Aiken Golf Club | Aiken Golf Course

Detailed description of Aiken Golf Club | Aiken Golf Course

Aiken Golf Club is a Semi-Private 18 hole, daily fee golf course located in Aiken, South Carolina.

The course was designed by J. Inglis and Donald Ross.

The Aiken Golf Club is steeped in golf history. The course was originally opened as an 11-hole layout in in 1912. The Donald Ross connection may not be provable. The only documented connection is through golf professional John R. Inglis, who appears to have supervised construction of a few Ross courses in the Southeast before settling in at Aiken and was the builder of a seven-hole loop (Nos. 8-14) that completed the course's out-and- back routing.

The Aiken Golf Club was the first course in America to feature tees specifically for women.

The course was completely renovated and reopened in 1999 under the guidance of James McNair Jr. All greens and tees were rebuilt during 1999 to USGA specifications. Most of the undulating, Bermudagrass greens descend from back to front, and have two or more levels. Fast and bewildering, trying to pitch onto these greens, leaving yourself an uphill putt from the correct shelf, can give new meaning to the word "touch."

Sand waste areas were incorporated throughout the course during the remodeling process. Areas between tee boxes and landing zones, distant right and left areas along fairways, and borders to some greens are the main places you'll find them. Planted with lovegrass, they are aesthetically pleasing and serve an important role in conserving water during the heat of summer. The holes sit naturally on the land, with fairways ambling up and down a densely wooded site with 120 feet of elevation change.

Par for the course is 70. From the back tees, the course plays to 6,048 yards. The longest hole on the course is # 10, a par-5 that plays to 520 yards. The shortest hole on the course is # 18, a par-3 that plays to 194 yards from the back tees.

Watch out for # 3, a 402-yard par-4 challenge and the #1 handicap hole on the course. The easiest hole is # 14, a 276 yard par-4.

The signature hole is #16, a downhill par-3.

Aiken GC sits at No. 13 among public-access courses (resort and daily fee) in South Carolina, making it the state's highest-ranked public layout not in a coastal setting.