Secession Golf Club near Hilton Head a rare, private treat

Every now and then in this job, a rare treat comes along. Every now and then I get to play a private course so good it makes you drool, a course very few others get on. I’m not trying to brag, it’s just a nice perk.

And so I found myself last week on the Secession Golf Club, an ultra-exclusive club outside of Hilton Head, SC, on tiny Gibbes Island.

This is a course most golfers have heard of, but few have played. It’s always ranked high in various golf magazines.

It is a reputation well-earned. Secession is a superb course, an homage to Scotland and the roots of the game itself, set in a spectacular lowcountry setting. It’s essentially Scotland, with its stacked-sod bunkers, set down in the South Carolina coast, with its broad marsh views and moss-draped oaks.

Now, the lowcountry has a mess of Scottish-themed courses, but none who’s beauty is so on display as here. It could be described as links-like, in that there are few trees to mar the exceptional views of the marsh that seems to leap into view at every turn, changing colors with the seasons and time of day.

It’s in pristine condition, of course, and it’s a very playable course, despite the forced carries. It’s said that the most of the members here are single-digit handicappers, so they wanted a challenging layout, and they got one. They also wanted a natural course that followed the lowcountry contours, which is why they sent P.B. Dye packing and hired on Bruce Devlin.

It’s a special course, and a special club. The weather was great, there were very few people playing that day, and I played halfway decent. One of those days you don’t forget.