At Oldfield's short par 4 12th hole, the safe play is a long iron or five wood to the wide fairway (above). The tempting play is to go for the green from the tee. See schematic of hole immediately below (click on photo for larger view).
Review: Oldfield Golf Club and community, Okatie, SC
During my week in the Bluffton/Beaufort, SC, area last month, I played a spate of exquisite island golf courses that featured heavy doses of marsh, live oaks, palmettos and pines in their layouts. Don't get me wrong; the courses at Berkeley Hall, Belfair, Callawassie, Dataw and Spring Island ranged from good to outstanding, but their layouts, while imaginative, featured similar natural elements one to the next. At my last stop of the week, Oldfield, I eagerly anticipated a more open layout with, perhaps, a different set of challenges.
I was not disappointed, although the Greg Norman layout does thread its way around some beautiful live oaks and water, and eventually works its way out to the marsh along the Okatie River, but only fleetingly, the
best views consigned to home sites. Norman's work, though inconsistent, can be as inspired as it is sometimes mundane. His original design at Tennesee National near Knoxville is creative, challenging and great to look at. It is hard to believe the same guy did the rework of a Bob Cupp course at Savannah Quarters, which doesn't show any spark from The Shark. Better is The Reserve at Litchfield Beach in South Carolina; in the quality of its design, The Reserve appears to fit somewhere in the middle of Norman's portfolio, not daring but a competent layout members can enjoy a few times a week.
I did not tee it up at the Oldfield course, having played 18 that morning. There is just so much a 60-year old body can take. But Oldfield's friendly pro shop staff loaned me a golf cart, pointed me toward the first tee, and away I went with camera in tow. In some ways, I get a better sense of a course by not playing, taking a lot more time to survey the layout than I would if I were with a playing partner and trying to stay ahead of the group behind. I had the course to myself on a Thursday afternoon.
Standing on the first tee, faced with a wide fairway on the par 4, I thought this might be one of those layouts that makes concessions to mid-handicappers. But as I made my way to the fairway landing area, it was quickly apparent that #1 was all about the approach, which must carry the edge of a pond and two nasty, sod-faced bunkers. Norman, whose only majors were at the British Open, fancies those sod bunkers; they surround one of the best par 3s he has ever designed, #12 at Tennessee National. A few other greens at Oldfield feature a similar combination of water and sand on one side, but most are well protected by bunkers only. Where sand is not a factor, as at the 9th hole, Norman creates a swirling green complex with large collection areas, making an up and down par save from these shaved areas as daunting as from the bunkers.
The long par 4 5th hole is a #1 handicap hole that actually merits the designation. (Too many toughest-hole
assignments are given over to a tricky layout with lots of trouble, rather than one where two excellent shots must be made in order to have a putt for birdie. But I digress...) At 417 yards from the middle tees and a robust 465 from the tips, the far end of a pond that extends down the right side from the tee box is in play for any squishy drive. You don't want any part of the right side anyway, as the approach will take you over a pond that arcs around the entire right side of the kidney shaped green, from front to back. With the wind kicking up, as it was during my visit, this is as challenging as a par 4 gets.
The green at #8 struck the first discordant note of the day, albeit a minor one. Protecting the front right side is a bunker without the sod facing. That seemed a little inconsistent but perhaps I am being too picky. The finisher on the front nine is the only one without a bunker its entire length, and it is of stunningly good design, using trees and out of bounds left as the only "hazards." At 424 yards from the middle tees, it requires two solid blows, but if your tee shot does not find the left center of the fairway, you could be shut out by trees that literally bend toward the fairway on both sides, beginning 150 yards from the green. The green is 44 yards deep and multi-tiered.
How often do mere mortal golfers have the opportunity to go for the green on a par 4? Norman tempts us at #12, which is all carry over water, 170 yards to clear for the mid-tee player, 195 yards from the near back tees, and 222 yards for the big bangers. Sounds manageable, but the landing area is surrounded by large, deep bunkers, in addition to the water; any drive that lands on grass must go "full flaps" quickly before it rolls into one of those bunkers. From the mid, next-to-back and back tees, the full carry to the green is 239, 264 and 293 yards respectively. The safe way is just a five wood poke to the wide fairway left before an approach over the water. The hole defines risk/reward.
In my notes, I use the word "brutal" to describe a few holes on the back nine, especially the wind blown
stretch from #13 through #16. Water is in play on three of the four holes -- two par 3s and two par 4s. The medium length par 4 15th, without water, provides two deep and menacing bunkers that cover virtually the entire front of the narrow green. The short par 4 17th is a bit of a breather after the previous four holes -- although the falloff just beyond the green is steep -- but there is no relaxing on the double-dogleg par 5 finishing hole, where bogey is just as accessible as birdie, water covering the entire left side of the green and deep bunkers at front right. It takes two good shots to position for the best angle for the wedge approach.
Turf conditions were excellent, the tee-boxes in especially great shape. I didn't have my putter with me but I walked the greens and they seemed smooth. On near misses around the greens, putting from as far as 10 yards off the surface might be the preferred play, a Norman trait in his designs. Except for just a few instances, the attractive Oldfield homes are well back from the field of play, although the player is certainly aware of them (many nice views of the golf course from the back porches, undoubtedly). The white fences that denote grazing land for horses in this equestrian- and golf-oriented community give the course a feel different from others in the area. Most of the encroaching fingers of marshland are not in play; a few long wooden bridges snake their way from tee-box to fairway across the wetlands.
Property owners at Oldfield are required to sign-up for club membership, at $3,450 per year, which gives
them access to all non-golf amenities, including the River Club, where many of the social and dining events are centered, water activities on the river and in the community pools, six lighted Har-Tru tennis courts, and a basketball court. Initiation fee for membership in Oldfield is $60,000, with an equity membership plan that carries $5,350 in annual charges. Upon departure from the club, the member receives either a full $60,000 refund or 80% of the prevailing initiation fee, whichever is higher at the time. Full up, including common charges ("assessments") totaling $2,200, residents can expect to pay $11,000 a year, not unreasonable for a community with such a wide range of amenities and obvious care for its infrastructure.
Oldfield emphasizes its equestrian offerings as much as its golf club. The 12-stall barn and 20 acres of workout areas are located just inside the security gate and are framed by the community's distinctive white fencing. Horse owners may board their steeds for $600 per month.
Houses in Oldfield are both unusual and attractive, some painted in bright pastel colors. Although they might seem more suited for, say, a Charleston row house setting, the splash of color in the more or less monochromatic Low Country is refreshing and attractive. One other interesting note about Oldfield's homes; the vast majority along the golf course have separate garage areas connected to the main houses by breezeways -- some covered, some open. This is an intriguing trend in that the space above the garages can be used as guest suites or home offices. Of course, this type of design generally requires more land, but Oldfield does a good job of making things fit without one home crowding the next. Home prices at Oldfield range from the $500s to over $1 million. One current listing seems an especially good buy, given its size and location. It is a 3 BR, 3 ½ BA cottage with a screened porch that looks out to the 5th hole. At over 2,600 square feet, it is listed for $599,000. Similarly sized homes are listed in the high six-figures to over $1 million.
The community's Lakeside Village offers an alternative living style, more along the lines of a town center
concept. With a range of floor plans to choose among, heated living space begins at a healthy 2,300 square feet. The Charleston-style homes may be cheek by jowl with their neighbors, but for those who want to live in an old style, intimate setting, they are attractive. Most range in price from the $600s to the $800s.
Oldfield may not have the dramatic marsh views of other Low Country golf courses closer to the ocean, but its Greg Norman layout, which snakes its way through and around live oak trees and plenty of water, is a stern test, especially when the wind blows. With water or sand dominating all holes except one, and with some par 4s well over 400 yards and one that is drivable, Oldfield presents a diversity of challenges for the single-digit player and plenty of potential for enjoyable rounds for all others.
The approach to the home hole at Oldfield.
The Oldfield Club, Okatie, SC
Designer: Greg Norman
Gold tees: 7,142 yards, rating 75.2, slope 142
Black: 6,708, 72.9, 137
White: 6,223, 70.9, 129
Green: 5,746, 68.5, 122
Women: 5,746/5,046, 73.1/69.3, 131/115
For more information about Oldfield or any of the other golf communities in the Low Country of South Carolina, or to arrange a visit, please contact me.