Columbia Country Club (Ridgewood/Tall Pines) – Played November 2020
- Rankings: None of my four lists
- Location: 135 Columbia Club Drive, Blythewood, South Carolina
- Year: 1962
- Architect: Ellis Maples
- Course Access: Private
- Walking Rules: Carts Available
Score Card Information:
- Gold: 7,150 yards, Par 72, 74.8 Rating/141 Slope
- Blue: 6,773 yards, Par 72, 73.2 Rating/134 Slope
- White: 6,270 yards, Par 72, 70.4 Rating/132 Slope
- Silver: 5,973 yards, Par 72, 68.9 Rating/129 Slope
- Black: 5,679 yards, Par 72, 67.8 Rating/126 Slope
- Red: 5,211 yards, Par 72, 69.7 Rating/118 Slope
Columbia Country Club has been in my golf world for quite some time. I caddied for a teammate at the State Amateur there back when we were playing high school golf. My memories from that time were of a solid golf course with speedy greens.
So with that backdrop, I had a tee time arranged with a few buddies to see how Columbia Country Club looks now.
The club boasts a talented stable of players, so much so that they advertise having one of the largest collections of single-digit handicappers in the state! It has 27 holes on property, known as Ridgewood, Tall Pines, and Lakeside. Lakeside wasn’t in our rotation on this day.
Other than these blurbs, I couldn’t find much other information on Columbia Country Club and its history. Let’s just dive into the course tour.
Hole 1 – 390 yards – Par 4
The round starts off with a straightaway hole with standard bunkering and a tame green.
Hole 2 – 405 yards – Par 4
This hole is a bit longer than the last one and bends slightly to the right. Depending on the pin position, you may have to carry a bunker to get at the flag.
Hole 3 – 505 yards – Par 5
The generous fairway invites a mighty lash with the driver. A good one puts you in position to get home in two and put a red number on the card early.
The green features plenty of slope to test you.
Hole 4 – 392 yards – Par 4
The right turn is pretty sharp here and you can definitely go through the fairway with your drive. Proper placement of the tee shot should set up an aggressive approach.
Hole 5 – 187 yards – Par 3
It’s more comfortable to attack this pin with a fade due to the water lurking to the right.
Hole 6 – 430 yards – Par 4
The sixth requires two solid shots to have any shot at the green.
Hole 7 – 519 yards – Par 5
What looks inviting from the tee can bite you. If you venture too far to the left a tree can block your path on your third shot. The distance can be a challenge too with a slightly elevated green.
Hole 8 – 172 yards – Par 3
The water is the obvious danger here but don’t underestimate the difficulty of short sided pitches from the right side. The two tier green will also punish sloppy distance control.
Hole 9 – 409 yards – Par 4
This one plays uphill all the way to the green, so much so that you cannot see the putting surface on the approach.
Hole 10 – 400 yards – Par 4
The elevated tee makes this hole play shorter than the yardage. Coupled with a wide fairway, it’s bombs away here. The green is tucked behind trees to the left.
Hole 11 – 375 yards – Par 4
Long hitters can take a line over the short trees on the left to significantly shorten this dogleg left.. For the rest of us the play is to the left of the bunker.
Hole 12 – 514 yards – Par 5
As you can see, this hole plays to a blind landing area. Once you get to the top of the hill, you have to make a decision to challenge the water or play for a layup yardage.
There is quite a bit of slope on this green.
Hole 13 – 355 yards – Par 4
Not much to advise you on here, aside from stay out of the sand.
Hole 14 – 213 yards – Par 3
This hole is a difficult test in cooler weather. It plays all of the yardage but is generously open in front of the green.
Hole 15 – 510 yards – Par 5
This hole curves to the right a bit and doesn’t have any sand until you get to the green. Stay out of the trees and a par should be easy.
Hole 16 – 407 yards – Par 4
As you can see, Columbia Country Club features a lot of straight forward holes with bunkers on each side. They require you to hit accurate shots and find the greens. Sixteen is no exception.
Hole 17 – 172 yards – Par 3
The penultimate hole plays uphill just enough to make you question your club selection. If you find the green, the challenge is just beginning due to the contouring of the putting surface.
Hole 18 – 418 yards – Par 4
The final hole is on the longer side and forces you to grind out the finish of your round.
The green is quite large, so take note of the pin position when gauging your approach shot.
I found Columbia Country Club to be the stiff test that I remembered. The holes and scenery may not wow you from a architectural standpoint but each one is a solid examination. When you add in quick, smooth greens, you have a recipe for a demanding tournament venue. This explains why it is so often a host of state amateur events.