One of the few Carolina designs by renowned Florida golf course architect Ron Garl, The Tradition Club garnered immediate notice when it opened in 1996.

It was a Golf Digest nominee for Best New Public Course that year, and in 1998, Golf For Women gave the course its Top Fairways award. In 2001, the par-72, 6,875-yard (back tees) layout earned South Carolina Golf Course of the Year honors. Sustained excellence and a reputation for a well-conditioned course has become a tradition, with Golf Digest giving the course 4½ stars in 2008.

The Tradition Club stands out among its Waccamaw Trail companions with the freedom it offers off the tee, with its wide, tree-lined fairways beckoning to the drivers in the bag. Players don’t have to hit it like John Daly, either (though long drivers can often carry the bunkers), as quite a few greens are receptive to pitch-and-run shots. Fairway and waste bunkers, water, and environmental areas contribute to a strategically challenging yet aesthetically pleasing round of golf.

Garl took pride in the approachability of his course in a press release regarding the state Course of the Year honor: “We were the first to really listen to what the people wanted,” he said. “We took research from surveys by Golfweek and Golf For Women magazines and used it to establish the distances (from) the tees.”

All clubs and shot-making skills will come into play as golfers of every skill level take advantage of five sets of tees. The 500-yard, par-5 14th is reachable in two, while the 174-yard, par-3 15th demands precision and an on-target approach to a generous green. If you want to get a few swings in before teeing off, you can take advantage of the on-site Mega Practice Complex, and if all the big hitting works up an appetite, The Turn Bar and Grill can provide a mid-round snack or post-game lunch.