A few weeks after this year’s Masters tournament, I was fortunate enough to be invited to play/stay (three rounds/two nights) at Sage Valley Golf Club, in Graniteville, South Carolina; fifteen minutes northeast of Augusta, Georgia. Sage Valley opened in September 2001 and was the vision of founder Weldon Wyatt, son Tom Wyatt and renowned architect Tom Fazio.
Weldon Wyatt made his fortune as the nation’s leading developer of Walmart stores. His dream was to build a course, bigger, better and more beautiful than Augusta National Golf Club. Rumor has it that Wyatt’s inspiration was the result of being denied membership at Augusta National Golf Club.
The Sage Valley Golf experience offers a masterwork of golf course design, world-class lodging and exceptional food and beverage-Southern Hospitality at its best; delivering personalized service at a level seldom seen in clubs elsewhere. The 500-acre course is nestled on a 10,000- acre tract of untouched timberland. *
Having not played, stayed or dined (other than a pimento cheese sandwich) at Augusta National Golf Club, I struggle to image an experience at Augusta National that would trump my time at Sage Valley.
Amenities:
- The “Big Course”, par 72, which plays 4,901- to 7,325- yards. The slope/course rating was nowhere to be found
- Walking only/caddie only (Willy Sage from Girvan, Scotland was on my bag)
- 31,000 bottles of wine in the cellar
- Eighteen cottages on site. The “Old Tom Morris” housed our entire group of twelve players with twelve separate bedrooms, conference room, multiple common areas, wet bar, shuffleboard table and pool table
- Illuminated nine-hole “Par 3 Course” which opened in 2019
Remote family-style dining at the “Retreat”; reminiscent of a medieval banquet hall featuring sirloin steak, filet mignon, sea bass, lamb chops and lobster corn dogs. In addition, more formal dining at “The Lodge” featuring tomahawk steak and lobster tail. The Lodge is a fifteen-minute drive while never leaving the property.
On day-one, brother John and I were paired against another set of brothers, Jake and Chad from the Boston area, in an eighteen-hole better-ball match. The Boston brothers, along with four other guests, arrived at Sage Valley moments prior to our 1:00, 1:10 and 1:20 tee times; having flown from Boston, connecting through Charlotte, arriving in Augusta. Unfortunately, two sets of clubs, including Jake’s, did not transfer onto their connecting flight and were not available for the scheduled tee times. Jake, an 8-index, with a delightful disposition, was seemingly unfazed by the inconvenience and/or the potential challenges of a loaner set of Calloway clubs. The airline assured the two players that the missing sets of clubs would arrive in Augusta on the next inbound flight. The ever-diligent staff from Sage Valley retrieved the clubs and had them on-site by mid-afternoon.
Somewhere on the thirteenth-hole, after Jake and his brother had already distanced themselves from the Schoch-boys, a youthful Sage Valley staff member in a golf cart raced down the fairway to connect with Jake; delivering his clubs. Surprisingly, Jake’s driver and three-wood were not included in the delivery. Jake patiently explained to the staff member that his driver and his three-wood were packed separately in his travel bag and kindly asked the staff member to retrieve his driver and three-wood.
Somewhere near the green on the fourteenth-hole, the staff member delivered Jake’s driver and three-wood. Prior to the staff member departing for the Clubhouse, Jake politely asked the staff member if he had happened to have noticed a pair golf shoes, which were also tucked away in his travel bag. The staff member, without flinching, cheerfully retreated to the Clubhouse.
Somewhere in the middle the fairway of the fifteenth-hole, the well-traveled staff member delivered Jake’s golf shoes; unfortunately, and somewhat inexplicably, the shoes did not belong to Jake. The staff member, desperately wanting to make things right, scampered back to the Clubhouse for the third time to secure Jakes shoes.
Somewhere around the tee-box on the sixteenth hole, well after the match was secured by the Boston-brothers, Jake was fully and finally equipped with all of his gear!
As a good friend is known to say, “you can’t make this stuff up”!
Side Story: During my second round, I was paired with the Director of Golf from the Founders Club in Sarasota, Florida; Joel Rasho. After yet another loss, my brother asked Joel if he had shared any instructional tips with his playing partner. Joel’s response was as follows and I quote, “It was more than I was willing to take on in 18-holes!”
Thank you for following Bad Golf Guy. The back nine can only get better!
*Sage Valley Golf Club website
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