our trip through Charleston, South Carolina and set our sights on playing this golden age gem. Thanks to a friend that attended college in Charleston we connected with a member and kicked off our Masters trip in style with a stroll around the historic Raynor designed golf course.
5 Highlights from our Experience
The best holes: Reverse Redan and Lion’s Mouth
While I expected to find the layout similar to Fox Chapel, I was blown away by the fact that the two most popular holes at Country Club of Charleston are the Reverse Redan 11th and the Lion’s Mouth 16th. Both of these template holes are featured at Fox Chapel GC and based on research of Raynor templates they aren’t commonly found at his other course designs. At Fox Chapel GC, the reverse Redan is found on the 6th hole and features a similarly severe false front and dramatic left to right to left slope. Missing the (very) elevated green makes par nearly impossible. The Lion’s Mouth 16th is what many consider the signature hole at CC of Charleston. It’s a long par-4 to a large green protected by a large lion’s mouth bunker. The version at Fox Chapel was restored in 2020, when the Fazio team significantly increased the size of the green back to its original design and added the lion’s mouth bunker front and center. It’s a much larger green than the Lion’s Mouth green at Charleston, but both very similar with the green sloping severly back to front and away from the lions mouth. Both versions demand a precise approach shot.
Commitment to Championship Golf
Another theme at Country Club of Charleston is their commitment to championship golf. The club hosts the Azalea Amateur championship annually, a national tournament with top amateur players from around the country. Since 1925 they’ve hosted 27 state amateur championships and more recently two USGA events, the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur and the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open. The commitment to tournament golf naturally has produced several members with impressive resumes highlighted by Hall of Famer Beth Daniel and former club professional and Masters champion Henry Picard. The club has a clear commitment to championship golf.
Renovation and Restoration work
The club was founded in 1900 and was relocated to its current location in the early 1920’s. The Olmsted Brothers architectural design firm recommended Seth Raynor design the new layout along the Ashley River. The course was completed in 1923 and has had several design changes over the years. Most recently, Kyle Franz worked on restoring the course prior to the 2019 U.S. Women’s open based on newly discovered aerial photos of the course from 1923. Notably the reshaping and restoring original bunkering from the 1923 plan. Franz also worked with the membership to update the course based on technology’s impact on the recent game, making the course more challenging for longer hitters. As mentioned in his Golf Club Atlas interview, he was able to achieve this without straying from Raynor’s original design or intent.
The land and the routing
The location of the course is amazing, situated on James Island along the Ashley River. The course has all the feels of a links course, and given that its not far from the ocean there are constantly changing wind conditions that players have to account for. Length isn’t the teeth, but large sloping greens definitely are. The front and back nine have two different feels to them, with the front situated along the marshland and the back more inland along a residential area.
Overall Experience: A beautiful club with a focus on championship golf
It’s a country club that feels like a golf club. While there are all the amenities of a country club, the feel of the club is very golf focused at Country Club of Charleston. The professional staff greets you on the first tee like you’re teeing off in a tournament. The men’s grill and clubhouse have endless memorabilia on display from their many champions and championships – highlighted by former head pro Henry Picard’s green jacket from his Masters victory in 1938. The bottom line is that championship golf is central to the club’s culture.
George