Furman University Golf Club – Played September 2019
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 400 N Highway 25, Greenville, South Carolina
- Year: 1955
- Original Architect: John LaFoy
- Additional Work By: Scot Sherman & Kris Spence
- Course Access: Semi-Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Purple: 7,004 yards, Par 72, 73.6 Rating/134 Slope
- Black: 6,600 yards, Par 72, 71.9 Rating/132 Slope
- White: 6,091 yards, Par 72, 69.6 Rating/130 Slope
- Gold: 5,395 yards, Par 72, 66.5 Rating/120 Slope
- Lavender: 4,993 yards, Par 72, 68.5 Rating/115 Slope
Many people in my neck of the woods will tell you that Furman University Golf Club is the best public course in Greenville. It is hard to argue their opinion.
I have played this course many times throughout my life and have always enjoyed it. It took a step forward though when the University redid the greens to USGA specifications and added new Bermuda grass. Once the greens matured a bit they are some of the best around.
I’ve always found the course to be a good challenge even though it is not overly long. The mixture of holes features reachable par fives and tough par threes. The par fours are a great mix of distances. It is likely that most of your clubs will be used in a round at Furman University Golf Club.
It’s no surprise that Furman has a good course. Many greats of the game played for this school. Names like Betsy King, Beth Daniel, Dottie Pepper, and Brad Faxon have walked this course.
I was back at Furman because a good friend of mine had a last-minute spot open up for a scramble. An added bonus was that the tournament was benefitting Furman basketball.
The weather was warm but otherwise, it was a beautiful day. Instead of the entire course tour, I only got a few photos. It was one of those days where I focused most of my attention on the fellowship. I did get a few select photos that should give you a vibe of the course.
The photo below is the view walking up to the green on the par five, 11th. It has a tricky tee shot that calls for a draw. With the slope on and around this green, you do not want to miss long.
The next photo is from the other par five on the back nine, fifteen. This hole is uphill for its first half with a very inviting green.
Below is the sweeping dogleg left 17th. It plays longer than the yardage due to the uphill grade. This is one of my favorite holes on the course.
Turns out that I didn’t get any photos of the front nine. This shot below is from the tee on the 18th.
For the tournament, the tees were up a bit. With trees left and out of bounds right, a conservative line from the tee is the usual play. However, in a scramble we took rips at the green. It is located past the bunker on the left. You have to be careful though as the green is very close to the parking lot. Thankfully we didn’t ding any Mercedes!
I hope these photos have piqued your interest in Furman University Golf Club. If you find yourself in the Greenville area I highly recommend checking it out.
Unfortunately, our public golf scene is not the best but Furman is our shining light. The students are incredibly lucky to have this course for their consumption. I would have been out here all the time!