COURSE REVIEW

At Santee Cooper, designer Cobb went a little dogleg crazy

SANTEE, S.C. (Sept. 14, 2004) ? George Cobb, who designed the Santee Cooper Country Club course, was a productive if not particularly famous golf course architect.

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Cobb, a good buddy to famed golfer Bobby Jones, designed more than 350 courses, mostly throughout the South. In a career that covered nearly five decades, Cobb did a lot of projects in the Carolinas and Georgia.

In fact, he designed the first Hilton Head layout, the Ocean Course, and his name is spread throughout the island on various courses.

The former marine?s association with Jones led to his being a 10-year consultant with Augusta National, where he re-designed the controversial eighth green in 1956, and built Augusta?s par-3 course where the pros warm up before the Masters every year.

At Santee Cooper, Cobb went a little dogleg wild. So much so, that there aren?t many places you can cut loose off the tee.

"It?s a shorter type course for people to manage their games," said assistant pro Brian Shelton. "There?s only two or three holes where you can hit it long."

The course is 6,512 yards with doglegs on 11 of the holes, some as sharp as 90 degrees, others a little less dramatic.

It?s short, but that doesn?t mean it?s ridiculously easy. It has a slope rating of 124 ? a course of average difficulty has a slope rating of 113 ? and Golf Digest has given it 3 ½ stars in its "Places to Play" ratings in years past.

Still, it?s the easiest of the three courses in the Santee city limits, with slow greens that hold firm, and some doglegs that beg to be shortened with a driver.

Opened in 1968, the country club course winds through a series of modest, well-kept homes where much of the local gentry lives.

"They were looking for a nice, friendly course for the residents," Shelton said.

It started as a private club, switched to semi-private in the mid-80s and is now a semi-private course open to public and package play.

Though the houses are relatively unobtrusive, there remains the fact there are about 300 of them along the course, after sales took off in the last 10-15 years. Like its sister course, Lake Marion Golf Course, the country club is built on the lake but offers few views of it.

The front and back are different nines: "The front side is more of an open area, once you get past No. 3," Shelton said. "The back nine is tree-lined with wide fairways. There are the standard par-4s, but on the longer holes, the doglegs come into play obviously. It?s a lot of placement shots."

True, but it?s a par-5 that may be the most interesting hole. No. 7 is a 542-yarder that features a narrowing fairway as you approach the green, guarded by a large pond to the right. A driver over the trees here can shorted the hole considerably.

"But, you get to the water, then what do you do?" Shelton said.

Nos. 12 and 13 offer the sharpest doglegs. No. 12 is 354 yards from the back tees, and a driver can take you into the trees.

No. 13 is a 554-yard par-5 where you may be teeing off with a long iron, or opt to carry the corner if you?re a bomber. There is a fairway bunker center-right on fairway, and the green slopes right to left and back to front.

The verdict

The Santee Cooper Country Club course can be a fun little course to play, particularly if you like the challenge of cutting doglegs.

But, for a country club, it is the least maintained of Santee?s three courses in the city limits. Some tee boxes are in need of repair.

But, to some, the lure of a country club?s status is strong.

"A lot of people like to play the country club," said Mary Shriner of the local Chamber of Commerce. "It?s all a matter of taste."

None of the Santee courses are long, and this is the shortest. Still, with its prices ? green fees range from $25-$55 with discount coupons and various packages ? it is worth it, especially if you?re staying in Santee, where all three courses are within a 10-minute drive.

Stay and play

Santee Cooper Country Club offers various golf/hotel packages. Call (803) 854-2467 for more information.

The Bed & Breakfast of Sumter has four rooms priced from $75-100 with private baths and fireplaces, and a veranda overlooking Memorial Park.

Quality Inn & Suites does golf/hotel packages, and recently underwent a $2 million renovation.

Clark?s Inn and Restaurant has relatively cheap rooms, though the restaurant is a tad pricey for the budget-minded.

Other than that, there are the usual interstate, chain motels.

Dining out

LT?s Restaurant serves seafood, including oysters, shrimp, crab legs and catfish caught from the local lakes.

The Santee Resort Restaurant and Lounge is open under new management, featuring ladies night with half-price drinks Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and karaoke with Johnny Ringo.

Five miles east of Santee is Mill Creek Food & Spirits, for "casual lakefront dining, and there is free van service to The Alpine or Gator Tail Restaurant, about 10 minutes outside of Santee.

Fast fact

Most golfers prefer the spring season in Santee, which begins in late February and lasts through mid-May.