The new 100 US-ranked golf courses include 11 new entrants, which we will present right here. Meet Old Barnwell in South Carolina.
Morgan Purvis/Old Barnwell
GOLF recently released its latest ranking of the Top 100 Courses in the US (2024-25), a list that includes 11 newcomers. Some of them you may know. Some you may not. Here, in our new spotlight, we’ll present you with these top 100 rookie gems.
Youth standout: Old Barnwell / Rank: 51st
Location: Aiken, SC
Kind of: Confidential
A year is open: 2023
The builder: Brian Schneider, Blake Conant
What you need to know about Old Barnwell
Architects Brian Schneider and Blake Conant borrowed classic design principles and applied them in a new way to a sandy neighborhood outside Aiken. The fluidity that superintendent Davis Verner consistently achieves (thanks, in part, to the absence of direction) allows the nuances of this design to shine through. Half the holes are full. Can you reach the open but long green on the par-5 opening? Should you try to drive the 2nd or 14th green? (If you try and fail, the hunter quickly becomes the hunted, as deep fairways guard these two short 4s.) Can you use the dunes on the par-4 8 to kick the approach to the L-shaped green? Or how about trying to chip one off the green on the 235-yard 11th? Meanwhile, the rust color of the centipede rough lends this open course a heatland-like feel. Completing the good is the club’s ethos of giving back to the game and the community, as established by Old Barnwell founder Nick Schreiber.
What our viewers say
“A compelling visual and strategic course. It invites you to guess about the lines of play directed, rewarding you with success or an immediate desire to try again with another leg. The architecture draws the player into the course. Some areas are strange and others have interesting strategies, giving players a sense of North Berwick. Well done with outstanding golf culture that instills an appreciation of both the architecture and the play. “
“Apart from The Lido, Old Barnwell is the most strategic new development in the last 30 years. It requires thoughtful play throughout and is the type of course where the straight line of the hole is often not correct. The ground is the main factor and there are many holes where the line from the tee changes a lot on a daily basis based on where the hole is cut. The vegetables are bold without being too heavy. This is the kind of course you can play every day without getting bored, and it’s not so difficult that it won’t be enjoyed by all levels of players.”
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