The Tree Farm

The Tree Farm occupies a secluded property in Batesburg, South Carolina, marked by ridges, valleys and stands of pine mixed with scrub, sand and underbrush. One of the site's valleys drops some 60 feet, giving the land natural drama.

The course came from a collaboration between Tom Doak, Kye Goalby and Zac Blair. Doak's routing follows the existing contours and required little earthmoving, while short walks between greens and tees keep rounds moving. The routing also loops repeatedly back toward the clubhouse, so play is never more than two holes away from it: the third green sits below the clubhouse, the fourth, fifth and seventh look across the valley toward it, and the tenth, twelfth and sixteenth return nearby.