Old Barnwell Golf Club- Yardage Book Golf

[KIngC1331]

Old Barnwell Golf Club – A Strategic Gem in the Heart of South Carolina

 

By Yardage Book Golf

 

Tucked away on the outskirts of Aiken, South Carolina, Old Barnwell Golf Club delivers one of the most distinctive and thoughtfully designed golf experiences in the country. With its firm, fast conditions, wide fairways, and a links-style aesthetic rarely found in the Southeast, Old Barnwell is a private club that rewards strategy, creativity, and precision.

 

From the first tee shot, it’s clear this is no ordinary layout. The course features sweeping native areas, carefully placed bunkers, and wildly undulating greens that challenge golfers of all levels. Every hole demands your attention—not just in shot-making, but in decision-making. It’s the kind of course where every round feels different depending on wind, pin positions, and your willingness to take risks.

 

Currently a par 73, the course offers a unique rhythm. The front nine opens with a single par five and just one par three, playing to a par of 36. The back nine brings more scoring potential with three par fives (including back-to-back fives at holes 15 and 16) and two par threes, totaling a par 37. At the turn, players are treated to a well-stocked halfway house offering snacks, drinks, and a quick reset before tackling the back stretch.

The greens are the standout feature here—massive, artfully shaped, and full of subtle slopes. They’re fast, firm, and true, demanding touch and imagination. Depending on the day's pin placements, you might feel like you're playing an entirely different course each time out.

 

Old Barnwell also embraces the future of the game with The Kid’s Course—a 15-hole, scaled-down layout designed specifically to introduce juniors to the game in a fun and accessible way. It's a strong reminder that this club is as much about growing the game as it is about preserving its traditions.

 

Beyond the course itself, Old Barnwell is guided by a compelling mission. According to their website, the club is committed to "bringing people together through golf” and "creating programs that empower, invite, and celebrate communities historically underrepresented in the game." Their community partnerships include initiatives with the ANNIKA Development Program, Voorhees University, the Evans Scholars Foundation, Operation Double Eagle, and local kids’ clinics—evidence of a culture that’s built on inclusion and long-term impact.

 

With a beautiful new clubhouse and on-site lodging currently under construction, the future at Old Barnwell looks just as exciting as the course itself.

 

A little cool personal story, which all the more makes me want to return, I (Colyn) actually was able to make an eagle on the short par four on hole number two. I hit a good solid drive with a three wood, leaving me with around forty to fifty yards left to the hole. I landed it about twenty or thirty yards on the green and trusted the firmness of them, and was lucky enough to drop an eagle.  

 

 

 

Final Yardage: Old Barnwell isn’t just a course—it’s a statement. A place where golf’s traditions meet bold ideas, and where every round tells a story. At Yardage Book Golf, we’re already itching to tee it up again.

[BG5]

Pretty cool the general public has access to this course at certain times of years.  Not cheap but average Joe's can play It if you pay 🙂

[KIngC1331]

It is absolutely a cool course. If the opportunity to play is available, we would definitely recommend it, especially with how great they are with philanthropy.

[Dubowski21]

Anyone on here a member of OB or Tree Farm? Which one of these two do people like more? 

[nanerman]

I'm a member of OB and still need to play the Tree Farm so I can have a coherent take, but I can't imagine liking anywhere more than OB, all things considered.