Wedgefield Plantation in Georgetown, SC, is the farthest south of the 120 courses that stretch nearly 100 miles along the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach.  It regained that distinction when the tricky Winyah Bay course closed two years ago to make way for a community of homes.  By the way, things don't seem to be going very well in that new development; we drove through last week, and the only thing built is a small clubhouse.

    Wedgefield was one of the original 19 courses on the Strand; I use the term "original" to signify the number of courses on the Strand during my first visit in 1969.  I played Wedgefield then and recall it seemed like wilderness, just a few homes scattered outside the fairways, and the clubhouse an antebellum plantation house that had seen better days.  I did like the golf course because it featured more water than I had ever hit over or around in my seven years of serious golf (at the time).  I can report that the water is still there, and the course is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, with better grooming along the fairways and on the greens than the place has seen in decades.  And the old brick clubhouse has been refurbished and recently reopened, serving meals at lunch and dinner to golfers and local non-golfers alike.  Georgetown needs a quality course, and residents and visiting golfers on the south end of the Strand will find Wedgefield a nice contrast to the notable Caledonia, Pawleys Plantation, True Blue and the soon to open Founders Club in Pawleys Island (the latter the former Sea Gull Golf Club, another on the list of my original 19).

    While the course is separate from the surrounding neighborhoods, Wedgefield has very much of a community vibe.  The houses are eclectic in style, new mixed with old, well designed mixed with some 35 year old structures that could use aggressive rehabilitation (or tear down).  Prices reflect the inconsistent nature of the houses and start at about $200,000.  You won't find many that tip the $400,000 scale.  A couple with some fix-up energy and no need for too many amenities could do quite well.

    In the next day or two my son, Tim, the golf architecture geek (and 1 handicapper), will share his thoughts about the Wedgefield course which he played with me a few days ago.  I expect that his comments will reflect that, unlike his old man, he is unburdened by any sense of nostalgia for Wedgefield.

 
The short par 5 17th at Wedgefield offers a strong reward for a risky tee shot.  Drive anywhere left or right of the fairway, and you will need to contend with water that pinches in on both sides of the fairway from 150 yards in to about 50 yards from the green.  A good drive and you can comfortably go at the green in two.
 

The par 5 12th at Red Tail Mountain starts a few stories above the fairway... 

    Red Tail Mountain, a two-year old community in a remote area of eastern Tennessee, has hired the Troon golf management company to supervise operations at its golf course.  Red Tail Mountain was one of the most interesting courses I played last year, and one of its par 5s is still seared in my memory.  It featured a four-story high tee, a fairway that was severely humped in the middle, and most unusual lay-up and approach shots.  Entry to the green is over a rock outcropping at right front; behind the green is a sheer two-story cliff that looks as if it will throw long shots back onto the green.  According to the assistant pro at the course, it doesn't work that way; he's hit buckets of balls at the cliff and very few bounce straight back.

    Red Tail, which is located in Mountain City, is about 40 minutes from the attractive mountain community of Boone, NC.  Real estate values currently reflect Red Tail's rural location; combine attractive prices, an intriguing golf course with a dramatic layout, and Tennessee's lack of a state income tax, and Red Tail Mountain has a great shot at success.  The hiring of Troon demonstrates that it is serious about upgrading its golf facilities.  That won't hurt either.

...and gets even "harder" the closer you get to the green. 

Position, not length, is most important at Diamond Back, especially on par 5s. 

    Sometimes when you are in a slump in baseball or cricket (we have faithful readers from the UK), all you need is for someone to lob a few your way to get your stroke back.  I have been in a slump lately, a 10 handicap struggling to break 90.  Diamond Back in Loris, SC, was just what the doctor ordered.  Its wide fairways and approachable greens cured the pushes and pulls that had marked my game this year.
    I would not have played Diamond Back if it hadn't been for Woodland Valley, an intriguing new community out on the fringes of the Myrtle Beach area that is sprouting around the golf course.  This is bass ackwards for golfing communities, where almost always the course is built into the master plan so it can work in two-part harmony with the housing lots.  Here, however, the course and community are separately owned but woven together, with some holes in the very interior of the community that will afford nice views from future back porches.
    I'll have a more extensive review of Woodland Valley in the October issue of HomeOnTheCourse, our bi-monthly newsletter, but suffice to say for now that Diamond Back, whose advertising line is "Feel the Fangs," has more bark than bite.  Despite a few forced carries, Diamond Back is still a resort course and, with one curious exception, it is built for speed of play, with good sightlines, wide fairways, big greens, and sand bunkers not encroaching too much at greenside.  The exception is the absence of hazard stakes off fairways and just beyond the cart paths; we played behind a group from the San Diego Golf Academy, about a dozen young men trying to earn their credentials to become golf club professionals, and more than once a member of the fivesome in front of us returned to the tee to reload after a stray tee ball (He took an 11 on one hole and was crestfallen, as you might imagine).  This turned a 4 ½-hour round into a 5-hour one.
    A few other idiosyncrasies are worth mentioning.  Diamond Back has no alert system for impending bad weather.  As the signs on the carts and around the course indicate, you are on your own to exercise good judgment in the event of lightning. The greens on the front and back nines were entirely different.  Although it was a Monday, normally a day of rest at many courses, maintenance crews were out working.  Oddly, the front nine's greens had not been cut, were quite grainy and medium slow.  The back nine's greens had been cut in such a way that they appeared to have been both shaved and slightly aerated, giving the surface an indoor/outdoor carpet weave effect.  Nevertheless, they were fast and generally putted as they read.  Finally, the Diamond Back scorecard needs significant updating.  Many official yardage stones from the back tees (6,907, rating 74.0, slope 139) did not match the card, and the course from the tips played more like 6,800.  Son Tim played erratically from back there and still shot 74.  My own 78 from the "back" tees (6,390, 71.4, 129) was my best round of the year.
     At almost a half hour from Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, Diamond Back is out there, the farthest course north and west of the 120 courses in the Myrtle Beach area. Is it worth the trip?  My answer is that, like most golfers, I'd suffer virtually any inconveniences to shave almost a dozen strokes off my (recent) average score.  Diamond Back's lack of venom was an antidote for me.
    I'll have much more to say about the course at Diamond Back, and I'll print a review of the brand new community at Woodland Valley, in the October issue of HomeOnTheCourse.  For subscription information - we charge a mere $39 for six issues a year - go to HomeOnTheCourse.com where you can receive a free sample and subscribe securely.  The August issue will be available soon, with a 14-page look at the Williamsburg, VA, area, including the Kingsmill Resort, Ford's Colony, Governor's Land and Colonial Heritage, with an Arthur Hills-designed course that was as tough as any we have played.  Subscribe now so you won't miss  it.