Champions Retreat Golf Club opened in 2005 with three 9-hole circuits, each laid out by a different golfing great. The Nicklaus/Palmer-designed Bluff and Island nines edge out Gary Player’s Creek to form the premier course.
Overall rating









Champions Retreat Golf Club opened in 2005 with three 9-hole circuits, each laid out by a different golfing great. The Nicklaus/Palmer-designed Bluff and Island nines edge out Gary Player’s Creek to form the premier course.




Champions Retreat (Bluff & Island)
Evidently, Jack, Arnie and Gary were among the guests during the 1999 Masters Champions Dinner to select which of three locations they could choose for their nine-hole layout. The Golden Bear was the first to go and chose the Bluff The King was next and then he selected the Island and left the Black Knight with the Creek. Each of the three nines is in different terrains, which makes this a truly unique partnership by three golfing legends.
Six holes in the Island nine are arranged within the Savannah River, the first four holes on the Creek nine loop around the vast wetland, as holes in the Bluff nine are situated in an undulating area with elevation variations similar to those of Augusta National which makes the layout a shot-maker's dream.
The holes that stand out of the Bluff circuit include the par 3 2nd (played with a double-crowned green) and 5, which is a par-5 (with the elevated tee spot to a fairway which doglegs left before advancing towards the green) as well as seventh, a par 4 that runs right, and into a green placed in a small rise.
Fairways are quite smooth on the Island nine, but the most challenging hole on the property is on 4. featuring a railway bridge that crosses the Savannah River in the background and a huge oak tree that is situated in the middle of the fairway, which guards the fairway from an offset green that is just a little further from the front to the back.
Getting there
Champions Retreat (Bluff & Island)
World Top 100 Golf Courses
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
Cypress Point Club
California, United States
Pine Valley Golf Club
New Jersey, United States
Royal County Down (Championship)
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
New York, United States
National Golf Links of America
New York, United States