SC celebrates year to remember for golf, with sights now set on what’s ahead in 2023

Temperatures that defy the calendar in the early weeks of 2023 whet the appetite for golfers to head to the course and in all likelihood provide an omen for what’s ahead for the game in South Carolina.

“We would love another year just like this one,” said Biff Lathrop, executive director of the South Carolina Golf Association.

Indeed, the game prospered again in 2022, and aficionados gathered to celebrate Saturday at Columbia Country Club on South Carolina Golf Day.

They could look back with satisfaction and ahead with great expectations.

The COVID outbreak that mostly impacted the world negatively beginning in 2020 turned out to be a catalyst for golf. The game that had experienced a downward spiral following 2008 economic woes this time profited during hard times from being an outdoor, non-contact sport.

Players rediscovered courses, and the demand for playing opportunities remains strong almost three years later.

“So many good things to appreciate,” Lathrop said in looking ahead to the Golf Day ceremonies that would include honoring the top players of 2022 and contributors to the game plus inducting three members into the S.C. Golf Hall of Fame.

They could look back on 2022 and recall with fondness the PGA Tour’s ventures into the Palmetto State with a pair of popular champions — Jordan Spieth in the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island and Rory McIlrory in the CJ Cup at Congaree in Ridgeland. Kevin Kisner made the U.S. Presidents Cup team for the second time, and Dustin Johnson continued his dominant ways after joining the LIV Tour.

They could remember Zach Adams’ winning the S.C. Amateur and competing in the U.S. Amateur; Sam Jackson’s forging a breakout year that included making match-play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur en route to earning the SCGA’s Player of the Year honors; or Eddie Hargett’s running away with the Senior Player of the Year title for the fourth straight year.

Moments to remember would include the smashing success of the SCGA’s inaugural Public Links Championship, an event designed for the non-club golfer, or the rollout of the S.C. Junior Golf Association’s Players Series, a developmental competition. The SCGJA team retained the Watson Cup with a victory over a team of Scottish juniors in an event played on famed courses in Scotland.

Lea Venable earned the WSCGA Player of the Year honor with a season that included qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. Jayne Pardus claimed the Senior Player of the Year honors in a year that included quality performances everywhere from Florida to Arizona to Scotland in addition to the Carolinas.

Then, there’s the economic impact to celebrate. A survey conducted by the S.C. Department of Parks, Revenue and Tourism found that the state’s golf industry in 2021 had a total economic impact of $3.3 billion in output or sales, 37,959 jobs, $1.5 billion in wages and income and $370 million in federal, state and local taxes. The taxes included $18.3 million in admission tax revenue, 44% of the state admission tax collection.

Perhaps most important, the desire to play remained strong with courses often filled to capacity, and, Lathrop said, “The demand for tee times shows no signs of slowing down.”

Looking ahead:

▪ The RBC Heritage, set for April 13-16, will be one of the PGA Tour’s “designated” tournaments, offering a $20 million purse and guaranteeing that almost every player among the top 20 in the world rankings will compete at Harbour Town.

▪ Some of the state’s best courses will play host to a top tournament. The State Amateur moves to The Patriot Golf Club at Grand Harbor in Ninety Six, and the Women’s Amateur will be contested at Fripp Island. The Women’s Open returns to Cobblestone Park, and the SCGA’s Public Links will be play again at the venerable Charleston Municipal Golf Course. The SCGA Junior Champion comes back to its roots at the Country Club of Lexington.

▪ The Columbia Golf Ball, a fund-raiser for the S.C. Junior Golf Foundation, will be held at the USC Alumni Center on Thursday of Masters week.

▪ The USGA will stage a pair of national championships in the Palmetto State — the U.S. Junior at Daniel Island Club and the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Kiawah Island Club.

“Golf in South Carolina is in a really good place,” Lathrop said. “I’m looking forward to a bright future.”

Chip shots. The induction of new members into the S.C. Golf Hall of Fame — administrator Charlie Roundtree III and championship players Todd White and Sherri Turner — highlighted the Golf Day ceremonies. ... The state organizations wasted no time in beginning competition in the new year with the women staging a one-day event prior to its annual meeting on Thursday. Shaun McIntyre (Columbia) and Scott Sullivan (Blythewood) edged David Gibson (Lexington) and Lee Gronkiewicz (Columbia) in the Forty-Plus Series Four-Ball event at Dataw Island to open the men’s season.