Keowee Key Golf & Country Club

Course has been recently renovated with new Bermuda fairways and zoysia greens/tees. Greens are smooth and fast. Fairways are in good shape for the most part but still there are still some weeds that need attention. Don’t wander past the rough, poison ivy will prevent you for searching for a stray ball. They need to get rid of the poison ivy because it ruins an otherwise enjoyable experience.

The course layout is mountain style with lots of elevation changes and tight fairways. There are very few flat lies outside of the tee boxes and the intended landing areas. Lots of 1-2 club extra uphill shots to elevated greens. One of the unique features of the course is the landing areas in the fairways. This means most golfers should have similar distances into greens regardless of which tee box the play from. Length is not an advantage at a Keowee Key, accuracy off the tee and distance control is far more critical. Par 3s all play downhill. Seems like majority of the other holes are uphill or have elevated greens. Not a complaint, just be prepared to do a lot of yardage calculations. Course plays at least 400 yards longer than the card.

Staff is great, as is the newly renovated clubhouse. Food is outstanding. Wish the beverage cart came by more than once during the round. Private club so you need to know someone or receive an invite. Club has a marina and fitness center as extra amenities.

It really challenges course management. Many holes are 90 degree dog legs, so you have to really manage your drives well and be able to hit that second shot 160 yards+. There's water here and there, but when there's water it is placed in a spot that makes your hole management even more challenging. Greens are surrounded by bunkers on the most part, but there are virtually no fairway bunkers. Long par 3's for the most part, it's a challenge. The staff is very nice but also disciplined when getting people out on time, so don't show up late to your tee time. Water stations at every couple holes, and going out of bounds isn't the end of the world. Plays like a links course, pretty thin fairways.

This course is immaculate and wonderful to play for all levels. Wide open fairways, dog legs and large greens. When I moved to Keowee Key, I took lesson from Ryan and the staff is great! It's also Audubon certified! Becoming a member means buying a property and it's well worth the investment! check out: http://keoweekeysc.com/