Advice in Georgia and Carolina

[Shallows]

We have a foursome trip coming up in April and would love any advice or ideas folks have to share. Thanks to @wolfhaley for all the great reviews in their trip thread! Trip was originally going to be focused around IDGC, but trying to redesign with the closure.

Trip has to start in Atlanta and go to Charlotte to accomodate people's flights, but here's a rough sketch:

Day 1: Lula OG and Redhawk
Day 2: Little Mulberry, drive to Langley Pond
Day 3: drive north, play Stoney Hill
Day 4: Nevin's and Hornet's Den
Day 5: Renaissance Gold and Eastway Park

A few options: considering dropping Langley Pond and Stoney Hill and instead staying in Georgia and playing Hobbs Farm and the Boundary Waters courses on the other side of Atlanta.

Or debating minimizing driving and swapping Langley and Stoney Hill for some courses around Spartanburg.

Maybe there's an outside chance one of the IDGC courses is up in some modified form by then too?

Any and all feedback and critiques and advice eagerly invited.

 

[Cerealman]

My two cents having played all those courses except Stoney Hill (it's on my bucket list, David Sauls): I'd include a day for Hobbs Farm and the Boundary Waters complex at the beginning and ax the Day 5 courses. But I'm probably in the minority as I think that Renaissance Gold is overrated and not much fun either...

 

[elmexdela]

i also would say skip renny for sure as its an eroded shithole

 

[Countchunkula]

^Billy Crump wants a word with you guys.

Not sure if you ever watched the old Clash videos, but the one at Renny Gold is all about pumping up the course and kissing Stan McD's butt. I've never played it, but have always wanted to.

 

[elmexdela]

^Billy Crump wants a word with you guys.

Not sure if you ever watched the old Clash videos, but the one at Renny Gold is all about pumping up the course and kissing Stan McD's butt. I've never played it, but have always wanted to.

i dont think ive seen it but i believe it

 

[Countchunkula]

Only thing I've played from your list is Hobbs. I thought it was a solid course that probably plays fair for leagues/tourneys. Not anything super exciting though. Basically a normal suburban park with a well designed course.

 

[elmexdela]

Only thing I've played from your list is Hobbs. I thought it was a solid course that probably plays fair for leagues/tourneys. Not anything super exciting though. Basically a normal suburban park with a well designed course.

i would go boundary waters over hobbs any day

hobbs is standard open boring park with too many death marches to nothing

i love jh designs but hobbs is a miss (and would be way worse if someone else designed it)

 

[HyooMac]

If for some reason you're killing a few hours near ATL, hit Perkerson.

 

[wolfhaley]

I wouldn't skip Stoney Hill personally. One of the best private courses I've ever played. There's two different layouts you can choose from, or just play both like we did. It's a must play IMO.

Langley was alright but most people love it, obviously. Still worth playing though. I'd leave that day set if I were you.

I didn't play Renny gold. We played Renske and Pro Players though. That gives you a bit of a sense of what Gold looks like at least. I get wanting to play Gold though, it's pretty iconic.

Don't sleep on the Scrapyard if you have time. One of my favorites of the whole trip. Either way, have a great trip. You can't really mess anything up no matter what you decide to play. So many good ones over there.

 

[DavidSauls]

I wouldn't put much faith in the IDGC re-design being done and polished by then, and it's hard to forecast how good the courses will be, where the property was clear-cut. You can keep tabs on it and stay flexible, but I doubt you'll be swapping out anything for them.

You don't say when in April, but Stoney Hill has a B-tier April 13-14. Meaning it won't be available those days, but should be in real good condition before and after.

You might consider Camp Canaan at the Charlotte end of the tour (it's near Rock Hill). It's one of my favorites, a tough but fair woods course, on an cliff-rimmed island in the river. The property is sort of a church retreat (ziplines, etc.), so there are restrictions and, last I checked, limited hours, only on weekends; but that also means it's uncrowded and in good shape.

 

[Shadrach3]

I think among the suggestions that have been made, there aren't any bad ones - it will depend on your taste.

The one I second strongly is to play Camp Canaan if your timing works (maybe same day as Stoney even - for my money, those are the two best on your itinerary).

My hot takes on some -
-Hobbs - quite good with memorably challenging woods holes, does have some boring stretches, great infrastructure if that's important to you.
-Langley - play here if you like water holes. If you don't, skip, it's a huge element of the course.
-Stoney - don't axe this one unless you have to.
-Renny Gold - a little run down, but the design hasn't changed. Some crazy iconic holes, a few that feel like connectors. Probably the most extreme elevation of this list if anyone is concerned about knees.
-Scrapyard - if you like wooded par-3s, paradise. I personally felt it was pretty run-of-the-mill among well-done wooded southeastern courses.

 

[biscoe]

I wouldn't put much faith in the IDGC re-design being done and polished by then, and it's hard to forecast how good the courses will be, where the property was clear-cut. You can keep tabs on it and stay flexible, but I doubt you'll be swapping out anything for them.

They are just now soliciting design bids- no way is anything new ready to play in April 2024.

 

[Shallows]

They are just now soliciting design bids- no way is anything new ready to play in April 2024.

Looks like their goal for substantial completion is 8/31.

 

[elmexdela]

i agree camp canaan was awesome and i would easily play again and has the bonus ace run course for easy baggin

scrappy was legit i liked the water features which added a little variety

 

[Shallows]

This is awesome stuff, thank you everyone.

Anyone have takes on the Spartanburg SC area, Pipeline or other nearby courses?

 

[DavidSauls]

Collectively, the Greenville-Spartanburg area can be referred to as the Upstate, and it's a bit like a smaller version of Charlotte -- lots of good to very good courses, but not necessarily great ones.

Pipeline is one of my favorite woods courses -- and one of the prettier non-mountain courses I've played. It's almost entirely in the woods or a utility right-of-way, with a couple of beautiful holes by a river. Shoally Creek has a tremendouse amount of variety -- open and woods, creeks and retention ponds, big hills and level areas. On the other side of Greenville is Grand Central Station, which was excellent when I last played, and I understand has been upgraded and improved since then -- it's frequently near the top when people list their favorites in South Carolina. There are a lot of other fun, often shorter, courses in the Upstate.

 

[Monocacy]

Anyone have takes on the Spartanburg SC area, Pipeline or other nearby courses?

Pipeline: This would be my top recommendation and I loved playing here. Hills, woods, two-shot holes, all the good things.

Shoally Creek: I enjoyed this course, even though we were in a hurry and played mostly shorts with a few longs mixed in. Woods and hills with water in play and a few open holes. I hear that the longs are more punishing.

Those are the only two I have played in the area so I defer to locals on other courses.

 

[Moose33]

It's a tough call in GA, Red Hawk and Lula are great, but Hobbs is possibly a little better and BW has three courses that are considered to be 3.5+ all right there. Ton of bang for your time in that area.

If you can get on the Stoney Hill property though it is class you should try it.

 

[Moose33]

Hornets Nest/Nevin are both great and worth the time. I think Renaissance Gold is actually better but isn't kept up as well. I don't think think gold layout gets played a ton.

If you can work it in Angry Beaver is as good as Nevin to me, but that is a slightly hot take.

 

[TheOtherBill]

Angry Beaver over Renny IMO, but it's been 10 years since I've played either - I don't think Renny has been much improved since then.