The Country Club of Spartanburg

The Country Club of Spartanburg – Played 2015

• Rankings: None of the four lists
• Location: 2500 Country Road, Spartanburg, South Carolina
• Year: 1908
• Original Architect: Donald Ross
• Additional Work By: Kris Spence
• Course Access: Private
• Walking Rules: Carts Available

Score Card Information:

• Gold: 6,648 yards, Par 72, 71.5 Rating/128 Slope
• Tournament: 6,434 yards, Par 72, 70.8 Rating/125 Slope
• Blue: 6,205 yards, Par 72, 70.0 Rating/123 Slope
• White: 5,734 yards, Par 72, 68.0 Rating/119 Slope
• Red: 5,113 yards, Par 73, 69.6 Rating/114 Slope

Recently a good friend of mine joined the Country Club of Spartanburg.  That was good news for me.  He invited my wife and I out soon after he joined.  They have a reasonable guest rate and it’s not too far from my house.

I tried to do some research on the course and came up dry.  Aside from what I found on the scorecard there isn’t much information out there.  After looking at graylynloomis.com I learned that the course is Donald Ross-inspired, but there is no documentation of the actual designer.

Due to these circumstances, we will focus on the golf course only today.  We played the blue tees, all hole distances are from there.

Hole 1 – 498 yards – Par 5

Your day opens with a relatively easy tee shot.  The ball will get some roll with the downhill slope.  There is a bunker up the right side that needs to be avoided, but if you play a draw off of that you will be in prime position.

The second shot plays uphill.  There is a steep slope to the right side of the green.  You do not want a three wood shot going that way.

The picture below does not do the slopes in the green justice.

Hole 2 – 370 yards – Par 4

The hazard to the right isn’t really in play.  Long drives can carry the bunker on the left.

The approach plays a bit uphill.  The green is guarded on the left by the sand.  Anything short, will likely roll back off the green.

Here is a shot showing the green contours.

Hole 3 – 178 yards – Par 3 

This can be a hair raising shot for a slicer.  The green is pretty big so play to the middle and try to sink a putt.

Here is a closer look at the green.

Hole 4 – 367 yards – Par 4

This hole bends slightly to the left.  Driver is not required here.  The best line is to start a draw at the tallest tree straightaway.

The second shot plays to a large green.  A good drive should leave no more than a short iron and a good look at birdie.  Long and left is not the place to be.

Here is the close up of the green.

Hole 5 – 470 yards – Par 5 

The tee aims you down the left side of the hole.  At this time of the year the big tree on the right is less fearsome since it has no leaves.  A big drive can clear that tree and leave a shorter approach.

The approach shot is semi-blind and plays downhill.  There is a bunker well short of the green that needs to be carried.

Here is the green.  Long is dead.

Hole 6 – 199 yards – Par 3 

This is a stout par three.  It plays uphill all the way.  Anything short will most likely roll down the hill a little ways.  The bunkers are very deep.

The green has two tiers for extra difficulty.  Chip shots from behind the green can be especially difficult due to the speed of the greens and the downhill slope.

Hole 7 – 420 yards – Par 4

This hole gets me every time I play it.  There is plenty of room to the right, but I seem to yank one into the hazard on the left automatically.  The big drop tee shot will provide some extra yardage making the hole play shorter than the yardage.  It doesn’t shorten it as much as you would think though.

The green is semi-blocked by a mound on the far side of the bunker.  If you just carry the mound your ball will occasionally bound forward onto the green.  This is a large green.

There is plenty of slope from back to front on this green.  Just hitting the green will not guarantee a two-putt.

Hole 8 – 173 yards – Par 3 

While this hole is shorter than the last par three, it does not get any easier.  The green is much smaller and guarded by deep sand traps.

Here is the view from behind the putting surface.  There is quite a bit of slope on the left side.

Hole 9 – 339 yards – Par 4

The front nine finishes with an easier hole.  The landing area is somewhat pinched.  Anything that is moving left will catch a slope and possibly have tree trouble.

The approach is all uphill.  Distance control is key because the up and downs around this green are difficult.

The putting surface is very undulating in its back right corner (left side of this photo).  Putting from there to this pin requires good green-reading skills.

Hole 10 – 447 yards – Par 4

This is one of the tougher tee shots on the course.  You need a good one to give yourself a reasonable approach to the green.  You can go a little further right than it seems.  A good line is at the clump of pines down the middle.

The approach plays quite a bit downhill and requires an adjustment in club selection.  The green is large.  The worst miss is long and left.

In this photo of the green you can see the slopes.

Here is another angle of the putting surface.

Hole 11 – 259 yards – Par 4

This is definitely one of the trickier holes on the course.  I would venture to say it is one of the weirder holes I have played.  It is straight up the hill and very short.  The first time I played I hit driver and caught one of the trees.  Ever since I have hit long irons.  I think the best play may be to hit something that leaves you with 100 yards.

This photo does not do it justice because this green is incredibly sloped.  I have played the hole five times and still haven’t hit the green.

Hole 12 – 308 yards – Par 4

This hole can trick you.  The tee shot needs to be played a good bit to the right.  Any shot that goes up the middle of this fairway will most likely end up down in the valley.  It is playable from there, just not as easy.

The approach shot plays over a bunch of bunkers to a sloping green.

Here is a shot of the green.

Hole 13 – 419 yards – Par 4

After two tricky holes, this one is all out in front of you.  A draw played up the right side is the best play.  The first tree out there on the left side of the fairway is definitely in play.  I have hit it multiple times.

The second will be a long or mid-iron shot to a receptive green.  The difficulty of this hole is the distance.

You can see that the green is pretty flat.

Hole 14 – 149 yards – Par 3 

This hole requires no more than a short iron for many players, but it is not easy.  The right bunker is very deep.  The slopes around the green also make for difficult chipping.

You can see the slope of the green below.

Hole 15 – 489 yards – Par 5 

This hole is reachable in two with a good drive.  The fairway cants to the left.  A slight draw hit up the right side of the fairway is the best play.

Here is the approach shot.

And a view of the green.

Here is the green from another angle.

Hole 16 – 321 yards – Par 4

This tee shot requires no more than a 200-yard shot.  There is OB way left.  I usually just hit a three-iron.  The landing area is blind.

Once you crest the hill you can see the approach shot.  Distance control is important because the chips from long and shot are difficult.  Right is also dead.

You can see the green below has some slope, mostly in the back and right portion of the surface.

Hole 17 – 462 yards – Par 5 

This par five can also be reached in two, but it requires more precision.  The hole doglegs sharply to the left.  If you go with driver, a draw with a precise line is required.

The approach has all kinds of danger long and right.  Steep drop-offs abound on those sides and make for extremely difficult up and downs.

Here is the approach shot from the more manageable wedge distance.  The bunkers you see in front of the green are in play.  The one on the right is well below the putting surface.

Here is a closer look at the green and its contours.

And the same green from the other side.

Hole 18 – 337 yards – Par 4

The tee shot can seem tighter than it is.  Still, it is good to be accurate here.  The driving range runs up the left side of the hole and trees are down the right.  A 200-yard shot is perfect here since it will land on a downslope.  A good line is right at the middle of the clubhouse.

The second shot plays way up the hill.  Add some yardage to clear the bunker in front of the green.

The green has more slope than it looks here.

I managed to get one shot of the clubhouse.  It has a well-stocked pro shop and a nice men’s grill.  The food is pretty solid and they make a good Transfusion.  I didn’t even have to explain how to make it!

The Country Club of Spartanburg is very fun to play and is an old school gem.  The greens are usually firm and fast and putt true.  I found that I used most of the clubs in my bag and had to move the ball both ways.  It was a fun test and I plan to play more now that my friend is a member.