On day two in Charleston, we finished the day at Dunes West Golf & River Club. Set near the Wando River with play bordering both Wagner and Toomer Creek, the setting at Dunes West is very Low Country. An Arthur Hills design that stretches to almost 6,900 yards, the opening holes provide a nice way to ease into your round with wider landing areas before the tall pines begin to creep closer to the fairways late in the front 9. My favorite hole on the front 9 was the Par-5, 7th hole. At 497 yards, it is definitely reachable in two, however water short and down the left side of your tee shot puts that in jeopardy. Bite off too much and your ball could be near a gator, play to conservatively and it becomes a three shot hole. A bunker at about 100 yards short of the green makes your layup a bit more challenging as well. To really get the feel for Dunes West, just wait until the final 4 holes, a truly great finish. The 15th is a Par-5 with a well-protected landing area but the real decision is the second shot. A split fairway with bunkers down the middle spanning about 65 yards makes this a real challenge. The 16th is probably the toughest approach shot on the golf course. Hit a good drive on this Par-4 or a layup may be advised. Water protects the second half of the fairway and green down the entire right side and if you bail out left as I did, getting up and down in three shots is a challenge as the green slopes toward the water. The challenge continues on the Par-3 17th as the same lake borders the right side of this green which is even more challenging for a 200 yard shot. If you manage to survive this three hole barrage you get the scenic payoff on 18. A medium length Par-4 that finishes with a great view of the club house to the left, and the low country marsh directly behind the green.
The staff were extremely friendly throughout our round especially Emie who we saw both in the clubhouse and out on the beverage cart throughout the round. True Southern Hospitality.
To learn more about Dunes West Golf & River Club visit www.duneswestgolfclub.com.
Our final day in Charleston concluded with an early morning round at a course a little more out of the way, just Northwest of Charleston, but well worth the drive. The Golf Club at Wescott Plantation was exactly what I was expecting when we came to Charleston for golf. The signature tall pines everywhere, framing every hole beautifully. The course weaves through a residential community but not a single home is scenery on what almost seemed more like a bird sanctuary than a golf course. Being the first group off was a treat because it felt like our golf course, no noise and nobody around.
We played the Burn Kill and the Black Robin nine’s and left the Oak Forest routing for our next visit. The Burn Kill nine was right there in front of you, nothing too tricky just challenging you on almost every shot to keep it inside the pines and hit the green as up and downs were no picnic. The greens rolled so smoothly that 10 footers felt more like 5 footers, which is only helpful if you are good at 5 footers, which I was not on this day. The Par-3, 8th hole was one of my favorites of the front nine. At about 185 yards your shot goes through the trees and over the marsh for a beautiful setting. Then you realize that our back left pin is even more treacherous as the back of the green actually slopes away from you putting a premium on distance for your tee shot and any scrambling that may follow.
The Black Robin nine brought even more of the natural marsh lands into play putting a very strong emphasis on accuracy over distance and making you think your way around the course a bit more. The Par-4, 2nd hole was only a hybrid and a wedge approach but double bogey was not far off and the green provided a great defense to balls left short or far from the pin.
The Golf Club at Wescott Plantation was a great golf experience from beginning to end and was very fitting final round of our visit to Charleston.
To learn more about Wescott Plantation, visit www.wescottgolf.com.
Comments are closed.