By Bill Kamenjar
By the numbers, the Hickory Knob State Resort Golf Course in McCormick, South Carolina has 87 things going for it.
There’s an 18-hole, Tom Jackson designed championship golf course located on the shores of Lake Thurmond. There’s also one Shagbark Snack Bar in the Pro Shop with hot eats and cold drinks; 16 comfortable cabins that sleep up to six people; one skeet shooting range and one archery range for you and your group to enjoy; five different meeting spaces for groups of all sizes; 44 campsites located near Lake Thurmond, one historic cabin, the Guillebeau House that offers a cool, unique lodging experience for four; and a group lodging barrack that sleeps up to 10 golfers. Throw in a replay nine-hole round to serve as a nice afternoon cool-down and that all adds up to a neat 96. A neat “Old 96 District” in fact which officially in terms of golf means nothing short of the start to a great northern South Carolina golf vacation in the five-county Old 96 District region.
“Hickory Knob is the perfect course to play on the way into the region and to begin your Old 96 District golf vacation,” says Tom Clark, who knows the attraction the classic layout has as he designed the two courses at Savannah Lakes Village & Golf Clubs located along the same shoreline.
Hickory Knob State Resort Park operates the 18-hole championship golf course, Hickory Knob Golf Course, full-service restaurant, skeet shooting, boat ramp, archery range, meeting facilities and more than 70 lodge-style rooms.
The Tom Jackson-designed, championship golf course cuts through a pine forest along the shores of Lake Thurmond. The golf resort is an ideal location for a family getaway, reunion or a business meeting or retreat. For those seeking a more outdoorsy stay at the park, a campground is available on the banks of the Strom Thurmond Reservoir, as well as one of the area’s most popular biking trails.
Old 96 District also tees up a fun selection of shorter golf experiences in the area. At McCormick Country Club, golfers can play the 9-hole layout twice for 18. It provides a laid-back, picturesque golf experience, with challenging, well-conditioned greens, dogleg holes, tree-lined fairways, as well as occasional water and well-placed bunkers to navigate. The 9-hole Par Three West Golf Course in Greenwood, which opened in 2000, features all the hallmarks of Palmetto State golf. Great value for a fun experience that will really sharpen your short game. Holes range from 90 to 138 yards, a putter and just a few clubs are generally all that are required.
The 9-hole “High Meadows” course at the High Meadows Country Club facility in Abbeville opened in 1964 and features 3,252 yards of golf from the longest tees, for a par of 36. Last but certainly not least, the 9-hole “Ware Shoals” course at Ware Shoals Golf Course in Ware Shoals opened in 1944 and features 3,120 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 35.
Bill Kamenjar is a freelance golf writer and content contributor to the Maryland State Golf Association Emagazine. He lives in Ocean City, Maryland and has covered the game throughout the Carolinas and Middle Atlantic for 25 years and counting.
