Golfweek Names Ralston Creek One of Nation’s Best New Golf Courses
Monday, October 29, 2007
CHARLESTON, SC – The Ralston Creek Course at the Daniel Island Club, described as a “Lowcountry version of St. Andrews,” has been named to Golfweek’s list of Best New Courses. Designed by Rees Jones and opened in April 2006, Ralston Creek ranked 50th among more than 350 U.S. courses opened between 2005 and 2007.
“What impressed the Golfweek raters was the relaxed land plan of the Ralston Creek course,” said Golfweek senior writer Bradley Klein, who compiled the rankings based on input from more than 400 raters. “It’s a traditional out-and-back routing, where you essentially start in the community, head out from a central corridor, and come back in. It’s a journey with a rhythm to it. In that respect, it’s kind of a Lowcountry version of St. Andrews.”
Klein, who played the Ralston Creek course earlier this month, came away impressed with the course’s variety of par 4s and the way Jones used the marsh edge to lend aesthetic appeal and challenge to the 7,446-yard, par 72 layout. “The strength of the course is its integration of marsh, most of which is introduced on a diagonal, not as a penal cross hazard. So you have a lot of playing options and can choose to bite off as much as you want to,” he said.
The Golfweek ranking follows Golf Digest’s selection of Ralston Creek as one of the "2006 Best New Private Courses" and recognition from the South Carolina Golf Raters Panel for "Outstanding Achievement in Golf Course Design" for 2006. Since its opening, Ralston Creek has hosted an event on the Nationwide Tour (PalmettoPride Classic), a U.S. Open local qualifying event and a PGA Professional National Championship sectional qualifying event.
Located in the historic city of Charleston, S.C., Daniel Island is one of the nation’s most successful and highly regarded master-planned communities of the last decade. The 4,000-acre island – once a private hunting retreat – is a 2007 recipient of the Urban Land Institute’s prestigious “Awards for Excellence” and a national model for smart growth. Home to a wide array of traditional neighborhoods with a diverse selection of homes, townhomes and condominiums, Daniel Island also offers residents access to hundreds of acres of parks, 23 miles of rivers and creeks and more than 12 miles of leisure trails. Professional tennis and soccer facilities and a private country club featuring two nationally ranked golf courses provide endless recreational opportunities. The island’s downtown is a popular address for a growing array of schools, churches, shops, restaurants, medical offices and other conveniences, as well as a destination for area festivals and special events.
CHARLESTON, SC – The Ralston Creek Course at the Daniel Island Club, described as a “Lowcountry version of St. Andrews,” has been named to Golfweek’s list of Best New Courses. Designed by Rees Jones and opened in April 2006, Ralston Creek ranked 50th among more than 350 U.S. courses opened between 2005 and 2007.
“What impressed the Golfweek raters was the relaxed land plan of the Ralston Creek course,” said Golfweek senior writer Bradley Klein, who compiled the rankings based on input from more than 400 raters. “It’s a traditional out-and-back routing, where you essentially start in the community, head out from a central corridor, and come back in. It’s a journey with a rhythm to it. In that respect, it’s kind of a Lowcountry version of St. Andrews.”
Klein, who played the Ralston Creek course earlier this month, came away impressed with the course’s variety of par 4s and the way Jones used the marsh edge to lend aesthetic appeal and challenge to the 7,446-yard, par 72 layout. “The strength of the course is its integration of marsh, most of which is introduced on a diagonal, not as a penal cross hazard. So you have a lot of playing options and can choose to bite off as much as you want to,” he said.
The Golfweek ranking follows Golf Digest’s selection of Ralston Creek as one of the "2006 Best New Private Courses" and recognition from the South Carolina Golf Raters Panel for "Outstanding Achievement in Golf Course Design" for 2006. Since its opening, Ralston Creek has hosted an event on the Nationwide Tour (PalmettoPride Classic), a U.S. Open local qualifying event and a PGA Professional National Championship sectional qualifying event.
Located in the historic city of Charleston, S.C., Daniel Island is one of the nation’s most successful and highly regarded master-planned communities of the last decade. The 4,000-acre island – once a private hunting retreat – is a 2007 recipient of the Urban Land Institute’s prestigious “Awards for Excellence” and a national model for smart growth. Home to a wide array of traditional neighborhoods with a diverse selection of homes, townhomes and condominiums, Daniel Island also offers residents access to hundreds of acres of parks, 23 miles of rivers and creeks and more than 12 miles of leisure trails. Professional tennis and soccer facilities and a private country club featuring two nationally ranked golf courses provide endless recreational opportunities. The island’s downtown is a popular address for a growing array of schools, churches, shops, restaurants, medical offices and other conveniences, as well as a destination for area festivals and special events.