Hootie, Boo, Happ and Haas. Repeat that list swiftly enough and the outcome sounds like something you might hear from a Dutchman with carpenter bees in his clogs. Instead, they are names that, in their own ways, made for yet another memorable April in South Carolina golf. It is a month that has served as the game’s annual coming out parade for many years now.
When Barton Tuck first toured the property now known as
Bright’s Creek Golf Club, he spent half a day bouncing
around in the passenger seat like a lottery ball. He didn’t
say much. Didn’t smile much, partly because, at 66,
his joints aren’t what they used to be – surgeons
will replace both knees this winter. And by all accounts,
Tuck didn’t say a lot at lunch later that day either.
South
Carolina golf has a new pro in town, and we've been lucky enough to capture
his wit and wisdom on the pages of our SouthCarolina Magazine golf section.
Gary Player, golf's famed "Black Knight" and legend of the game, will
debut in this issue Player's Corner, the first in a series of columns on golf,
wellness, travel and more, all sure to reflect his unique zest for life. We
are proud to welcome Gary Player to our magazine in his dual role of editorial
contributor and presenting sponsor of our golf section, and we look forward
to a strong partnership in promoting South Carolina golf.
Great
public golf is so easy to find in South Carolina that occasionally even some
of the best get lost in the crowd. Not every venue commands international standing
like Kiawah Island Resort, enjoys annual television exposure like Harbour Town
Golf Links in Hilton Head, or sits on a high traffic corridor like Grande Dunes
in Myrtle Beach. Sometimes it takes a turn off the beaten path to discover the
full extent of the state’s golfing wealth. And as any traveler worth the
price of his backpack knows, the hidden gems often sparkle brightest in the
memory.
Ruminating
on the passage from summer’s swelter to the cooling relief of fall, Henry
Thoreau once wrote: "In the hues of October sunsets, we see the portals
to other mansions than those which we occupy." Now, great writer and naturalist
that he was, Thoreau was no golfer. In fact, few Americans were back then. When
Thoreau scribbled out his wonderment at those windows to a world beyond, the
United States Golf Association was still the best part of 50 years from inception.
And let’s face it, even if he were alive now, the best use Thoreau might
conceive for a five-iron would be in whacking golfers over the head. He preferred
his terrain untrampled.
