Broomsedge Opens in the Sandhills of South Carolina

Broomsedge, new private golf club located 30 minutes from Columbia SC and under 2 hours from Augusta joins The Tree Farm as another exciting new build in the region.

Broomsedge is a species of grass native to the southeastern United States. It grows in narrow clumps, reaching up to around three feet tall. While this grass is relatively innocuous, it also lends its name to a new private golf club in the Sandhills of South Carolina, which is now open for play.

The area around Broomsedge, located near Rembert, SC, is somewhat of a golf desert. While there are a few courses scattered throughout the region, there is no concentration of golf courses like you'd find in other sandhill areas, such as Pinehurst. However, the land on which Broomsedge sits—about 30 minutes east of Columbia, SC—is perfect for golf, with rolling hills, sandy soil, and a temperate climate to boot.

Broomsedge is the brainchild of Mike Koprowski, a military veteran turned Washington, D.C. policy worker turned golf architect. Over the last two years, Koprowski has brought his vision to life, working as the lead architect alongside the more well-known Kyle Franz. Franz, known for his high-profile restoration work, has recently completed projects like the Country Club of Charleston (Seth Raynor; Charleston, SC), Pine Needles Resort (including Pine Needles, Mid-Pines, and Southern Pines, all Donald Ross designs; Southern Pines, NC), and The Minikahda Club (Donald Ross; Minneapolis, MN).

The first thing that strikes you when you arrive at Broomsedge is the sense of scale. Tall but slender pine trees define the course’s playing corridors while offering expansive views of almost the entire layout, no matter where you stand on the property. This open feeling gives a sense of grandness, even though the entire property spans just 156 acres.

Broomsedge embodies the concept of strategic hole design. The greens are shaped to offer multiple hole locations, each of which can drastically alter the difficulty of an approach shot. Additionally, several holes feature alternate green sites, and multiple holes have split fairways. While factors like weather and hole locations certainly influence how any course plays on a given day, Broomsedge's clever design allows for this variation to be dialed up to 11.

Broomsedge has a distinct golden age feel. One can really feel the influences from Donald Ross, George Thomas, and even George Crump to some extent. The green sites have an inviting look, luring you into a false sense of security until they punish harshly if you end up in the wrong place ala Pinehurst No. 2.  The fairway designs provide multiple different lines off the tee, a very George Thomas feel, and the bunkering in some locations has a distinct Pine Valley vibe. 

The routing of Broomsedge feels intimate but not tight.  The fairways have width in the right areas, allowing for high handicappers to enjoy the experience but the land movement still provides challenge for lower handicap players.  While the course routes down and back holes adjacent to one another in some areas, none of the holes felt repetitive. Every hole had a distinct and different feel, providing a really fun narrative golfing experience. 

Broomsedge will require multiple loops to really get a feel for it.  I hope to someday get the chance for that second loop.