Golf Scotland than in South Carolina. Deep, sod-faced bunkers abound, along with rollicking mounds, wide fairways and bentgrass greens. Dramatic elevation changes add to the golf adventure. Be sure to pause on the tee on No.13, where you get a great glimpse of the entire property. The Wizard has earned an exceptional 4-1/2 stars fromGolf Digest. The manmade lake comes into play on the final three holes. The clubhouse looks part Alamo, part medieval castle, part Mexican ruin; it’s all part of the experience and charm which owner Claude Pardue created. Here’s one insider tip: aim for this whimsical clubhouse off the tee on No.9. Man O’ War is another completely different golf experience. While the two courses are adjacent, they are far from mirror images. This 141-slope rating, par 72, 6,967-yard layout is marked by back-to-back island greens and water features touching every hole. The 15th hole ranks among GOLF Magazine’s “Five Most Memorable Island Greens,” alongside No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass, the “Alcatraz” hole at PGAWest’s StadiumCourse and Coeur d’Alene Resort’s movable, floating putting surface. The Witch is another spellbinding golf experience. From the moment you enter the property, you feel transported. You are no longer in South Carolina, or so it feels. You are in the middle of a southern swamp where flora and fauna flourish. Maples mapped out this tantalizing test of golf and distinctive design, routing the course to match and lend itself to the 548-acre site. The front 9 meanders through the swamp, while the back 9 winds up and down over rolling hills. Four thousand feet of curved bridges meanders throughout the middle of this marshland. Look on either side as you drive from green to tee and you’ll see stumps of wood sticking out of the swamp. These are Cypress Knees – a unique sighting that forms above the roots of Cypress trees. The Witch owners came up with the novel idea to use these features as the tee markers throughout the course. Wildlife abounds on all three courses. Don’t be surprised if you catch sight of a bald eagle in one of the trees on Man O’ War or The Wizard. Over at The Witch, alligators sunning on the shores of the swampland, and cranes spying down on you from the trees, are common sights. At night in this swamp, the golf course crew say, if you take a walk through the property, you’ll hear all sorts of sounds – the perfect soundtrack for a horror flick. This summer – especially in my neck of the woods in Southern Ontario – the soundtrack spinning through my head thanks to Mother Nature was the Caribbean classic, “Hot, Hot, Hot.” Unfortunately, due to this heat, I did not get out golfing as often as I would have liked. With autumn’s arrival, here’s hoping that I, along with all of you dear readers, tee it up more this fall and fall all over again for the game. Apologies Mr. Shakespeare, but let’s make golf and the peaceful, cool and soothing autumn soundtrack be the fall food we all love and play on. CSANews | FALL 2016 | 49
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