The Carolina Country Club

The Carolina Country Club – Played 2015

• Rankings: None of the four lists
• Location: 2355 Carolina Country Club Road, Spartanburg, South Carolina
• Year: 1984
• Architect: Tom Jackson
• Course Access: Private
• Walking Rules: Carts Available

Score Card Information:

• Black: 7,069 yards, Par 70, 74.5 Rating/138 Slope
• Gold: 6,724 yards, Par 72, 73.0 Rating/133 Slope
• Blue: 6,235 yards, Par 72, 70.9 Rating/126 Slope
• White: 5,771 yards, Par 72, 68.4 Rating/120 Slope
• Green: 5,317 yards, Par 72, 66.4 Rating/123 Slope
• Red: 4,791 yards, Par 72, 67.4 Rating/119 Slope

I always like when I get invited to play one of the private courses in my area.  I had a friend get invited to play at Carolina Country Club and I was able to fill out the foursome.  Now that I am a member of a private course, I hope to be able to invite some friends out to my course.

I don’t have a lot about the history of Carolina Country Club aside from what is listed above.  However, I was able to take plenty of pictures.  Let’s get right into it.  We played the gold tees and all yardages will be from those.

Hole 1 – 420 yards – Par 4

The first hole is a stout opening test.  You need a long drive, but you need to be careful not to lose it right.  The bunkers are definitely in play.

The approach brings a lot of sand into play.  Play for the center of the green to take the trouble out of the equation.

Here is a closer shot of the green.

Hole 2 – 373 yards – Par 4

This is a tricky little hole.  It doglegs right, but if you go too far up the right side you can run into the water.  A good play here is to hit three wood down the middle.

Here is a photo of the green.  The approach does play over the water.  Anything landing on the front of the green needs to keep the spin in control.

Hole 3 – 172 yards – Par 3

This hole is treacherous.  There is a hazard lurking on the left and not much room off the right side of the green.  Anything left of the putting surface will fall off down the slope.

Hole 4 – 526 yards – Par 5

This one is a long hole that will most likely play as a three-shotter.  There isn’t much strategy, just bomb it out there.

If you try to go for it in two, you will have to deal with the sand.  If you don’t carry it to the green, there is a little sliver on the left to run it up.

Here is a shot of the putting surface.

Hole 5 – 380 yards – Par 4

The fifth plays downhill from the tee.  The bunker is in play so the tee shot needs to be kept left of that.  Too far left, however, and you can be blocked out by trees.  Precision is the name of the game.

The approach plays over a ditch that is pretty far short of the green.  A good drive will hopefully leave you with a short iron in your hand.

The green is not overly contoured so any GIR should result in a good chance at birdie.

Hole 6 – 548 yards – Par 5

This hole it not reachable in two for most players.  It bends to the left.  If you hit it straightaway here it can run through the fairway and into a creek that is hidden.  A slinging draw works wonders here.

After a layup you are faced with a shot that is all in front of you.  Take dead aim.

Here is a close up of the green.

Hole 7 – 372 yards – Par 4

The same creek that lurked on the right side of the previous hole is present here as well.  Other than that the hole is straightaway and calls for a straight drive.

The green is guarded by a bunker short and right.  It also has sand over the back if you overcook your approach.

There is some mild contouring that must be taken into account when putting.

Hole 8 – 192 yards – Par 3

We were playing into some serious late-afternoon sun so the picture is a little tough to see.  The green is surrounded by bunkers.

Here is the green.  You can see all the trouble around it.  A conservative play for the middle of the green is solid.

Hole 9 – 390 yards – Par 4

This is just a great hole strategically and aesthetically.  The water is constantly on your mind.  If you can play a little draw you can set up a much easier approach.

A long drive will set up a short iron approach.  It still needs to carry the water.  Any shots drifting to the left are in danger of rolling into the water.

Hole 10 – 363 yards – Par 4

This was actually our first hole of the day.  It is a tight landing area.  I would suggest hitting something 220 down the middle with a slight draw.  There can be trouble if you hit it too far even if it is straight.

The green is buffeted by a creek on the right.  This should be a wedge shot though so go flag hunting.

Hole 11 – 414 yards – Par 4

The eleventh is a stout par 4.  The hole sets up for a draw off the tee.  The fairway slopes to the left and will direct balls that way when they land.  The bunker up the left is in play.

The approach plays longer than the yardage due to the uphill slope.  The green is wide open in front.

The putting surface slopes from back to front quite a bit in the back portion.  The pin position here is in a relatively flat spot.

Here is another angle demonstrating the slope.

Hole 13 – 505 yards – Par 5

This hole plays longer due to the dogleg.  A drive down the middle can run out of fairway like some of the previous par fives.  A fade at the bunker is a good play.

The main deterrent for going for it in two is the pond surrounding three sides of the green.  There is absolutely no room for error.

The green is not very big, but also not too sloped.

Hole 14 – 386 yards – Par 4

You tee off out of a chute on this hole.  There isn’t much room to maneuver the ball so the straighter you can get it the better.

The approach is up the hill all the way.  The bunkers are not really in play except for an extremely wayward shot.

The green is not very deep and sits at an angle to the fairway.

Hole 15 – 210 yards – Par 3

The par three here is very difficult.  It plays ever so slightly downhill, but still long.  The green is quite large to accommodate long iron tee shots.

Here is the green from a different angle.

Hole 16 – 416 yards – Par 4

I have had nightmares on this hole dating back to high school.  It is very tight, but you almost have to hit driver.  If you can play a slight fade up the left side of the fairway you will be in good shape.

You are not out of the woods after a food tee shot.  The green has water on three sides making distance control paramount.  You must account for the downhill as well.

Hole 17 – 368 yards – Par 4

This is another tough tee shot.  The hole plays longer than the yardage as it plays uphill.  It doglegs to the right around the bunkers.

The green is framed nicely by the bunkers.  Misses to the right will fall away down the slope.  You will want to carry the bunker to avoid a tough up and down.

Hole 18 – 533 yards – Par 5

This tee shot looks easier than it actually is.  There is a pond sitting on the right beyond the trees.  You tee shot will likely get past the trees so make sure it isn’t tailing to the right.

Here is a shot of the green after I pulled the second shot going for it in two.  This is nerve-wracking with the water just past the green.

Here is another shot of the green looking backward that also shows the rest of the hole.  The pond is in play for the entirety of the hole.

Overall, Carolina Country Club is a very picturesque and challenging course.  You are required to move the ball both ways and hit many different clubs.  The greens are sloped enough to make reading the greens interesting.  Add that to playing with friends and you have the formula for a really fun day.  Keep it in the short grass.