Camden Country Club – Played November 2020
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 111 Knights Hill Road, Camden, South Carolina
- Year: 1903
- Original Architect: Walter Travis
- Additional Work By: Donald Ross, Rick Robbins, & Kris Spence
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Tee 4: 6,587 yards, Par 70, 72.2 Rating/139 Slope
- Tee 3: 6,078 yards, Par 70, 70.3 Rating/137 Slope (Men’s), 75.6 Rating/136 Slope (Women’s)
- Tee 2/3: 5,804 yards, Par 70, 68.9 Rating/135 Slope
- Tee 2: 5,358 yards, Par 70, 67.2 Rating/128 Slope (Men’s), 73.6 Rating/126 Slope (Women’s)
- Tee 1: 4,552 yards, Par 70, 63.4 Rating/123 Slope (Men’s), 66.4 Rating/123 Slope (Women’s)
Camden Country Club is a golf course I had known about for a long time. It is the yearly host of our state golf association’s fourball tournament and players always rave about it. The stars aligned to play it with a good friend and two new friends on a beautiful November day.
The history of Camden Country Club is a long one, which is fitting since Camden is South Carolina’s oldest inland city. It was chartered in 1899 and the golf course was designed in 1903. You’ll notice I’ve left the “original architect” blank. I couldn’t find definitive proof on who should fill that role. The current golf course, however, was done by Donald Ross in the 1920s and today the course is viewed as a Ross.
After meeting up with my group and hitting some balls we wandered over to the first tee. Camden Country Club doesn’t do tee times so we went off at about 12:30. You’ll also notice the tees are labeled numerically. We played around a bit and chose the 4 tees and moved up on some of the par threes.
Here’s the lowkey entrance sign.
Hole 1 – 396 yards – Par 4
You need to be on your game from the start at Camden. The fairway is generous but bunkers line the left side and there is plenty of slope around the green.
You can see the Ross influence right from the first green.
Hole 2 – 183 yards – Par 3
This drop shot hole played quite difficult. You have to hit the proper portion of the green. Long is absolute death!
Hole 3 – 540 yards – Par 5
I really enjoyed this hole but I am not sure why. It has a bit of everything from the pond, to elevation change, to a chance for birdies.
You go up and over the hill to the green that is open in front to receive long second shots.
Hole 4 – 427 yards – Par 4
It’s hard to play a draw from this tee due to the shape of the hole and the trees on the right. Additionally, the further right you go in the fairway, the better angle you have into the green.
You can see the challenge with back pins, as the green narrows a good bit.
Hole 5 – 320 yards – Par 4
Trees dictate your shot from tee here also. With the shorter yardage it was easy to bunt something by the tree with maximum accuracy.
The perched, narrow green makes for a tough approach shot. Up and downs from the left will be limited.
Hole 6 – 236 yards – Par 3
You have a monster hole here. You get a break since the green is a large target, anything else would be cruel.
Hole 7 – 522 yards – Par 5
The dogleg right seventh is an excellent test from start to finish. The tee shot plays to a blind landing area. The further right you go the shorter the hole becomes.
Just behind the tee is this area. It was once of the old greens back in the day and the club has a flag to mark the spot.
The slope is turned way up on this green. You cannot miss long.
Hole 8 – 140 yards – Par 3
The green provides all the entertainment on this hole. It has plenty of contour that will test all but the closest tee shots.
Hole 9 – 386 yards – Par 4
Bomb away on this straight hole. Two good shots are all you need.
Hole 10 – 439 yards – Par 4
I forgot to get the photo from the tee here. The hole is brawny and straight. The approach shot favors a fade.
The photo below illuminates some of the slopes you cannot see from the fairway.
Hole 11 – 402 yards – Par 4
Feel free to rip the driver here since the landing area is ample. If you avoid the bunkers this should be an easier par.
Hole 12 – 176 yards – Par 3
This greens slopes heavily from back to front. So much so that you could quickly putt right off the green.
Hole 13 – 490 yards – Par 5
From the beginning this hole is moving to the right. So much so that in my second photo you still cannot see the green.
OB runs very close on the right and behind the green. It should give you pause if you are going for it in two.
Hole 14 – 480 yards – Par 4
This hole is only 10 yards shorter than the previous one but is listed as a par four. We got it into the wind as well. I was well on my way to a double bogey!
Hole 15 – 435 yards – Par 4
We retrace our steps from 14 here but some elevation change is added. The green sits above the rest of the hole among the trees.
Hole 16 – 186 yards – Par 3
This shot is challenging due to the length and bunkers on each side. Add to that, the green is on the smaller side. Good luck!
Hole 17 – 402 yards – Par 4
With the sun in our eyes this hole was a tough one. The fairway rolls up and down and up again before you arrive at the green.
There are runoffs around the green to repel shots. Like many other holes, long is wrong.
Hole 18 – 427 yards – Par 4
A blind tee shot adds a little bit of quirk. On this this dogleg right, the more you can fade your driver the better. If you don’t you will run into the rough from the first hole.
With the sun casting shadow on the green you can really see the subtle internal contouring of the putting surface.
Camden Country Club was a delightful golf course. You can clearly see the work of Ross in the devilish greens. Even though the course is not traditionally long, I used most of the clubs in my bag and had plenty of long approaches. I can certainly see why they play tournaments here regularly. If you have a chance to get to Camden, do it! You won’t regret it.