Country Club of Spartanburg

The course at the Country Club of Spartanburg plays just over 6,600 yards from its back tees, which may not be the most challenging for modern scratch golfers. It is, however, an optimal distance to challenge the best junior golfers, and indeed the annual Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational is one of the highest-regarded junior tournaments in the United States. It helps that its original winner, South Carolina native Lucas Glover, would add a U.S. Open Championship Trophy to his collection during 2009.

Although the club itself has existed since 1908, the modern course is attributed to Kris Spence. As Spartanburg is located in the north, more mountainous regions of South Carolina, Spence saw fit to emulate the work of Donald Ross (which might not have worked so well in the lowlands of the state).

As mentioned before, the course lacks relative teeth in terms of its distance, so the bulk of the defense rests upon geometric, rolling greens, which are guarded by deep bunkers. Nos. 11 and 12 are par fours playing 280 and 339, respectively, but eagle scores will still be a difficult standard to meet.