Bash your golf brains out in Bluffton, South Carolina

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Consider this amazing fact: I’ve played 90 holes of golf on six different courses in my three days in this gateway to Hilton Head Island and driven less than 30 miles.

Golf is everywhere along Highway 278. The residential golf communities stack up one after another for miles. I’ve taken divots at Hilton Head National, Hilton Head Lakes, Old South, Oldfield (photo above), Hidden Cypress and Crescent Pointe (photo below). Amazingly, my stay just reached the halfway point. I’ve got four rounds left.

The golf gods have kissed the region this week with sunny, 70-degree skies.

It’s been a whirlwind couple of days. I’ve played golf with a student at the local affiliate of the Professional Golfers Career College. I met a young golfing stud who moved down from New York to chase mini-tour madness. He was grinding it out on the range, a skill I’ve never acquired.

On the course, I’ve seen island greens and island fairways and my fair share of alligators, too. And the staggering number of golf couples I’ve seen has given me renewed faith that golf can be a game embraced by all, not just rich old white guys.

Bluffton might not be the name-brand, high-profile destination that Hilton Head is, but this place certainly should be.