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GOLF PANEL: Orangeburg Country Club back in top 50 courses in S.C.

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GOLF PANEL: Orangeburg Country Club back in top 50 courses in S.C.

Golfers enjoy a round of golf at Orangeburg Country Club.

In 2014, when the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel released its biennial “Top 50 Golf Courses in South Carolina,” it was for some a surprise – but not a shock – to find among the high-end resort courses, exclusive private clubs and historically significant layouts the name of Orangeburg Country Club at No. 45.

Built on its current site in 1961 by architect Ellis Maples, and extensively renovated in 2009 by then-new owner Frank Tourville, the former Country Club of Orangeburg generated considerable instate buzz following that multi-million-dollar makeover by architect Richard Mandell. The course – one of South Carolina’s longest and toughest when it debuted a half-century ago – seemed prepared to reclaim its place as a must-play track in 2014.

But then 2016 rolled around, and OCC dropped out (barely) of the top 50, despite ongoing attention to detail by owner and staff, evoking disappointment at the club.

Now, two years later, Orangeburg is back, this time at No. 43 in the Golf Panel’s 2018 poll. This weekend, the panel held its annual awards activities (and announced the poll results) at OCC, with many of the 120-plus voters on hand to eat, drink and play the course.

So: why the in-and-out of the past two ratings?

David Lackey, OCC’s director of golf, can only guess, but he believes it boils down to the truism of “out of sight, out of mind.” While golfers, both in-state and tourists, flock to the state’s coastal resort areas, central South Carolina is another matter.

“We realize that, like all Midlands region courses, we’re not located in a destination city,” Lackey said.

Indeed, of this year’s Top 50 – led for the third straight time by Kiawah Island Resort’s Ocean Course, built for the 1991 Ryder Cup by legendary architect Pete Dye – 45 are located along the coast or in the Upstate.

Panelists similarly are drawn to resorts and their big-name courses.

“We don’t have the ocean and we don’t have the mountains,” Lackey said, “though we are a great stop when traveling to or from either of those areas.”

A big reason for OCC’s return to the rankings is a decision made to help increase golf traffic and generate income. The club reached agreements over the past couple of years with two Santee Cooper golf package operations, making OCC available to outside tourist play while maintaining its status as a private club.

In fact, in 2017, the Golf Panel’s “Top 30 Courses You Can Play” (courses available to the public) listed Orangeburg CC among its top 10. As its reputation spread, Lackey said, the panel’s members apparently were listening.

“Word of mouth, as often is the case, is our best advertising,” Lackey said. “The groups that travel to the Santee area to play golf often cross paths with each other at other courses, lodging or restaurants, and we often hear (someone say), ‘We ran into another group that was down here, and they said that we have to play OCC.’

“There’s no better compliment than a third party saying that Orangeburg is a ‘must-play.’”

This weekend, members of the Golf Panel – those who have played OCC before and some who had not – got a chance to see what the fuss is about. Lackey said that can only be a good thing for both parties.

“We’re honored to be hosting the panel and to have been selected (for the gathering),” he said. “Orangeburg does enjoy the fact that it’s centrally located, making it an easy trip from any point in the state.”

Michael Whitaker, executive director of the S.C. Golf Course Ratings Panel, said the group is “excited to be holding our annual awards dinner at Orangeburg Country Club. The club offers some the state’s most outstanding facilities, comparing favorability with any upscale club anywhere in the state.

“We have wanted to have our meeting at an inland location for several years (for logistical reasons) and the clubhouse and course at Orangeburg make this possible without compromise. We are all very impressed with the beautiful clubhouse and the amazing remodeling work that was done to the golf course.”

Lackey also anticipated panel members being impressed by the club’s upscale dining facilities. “We feel we can offer the best in quality dining,” he said, “and we’re excited to share that with the panelists who travel all over the state.”

OCC did its best to put on a good show. Friday night, panelists were treated to an intimate dinner at the club, with food and beverages provided. Saturday night’s awards banquet, catered by the club, followed a day of golf on Orangeburg’s 7,032-yard, par-72 layout.

Lackey said hosting the panel is a step toward more recognition for OCC.

“There are a lot of excellent facilities in South Carolina,” he said. “We don’t like being (called) ‘the best-kept secret.’ We want the word to get out about the quality at OCC, not only the golf course but the facility, the food and the hospitality.”

NOTES – Harbour Town Golf Links, co-designed by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus and site of the annual RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, is again ranked No. 2 behind The Ocean Course, with another Hilton Head area resort, May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff (a Nicklaus design), at No. 3. Rounding out the Top 10 courses: the exclusive Tom Fazio-designed Sage Valley Golf Club (Graniteville); Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer Course, a 1970 Robert Trent Jones design; Yeamans Hall Club (Hanahan), built by Seth Raynor in 1926; Secession Golf Club (Beaufort), a mandatory-walking course by Australia’s Bruce Devlin; Kiawah Island Club’s Cassique Course, by five-time British Open champion Tom Watson; The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, Myrtle Beach’s second-oldest course, also by R.T. Jones; and the Dye-designed Long Cove Club (Hilton Head). … The Golf Panel also voted on the top “most fun” golf courses for 2018, one in each of the state’s four regions. Bulls Bay was picked from the Lowcountry (Charleston and Hilton Head), along with Caledonia Golf & Fish Club (Grand Strand), Clemson’s Walker Course (Upstate) and Aiken’s Palmetto Golf Club (Midlands).