REIMAGINING RIVER HOUSE

SIGNATURE DISHES INCLUDE OYSTERS FROM BOTH COASTS, A FRESH SPIN ON CRAB LOUIE, PRIME DRY-AGED STEAKS, BLACK TRUFFLE CREAMED CORN, AND A STUNNING SEAFOOD TOWER.

Reimagining

RIVER HOUSE

In spring 2022 Palmetto Bluff celebrated the long-awaited return of River House, the beloved restaurant overlooking the May River. The first restaurant opened within Palmetto Bluff, this landmark venue was redesigned by South Carolinabased Court Atkins Group.

With floor-to-ceiling windows and endless river views, the restaurant includes a trim thirteen-seat bar, an al fresco lounge within a screened-in porch, and a bourbon wall that serves as both a functional and focal piece of art within the space. While paying homage to Palmetto Bluff’s original culinary experience, the new River House features distinctive touches with a curated collection of sterling silver carefully sourced from antique boutiques, tableside cocktail and culinary preparations and saucing. The menu, overseen by Chef de Cuisine Daniel Vesey, focuses on quality steaks and seafood, seasonal ingredients, and detailed presentation, creating visually striking gastronomy.

esteemed equineEQUESTRIAN MANAGER KAELYA SOMMER INTRODUCES THE BELOVED RESIDENTS OF LONGFIELD STABLES

PHOTOGRAPHS by GATELY WILLIAMS

JOAB

15 YEARS | 14.1 HANDS | MARSH TACKY | DUN Joab is so sturdy and unflappable, we’ve had a trained ninja backflip off his back! He is a bit lazy and prefers to be petted and cuddled above all else. Deacon is his best friend, and when the two are separated, they call to each other. When you meet him, notice the classic Marsh Tacky dorsal stripe down his back.

DEACON

12 YEARS | 17.3 HANDS PERCHERON FRIESIAN MIX | BLACK Deacon is our largest horse. He was trained to fox hunt in Aiken, South Carolina, and New York and can jump up to four feet. We often put advanced riders on Deacon. His best friend is Joab. They are inseparable! Deacon thinks he runs the stables, and even when he’s out working he will whinny to the other horses to let them know he’s still in charge.

YOUR HAND TURNED HORIZONTAL IS ABOUT FOURINCHES LONG. THIS IS HOW WE MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF A HORSE!

BRAVO

15 YEARS | 15.1 HANDS | MARSH TACKY | RED DUN Bravo is Joab’s cousin. He is super sweet and the most versatile horse in our stables. One year, for a Marsh Tacky demonstration, we taught Bravo to jump while his rider flew a kite. He does Paint the Pony, trail rides, lessons—you name it!

MARSH TACKIES ARE SMALL AND STURDY BREED BROUGHT OVER BY THE SPANISH IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. THEY WERE ORIGINALLY BRED FOR HUNTING AND ARE INCREDIBLY SURE-FOOTED IN THE BOGGY LOWCOUNTRY TERRAIN.

PHOENIX

15 YEARS | 14.3 HANDS | KENTUCKY MOUNTAIN HORSE | CHESTNUT WITH FLAXEN MANE AND TAIL Phoenix is a gaited horse and has a comfortable third gait called an amble. So he is ideal for trail riding! It’s like riding along on the couch. He loves water and, given the chance, will drop down and roll in the mud! He’s very special to me personally because he had lymphoma, and I spent multiple nights with him at The University of Georgia for a colic surgery. He has recovered beautifully!

ROXY

15 YEARS | 15.1 HANDS | MARSH TACKY | RED DUN Roxy came to Longfield with one of our equestrian members. She does everything from beginner rides on the lunge line to pony rides. She can also jump up to two and a half feet with lead changes. And she absolutely loves trail riding. She has a lot of personality and can be sassy with her friends!

RAFIKI

15 YEARS | 16.3 HANDS | HOLSTEINER | BAY Rafiki is trained in dressage up to level three, but he prefers the trails to the sandbox so we use him as a trail horse! He prefers to be out on the open trail to fancy horse dancing. He has one of the most comfortable canters I’ve ever ridden! His favorite treat is Twizzlers, and his best friend is Pheonix.

SCARLETT

19 YEARS | 15.2 HANDS | QUARTER | CHESTNUT Scarlet is our local sweetheart from Pelion, South Carolina. She just wants to cuddle! She does pony rides even though she’s not a pony.

WINTER

25 YEARS | 13 HANDS | PONY | WHITE Winter is pure white with pink skin, which is very rare. She has to wear sunscreen all the time! She was a rescue and is our calmest and sweetest pony. Her favorite activity is Paint the Pony, and she often falls asleep in the middle of it. She has been featured in weddings and even a Ralph Lauren photo shoot. She wears a unicorn horn on special occasions!

A PONY IS 14.2 HANDS HIGH AND BELOW, A HORSE IS 14.3 HANDS HIGH AND ABOVE.

VIRGINIA

17 YEARS | 13.2 HANDS | PONY | PALOMINO Virginia comes from Onyxford Farm in Virginia, which breeds fancy hunter show ponies. Her full name is Onyxford’s Miss Virginia. Virginia is one of our tried-and-true lesson ponies and works well with everyone from beginners to advanced jumpers. She’s also featured in our Paint the Pony series. She’s very sweet and trustworthy.

KAELYA SOMMER HAS WORKED AS THE EQUESTRIAN MANAGER AT LONGFIELD STABLES SINCE 2019. FOR THE PAST FIFTEEN YEARS, KAELYA HAS MANAGED AND TRAINED HORSES AT PRESTIGIOUS, MULTIDISCIPLINE STABLES THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHEAST.

LONGFIELD STABLES OFFERS EVERYTHING FROM PONY RIDES TO JUMPING LESSONS, HORSEMANSHIP CLASSES TO TRAIL RIDES THROUGH THE MARITIME FOREST. PAINT A PONY OR STOP BY FOR A STABLE TOUR. LESSONS ARE IMMERSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HORSEMANSHIP AND CARE.

SHANNON

WHITWORTH

I am standing knee-deep in the French Broad River as a low mist drifts in. It’s a warm June afternoon and sunlight streams through the sycamores, yet this odd precipitation slides along the riverbank, collecting in its eddies and angles. Shannon points upriver where it hovers over the water in a narrow wisp, a spectral shadow of the river below. “Look at that,” she says. “If it was a note, it would be something strong and hopeful. It would be a major key.” She hums a single note as tiny fish nibble my toes.

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY HAILEY WIST

When I first meet Shannon Whitworth at the FLOW Gallery + Workshop at Palmetto Bluff, she is deep in conversation with a buyer. They have moved past art and are talking relationships and heartache. Shannon is like that. It’s as if her heart is

cracked open and on display. And people respond to it, spilling secrets they didn’t know they had. Like Whitman and Dylan, the great artists that came before, Shannon contains multitudes. She has a big laugh. She loves dogs, mermaids, and chewing gum. She is a mother and a wife. In all these things she is accessible and warm, empathic even. But Shannon is also a gale force. With a potent and expansive energy she has created an auspicious career in art and music. Her paintings are featured in galleries and collections across the country. She has released three solo albums, a duets album, and two albums with the bluegrass band The Biscuit Burners. Her dual love of art and music has been dazzling for decades.

Sitting in her studio in Brevard, North Carolina, I ask Shannon which came first, music or art, and she responds, “Professionally? Or cellularly?” Maybe that’s it—when you see Shannon’s paintings or listen to her music, it feels cellular. She has put her whole heart into her work, and somehow her paintings speak to that. It’s all integrated— love mingles with family and poetry, music and nature. In her moody riverscapes there is a deep well of feeling. In her silhouettes of cowboys and medicine men there is the ghost of musical tradition, mysticism, and healing. Likewise, her music rides a wave of emotion, sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes exalting, her smoky voice shaping melody into something deeply personal.

Growing up in northern Virginia, Shannon was endlessly writing and drawing. Looking at the scope of her career, this instinct for music and art was forged in her childhood and teens. Even in her earliest memories, she was writing little poems and singing made-up melodies. In kindergarten she sang a Barbra Streisand song in a school talent show. She remembers the shock on her parents’ faces. “I was the third child and sort of camouflaged in with everybody. It was the first time they were like, Wow. I can’t believe you did that.”

In middle school her parents bought her an easel, and she rearranged her room around it to paint by the window. As a teenager Shannon filled notebook after notebook with poems and sketches. When her older brother’s girlfriend (now wife) brought over a guitar and taught her a few chords, her life changed forever. “That’s all I needed,” she says. “These books and books of poems, I could put them to melodies. It was like, Oh my God. I can communicate.”

It was also during this time that Shannon started spending summers on Hilton Head Island with her Grandma Nancy. Growing up with brothers, Shannon had always been a tomboy, a creative odd duck. Nancy was well traveled, sophisticated, and feminine, and their one-on-one time was like an initiation into womanhood. “I went down there playing with Barbie dolls, and I came back wearing a training bra,” Shannon laughs. She also

LEFT: THE SEA BOUNTY | EXCERPT | 12X12 INCHES RIGHT: WINTER CREEK STUDY | 5X7 INCHES

PEACE LIKE A RIVER | EXCERPT | 12X16 INCHES

fell in love with the Lowcountry, the sultry summers. “Every day I got to watch the sun break through the clouds,” she says. “It’s in my DNA—the smells, the skies, the water.”

Her summers with Nancy were also musically formative. It was during her visits to Hilton Head that Shannon became acquainted with the classics—Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Julie London. “There were clock radios in every room playing WLOW 107.9 Classic Radio,” she remembers. “It created this amber buzz throughout the house.” The music, the setting, and the influence of Grandma Nancy, with her gold bangles and vodka martinis, expanded Shannon’s world, giving her the clay from which she’d mold her art and her music.

For the longest time, Shannon only played music by herself or with her two brothers. She tried new things, traveled. She worked on fishing boats and at a reservation in Arizona. She lived in the cook’s cabin of

an old summer camp and taught art. But she was always, endlessly writing songs. When she moved to Brevard, Shannon fell in with a group of musicians including Woody Platt, her future husband and founding member of the Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers.

One fateful night at Jack of the Wood in Asheville, a friend coaxed Shannon onstage during a bluegrass jam, and for the first time Shannon played for a crowd. She played all night, in fact, jamming into the wee hours. “I felt like I had just met the love of my life,” she remembers. “I was giddy.”

After the all-nighter at Jack of the Wood, Shannon was asked to play with an all-girl bluegrass group, the band that would later become The Biscuit Burners.

The chemistry was electric and Shannon remembers playing their first gig to a packed house. “I felt like I was levitating,” she says. The Biscuit Burners quickly spun up from local gigs to national tours, and Shannon was catapulted into bluegrass fame. During her time with

THREE SISTERS | 20X24 INCHES

the band, The Biscuit Burners released two critically acclaimed albums. It was also during that time she and Woody fell in love. They were both touring constantly but moved into a little log cabin together in Brevard.

Woody and Shannon’s restored farmhouse is situated at the confluence of the French Broad River and its north and east forks. When I visit in June, Shannon tours me around in an old golf cart on mowed paths through headhigh grass and wildflowers. We make our way down to the river where she and Woody have restored their stretch of the bank. Where the water once rushed past and eroded the land, there is now a slow curve and a sloping sandbar. The trout have returned and Shannon tells me about fly fishing with Woody and friends in the shallow waters.

When she left The Biscuit Burners in 2006, Shannon released a series of solo albums and a duets album with

Steep Canyon Rangers bassist Barrett Smith. She toured with Chris Isaak, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Raul Malo. She lived on the road and spent most weeks away from Woody. This breakneck whirlwind left little time for her other love. “When I was on tour, I always felt like I was cheating on my art,” she says. “I felt very imbalanced.” She’d sketch on the road and at home put paint to canvas. The “music man” series that has so captured her followers came out of this time.

Outside the FLOW Gallery + Workshop, I watch Shannon teach a painting workshop to a group of ladies. She moves between the easels, stopping occasionally to help solve a puzzle or suggest a brush. I am struck by how natural she is, so open and easy with her guidance and praise. Shannon isn’t holding onto or protecting anything, quite the opposite. She wants everyone to feel what she feels; she wants magic and love to flow from her paintings and out into the world.

In 2015 Shannon and Woody welcomed a baby boy into the world. Motherhood grounded Shannon, literally. She put a pause on music and put all her energy into Rivers and her art. When the pandemic swept the globe, Woody, Rivers, and Shannon were at home on the French Broad. It was a disorienting time, to say the least. A friend encouraged her to post her paintings on Instagram, and when she did, the series sold out in a day. Her paintings started selling in galleries and online. “I never wanted to self-promote,” she tells me. “But it was crazy. All of a sudden my paintings started selling.” Since then, Shannon has been prolific.

On her final night at Palmetto Bluff, Shannon is joined by Woody and Rivers. It’s a clear spring evening, and the lawn next to Cole’s is spangled with picnic blankets and lawn chairs. Shannon and Woody stroll over to the bluff to tune their instruments and check in. Until now I’ve

only ever seen Shannon as an artist, and it is a thrill to see her settle down behind the microphone and dazzle the audience out loud. She and Woody play You Are in Love with Me from her most recent album, and you can feel the effect on the crowd.

Back in her studio in Brevard, we talk about family, about motherhood and the joy of raising Rivers, now six. Lately Shannon has been painting a lot of landscapes, especially the wide expanses of the Carolina Lowcountry from her summers with Nancy. “I never thought landscapes were my thing. I want to be open to go anywhere, but landscapes are a way of journaling. It’s like a heart map, where you’ve been and where you want to go.” I’m aware that I’m catching Shannon in a mere moment of her character arc. It seems that up to this point she has truly operated on instinct, following her nose to the next right thing. “Everything has been through feeling, with my eyes closed, just by touch,” she confirms. It’s all there in her paintings—unalloyed truth.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SHANNON WHITWORTH, STOP BY FLOW GALLERY + WORKSHOP IN WILSON VILLAGE OR VISIT FLOWPALMETTOBLUFF.COM RIGHT: SHANNON ONSTAGE AT MORELAND CROSSROADS WITH HER HUSBAND, WOODY PLATT

Around Town, on the Water, and on the Golf Course

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A DAY WITH Mr. Palmetto Bluff STORY and PHOTOGRAPHS by HAILEY WIST

I meet Bob Newbert at Wilson Landing on a humid morning in late July. The day is already blindingly bright, and we are both slathered in sunscreen. Bob has organized a full schedule for the day, and I fall into step as he strides off down the dock.

I heard of Bob months before in an editorial meeting. Around Wilson Village he’s known as “Mr. Palmetto Bluff,” a kind of paragon retiree with a wild enthusiasm for all things Lowcountry. Since his retirement in 2009, Bob has thrown himself into a multitude of hobbies. He

took shooting lessons, learned how to shrimp, and got his US Coast Guard Master Captain license. He has perfected the Lowcountry boil, hunted marsh hen, and learned the intricate maze of tidal creeks in a 100-mile radius of the Bluff. He has educated himself on local history and ecology and now leads excursions for organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, even devising itineraries for the Wilson Landing Boat Club. And let me tell you, Bob Newbert is having the time of his life.

Our first item on the itinerary is a boat tour along the May River. Bob is an expert at the helm, and we careen through narrow waterways, speeding past wild islands and stopping occasionally at predetermined locations for a funny anecdote or quick history lesson. He tells me all the early lore about Alfred Lee Loomis (who once owned a significant portion of Hilton Head Island) and the menagerie on Bull Island. He explains the oystering industry, the anatomy of a brown pelican, the origins of Pat Conroy’s The Water is Wide. Bob is like a well-oiled machine, and his stories are infused with an infectious enthusiasm for the area, its people, and its rich cultural heritage. Emblazoned across his ball cap, in fact, is: “Captain Bob’s Lowcountry Tours,” a tongue-in-cheek Father’s Day gift from his daughter along with a matching t-shirt and windbreaker.

As the sun reaches its apex, we motor into a small tidal creek and drop anchor for lunch. This is one of Bob’s favorite “hidden happy hour” spots to take friends. “We pull in here and break out a bottle of wine and a cheese board. It’s great fun.” He has packed us chicken salad sandwiches and peaches, and we sit chatting over lunch. “All I did was work,” he tells me. For thirty years, Bob

CRABBING

BOB TEARS OPEN A FOUR-PACK OF TURKEY NECKS AND PLACES EACH AT THE CENTER OF HIS TRAPS. I USED TO USE STRING TO TIE THEM ON, BUT THE CRABS WOULD BITE THROUGH IT AND TAKE OFF WITH MY TURKEY NECKS. HE USES THICK ZIP TIES TO SECURE THE MEAT TO THE METAL BASKETS AND THEN LOWERS THEM HAND OVER HAND INTO THE SHALLOW WATER BELOW THE DOCK. NOW NORMALLY THIS IS A SOCIAL ACTIVITY. WE’D CRACK A COUPLE BEERS AND SET UP SOME BEACH CHAIRS IN THE SHADE, CHECKING OUR TRAPS EVERY SO OFTEN. IT’S GREAT FUN.

SHRIMPING

WE’RE BOBBING AROUND ON THE MAY RIVER OVER A SHRIMP HOLE, A DROP-IN DEPTH WHERE BOB TELLS ME THE SHRIMP HANG OUT. ALL OF THE SHRIMPERS HAVE THEIR FAVORITE HOLES. HE PULLS A BRIGHT GREEN CAST NET FROM HIS BUCKET AND STARTS TO SORT THE WEIGHTS, ARRANGING THE NET JUST SO BEFORE HE CLIMBS UP TO THE BOW AND FLINGS IT OVERBOARD. IT’S LIKE A TREASURE HUNT EVERY TIME! THE NET IS ATTACHED TO A LINE THAT TAKES IT TWENTY FEET DEEP. AFTER A LONG PAUSE, HE STARTS TO HAUL IT BACK UP TO THE BOAT. WE’RE A LITTLE EARLY IN THE SEASON, AND THE NET COMES UP EMPTY. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!

THE FORMAT IS NOT SO DISSIMILAR TO A GAME OF GOLF. AT EACH STATION BOB INSERTS A MEMBER CARD INTO A CARD READER THAT ACTIVATES THE FIELD. I TRIGGER THE TRAPS WHEN BOB YELLS “PULL!” AND THE CLAYS FLING INTO THE AIR AT VARYING SPEEDS, DISTANCES, AND PATTERNS, SIMULATING THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF LIVE GAME. BOB TEACHES ME THE SHORTHAND OF SHOOTING CLAYS: THE DEFINITION OF A TRUE PAIR VERSUS A REPORT PAIR, THE ETIQUETTE WITHIN A SHOOTING SQUAD, THE SPECIAL LEATHER TAB ATTACHED TO HIS SHOE SO THAT HE CAN REST HIS GUN WITHOUT WEARING THROUGH THE LEATHER.

owned a high-profile ad agency in Providence, Rhode Island. He was the quintessential “suit” and dedicated all his time and energy to his career. I wonder aloud if he pre-planned retirement and all the hobbies he would take up. He laughs in disbelief. “No! All I thought about was work!” It’s not that he didn’t have a vibrant life during his working years—quite the opposite. He was founder, chairman, trustee, and board member to a long list of organizations, associations, and institutions. He and his wife, Mary-Jane, supported the arts, educational programs, and conservation efforts. The enthusiasm was always there, but he was never really out in it. Retirement, he tells me, gave him the opportunity to reinvent himself. And Palmetto Bluff was his proving ground.

The tide is swiftly receding so we pull anchor and head for Wilson Landing. Bob wants to show me how to shrimp, and we need to switch to a different boat. As the warm air whips past, I ask Bob if he’s ever been stranded in a tidal creek at low tide and he laughs. “Oh yes!” he shouts over the roar of the wind, “I won’t lie about that!” What I like about Bob is his complete lack of cynicism or pretension. He’s quick to laugh, ready to learn. Over lunch I had marveled at the sheer energy required to learn and maintain these sundry hobbies. He told me that his grandfather, upon retirement, sat down in a rocking chair and never really got up. “He got old so quickly,” he remembers. “I’m out doing things all the time, and it just keeps me energized.” True to form, we land at Wilson Dock and Bob springs from the boat, unloading our gear before I even have my shoes on.

After a midday break, I meet Bob at the Palmetto Bluff Shooting Club for a lesson on sporting clays. We climb into a golf cart with special gun racks and head into the forest. I’m struck by the sheer beauty of the landscape, massive oak species and a lush understory make up a dense, Jungle Book-like setting. The course is massive, boasting thirteen stations and a state-of-theart five-stand station and a wobble deck. We start at the five-stand, and Bob teaches me how to load and shoot, his voice muffled through my ear plugs. I discharge five or six fruitless rounds into the woods. We switch places and Bob settles into position. “Pull!” I trigger the trap and he fires, blowing the clay to smithereens.

Like boating, shooting is only a recent passion. “I didn’t even know which end of the shotgun to shoot from,” he tells me. “I was a complete novice.” But he took lessons and joined regular shooting groups. Now he is an excellent shot. He misses nary a clay during our hour tour of the course. He has also fallen in with the robust

local shooting community. He is invited to seasonal duck hunts and pheasant shoots on neighboring plantations and has joined a few shooting clubs outside Palmetto Bluff. He has learned to shoot marsh hens, a local rail species that hides in the spartina grass around the Bluff. (He always eats what he kills but jokes about the marsh hen. “You know the best recipe for marsh hen?” A sly smile. “Pluck the feathers off the bird. Throw away the bird. Eat the feathers.”) In short, he’s all in. Shooting has become something he’s not only passionate about, but also really, really good at.

We say goodbye as the sky starts to darken, the fat thunderheads of a summer deluge rolling in. Bob promises to introduce me to his daughter, Marcia, and I promise to bring my husband down for a shoot. I pull onto Highlander Road, toward home, feeling a strange buoyancy. A day with Bob has reminded me of the importance of play, of learning for the sheer joy of it.

Stewarding This Great LAND

STEWARDSHIP: THE ART OF TAKING CARE OF SOMETHING, SUCH AS AN ORGANIZATION OR PROPERTY The simplicity of this definition belies its importance. The Palmetto Bluff Conservancy is the safeguard of this land. We are the voice for native inhabitants who live here and deserve to flourish. We are the voice for the ghosts of Palmetto Bluff’s past, generations of families who carved out a place to call home beneath the live oaks and longleaf pines. We are dedicated to the planning, protection, and management of land, water, wetlands, open space, ecosystems, and archaeological sites contained therein for the benefit of present and future generations.

STORY by JAY WALEA PHOTOGRAPHS by CAMERON WILDER

PREVIOUS: AARON PALMIERI SURVEYS ONE OF THE CAVITY NEST BOXES PLACED THROUGHOUT PALMETTO BLUFF. TOP LEFT: JUSTIN HARDY INSPECTS CHUFA GROWTH IN ONE OF THE CONSERVANCY FOOD PLOTS. TOP RIGHT: BRIAN BYRNE MOWS GRASSES AND WEEDS THAT ARE TRYING TO OUTCOMPETE CROPS PLANTED FOR WILDLIFE. BOTTOM: AARON PALMIERI, BRIAN BYRNE, JAY WALEA, AND JUSTIN HARDY OF THE PALMETTO BLUFF CONSERVANCY

IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE LAND

This quote was made locally famous by Jim Mozley, the original land planner for the Palmetto Bluff we know today. Mozley was a visionary. He knew that conservation could actually be a cornerstone of successful development, that developmental restraint could enhance property value. Fast-forward twenty-two years and we have proven it. It is vital that land and wildlife are integrated and part of our community and cultural heritage. The Conservancy’s four pillars uphold this mission statement.

LAND MANAGEMENT Our land and wildlife team is tasked with a robust wildlife

and forestry management program here at Palmetto Bluff. We manage strictly for the eastern wild turkey, an umbrella species, which indirectly protects the larger ecological community on the property. We use seasonal food plots to provide supplemental feed for wildlife. Springtime plots include protein-rich plants to ensure that mammals and birds have enough protein to support their young. The fall planting is all about carbohydrates and sugars with big leafy greens and clovers. This is to ensure the species feeding from these plots have enough carbohydrates to sleep well on cold nights. Good sleep aids good health! We encourage a healthy insect population by letting wild forbs grow. These weeds are good for wildlife, pollinators, and soil quality.

Prescribed fire is our best practice for land and wildlife management. The Conservancy burns over two thousand acres a year to enhance the health of our wildlife and timber stands. Controlled burns exponentially raise the carrying capacity of the land (how much of any given species the land can sustain healthily) and promote new growth beneficial to all wildlife. What’s more, seasonal fires remove hardwood competition, providing the majestic overstory tree species with natural fertilizer in the form of ash. Fire also protects our residents. Controlled burns remove excess fuel from the forest floor and render wildfires from a lit cigarette or lightning strike entirely tractable. Our land and wildlife crew takes great pride in manipulating these fields and forests in the name of true conservation. And we believe that

conservation is maximizing, but also utilizing, our natural

resources.

HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY Not all of our resources are biological. The Conservancy is also the guardian of Palmetto Bluff’s historic and prehistoric sites. Typical developers hire a firm to complete shovel tests and excavate any found sites. Reports are often completed after development has commenced. The Conservancy knew early on that this status quo was not comprehensive enough. We wanted to tell the stories of Palmetto Bluff from start to finish.

Our dedicated archaeologists create reports from each and every building site. Once a site is cataloged, it is turned into the State to ensure the protection of artifacts in perpetuity. Dr. Mary Socci and her team have spent countless hours researching the vast history of Palmetto Bluff to ensure that these narratives will not be lost.

These archaeologists have restored cemeteries, excavated countless historic buildings, identified and cataloged prehistoric artifacts. They have an amazing following, both resident and public, and conduct lectures, field trips, and informational hikes. Every year, their knowledge of this place expands.

TOP RIGHT: DR. MARY SOCCI, ARCHAEOLOGIST, IN FRONT OF THE WILSON RUINS. BOTTOM LEFT: LYDIA MOORE, RESEARCH & EDUCATION COORDINATOR, HOISTING A MIST NET IN RIVER ROAD PRESERVE FOR BAT RESEARCH. BOTTOM RIGHT: ANIMAL BONES USED FOR IDENTIFYING BONE FRAGMENTS FOUND AT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGS.

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

As stewards of Palmetto Bluff, it is imperative to ensure that our resident species are not harmfully affected by land use. To do this, our researchers pay close attention to indicator species. An indicator species is affected first by habitat alterations and serves as a proxy to diagnose the health of the greater ecosystem. Our team spends countless hours on research projects, ranging from alligators to bluebirds. Currently our researchers are focused on bats of the coastal plain. While most of the national funding for bat research goes to endangered species, bats in the coastal plain are historically understudied. The Conservancy’s researchers have the flexibility to use their funding to study common species, like the Seminole bat, that are still found in abundance here at Palmetto Bluff. If this species is negatively affected in the future by development, disease, and/or climate change, we will have baseline documentation to share with the world (rather than beginning research once a species is in peril). This keeps us at the forefront in acquiring this knowledge and prevents the species from suffering.

OUTREACH AND EVENTS

Outreach integrates these pillars and provides the Palmetto Bluff community with a better understanding of our environment. The Conservancy is a conduit, instilling our residents with a love for the land, and we have over two hundred programs on our annual calendar. We bring local historians, authors, scientists, and educators to the Bluff to lecture on topics important to our cultural heritage, our unique ecosystem, and our way of life. We conduct hikes, tours, and field trips that highlight important habitats and endemic species. Our summer camps connect kids with nature at an early age, and our year-round programming is for all ages. We rely on this outreach and education to create passionate ambassadors for the Conservancy and for Palmetto Bluff.

TOP: DR. SOCCI HOLDING ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF ARTIFACTS FOUND AT PALMETTO BLUFF DURING THE EXCAVATIONS. BOTTOM: JAY WALEA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CONSERVANCY, HAS BEEN AT PALMETTO BLUFF FOR THIRTY-ONE YEARS.

THE BIRTH OF GULLAH

GEECHEE

LIFE IN THE LOWCOUNTRY IS SPECIAL. IT’S A GIFT OF MILD WEATHER, SPANISH MOSS WAVING IN A SUN-KISSED BREEZE, SERENE WATER VIEWS, AND SPECTACULAR SUNSETS. THE LOWCOUNTRY ENCOMPASSES ALL OF THESE THINGS AND SO MUCH MORE. ITS BEAUTY IS ONLY A BACKDROP TO ITS RICH CULTURAL HISTORY, ONE THAT MAKES LIFE HERE NOT JUST EXCEPTIONAL BUT ALSO STEEPED IN A UNIQUE PAST THAT PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN SHAPING OUR NATION.

Story by Luana M. Graves Sellars

History books may not say much about our area, but Beaufort County, specifically the towns of Bluffton and Hilton Head Island, had direct impacts on the years prior to and after the Civil War. As quiet as it’s kept, the area was pivotal to the foundational issues that lead the country to war, but also the ultimate trajectory and Union victory.

In addition to the vast wealth that Southern states, and particulary the Lowcountry, amassed from slavery, Bluffton was the heart and origin of the seccessionist movement. Bluffton’s political influence throughout the state and the larger South, coupled with its strong strategic position, contributed greatly to the Union Army’s choice of Hilton Head Island as their Headquarters of the South.

Rice Country

Prior to the Civil War, the environment and terrain of the Lowcountry provided the perfect elements for luxurious living and the opportunity to harvest a variety of crops— mostly rice, indigo, and Sea Island cotton. Bluffton was home to several large plantations, some were extended holdings or vacation homes for local families. Palmetto Bluff alone had fifteen plantations, averaging one thousand acres each, owned by local family names like the Baynards and the Draytons, who also owned plantations in other locations, including Hilton Head. Rice was a particularly lucrative crop, and the agricultural leader in the country at one point. The monetary gains of these local families brought about great political clout, and this area became a major economic driver for the Confederate states.

Rice requires humid and swampy conditions, as well as a proximity to fresh and salt water. The Lowcountry provided an ideal combination of economic opportunity, land, and climate for plantation owners. But rice is not an easy crop to grow. It was labor-intensive work and required hundreds of enslaved people per acre. These men and women were trafficked from several countries

along the Western Coast of Africa, including Angola, the

PREVIOUS PAGE: A PLANTATION BURIAL BY JOHN ANTROBUS. THIS PAINTING IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW ANTEBELLUM ARTWORKS TO CAPTURE THE INTERIOR WORLD OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE SLAVEHOLDING SOUTH. BURIALS WERE OFTEN HELD AT NIGHT, AFTER THE DAYS WORK WAS DONE, AND THE PAINTING PROVIDES A WINDOW INTO THE RICH WORLD OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY. LEFT: THE OLD PLANTATION [EXCERPT] BY JOHN ROSE | THE COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUNDATION, GIFT OF ABBY ALDRICH ROCKEFELLER RIGHT: ENGRAVING OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE PLANTING RICE ON A CAROLINA PLANTATION. PUBLISHED IN HARPER’S MAGAZINE, 1895.

LEFT: “HOEING RICE, SOUTH CAROLINA USA” | NIDAY PICTURES / ALAMY RIGHT: “UNLOADING RICE BARGES”, SOUTH CAROLINA [HAND-COLORED WOODCUT] “THE MEN AND WOMEN AT WORK IN THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS WERE UNDER THE CONTROL OF FIELD-MASTERS. THE WOMEN WERE DRESSED IN GAY COLORS, WITH HANDKERCHIEFS AROUND THEIR TEMPLES...” (EDWARD KING, FROM “THE GREAT SOUTH”, SCRIBNER’S MONTHLY, 1874). THIS ROMANTICIZED ACCOUNT OF LIFE FOR ENSLAVED PEOPLE ON A RICE PLANTATION FROM 1875 IS FAR FROM REALITY. PROVIDED WITH USED RAGS TO WEAR IN EXCESSIVE TEMPERATURES, RICE HARVESTING WAS GRUELING AND BACKBREAKING WORK PERFORMED UNDER HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS THAT OFTEN RESULTED IN AN AVERAGE AGE OF TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS.

Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, where rice technology and cultivation had been successful for generations.

The sheer number of enslaved people necessary to fuel the South’s agricultural engine forced a blend of people from five-to-seven cultures for extended periods of time—from the beginning of captivity in Africa (often months in slave castles or holding pens), to several more months to cross the Atlantic, and then on to seasoning camps. The commonality of fear and circumstance led to what is now known as Gullah Geechee.

The Birth of a Culture

The Gullah Geechee culture is the unification of language, tradition, and cultural practices that enslaved people were able to maintain from their countries. Back then, coastal living didn’t include the creature comforts that we enjoy today, and diseases like malaria were prevalent in the area. As a result, many enslavers stayed away from the coast and their plantations for large portions of the year, while enslaved people maintained a workflow.

Slavery utilized two different types of labor. In most inland areas of the South, the brutal and cruel “Gang System” of labor demanded an unwavering level of work and production throughout the day and sometimes late into the evening, until the outcome was deemed sufficient.

In the Lowcountry, a different type of slave labor was used. Considered to be less harsh than the Gang System, the “Task System” employed an overseer who was responsible for the entire plantation’s output, yet it enabled the enslaved a degree of autonomy once their tasks were completed. In some cases, open or free time afforded them the ability to fish or even farm small plots of land. These less-stringent labor practices, the isolation that came with Sea Island living, and the ability to openly maintain West African traditions and customs allowed

Gullah Geechee culture to flourish.

After the Civil War and the Confederacy dissolved, most of the Gullah Geechee were abandoned, which left them virtually untouched by outside influences throughout the islands, as well as several inland areas like Palmetto Bluff. Gullah Geechee culture thrived, upheld by traditional lifestyle and practices.

Rooted in religion, the Gullah church was and continues to be the foundation of culture. With the fusion of spiritual practices, including Christianity, the Gullah church was central to daily life. Joining the church was considered a rite of passage for children and was rooted in the practice of “seeking”—the interpretation of a dream or spiritual communication that might take days or even months to achieve. Participating in religious services at a local praise house a few times a week was common, and services often lasted the majority of the day.

Originating from slavery, the heritage of the Gullah Geechee is grounded in oral tradition, passing

LEFT: COFFIN POINT PRAISE HOUSE BY ARTIST MARY INABINETT MACK FROM THE ST. HELENA ISLAND ANN FRIPP GULLAH COMMUNITY. SLAVERY OFTEN FRACTURED AFRICAN FAMILIES. THESE PRAYER/PRAISE/PRAYS HOUSES GAVE ENSLAVED PEOPLE A GATHERING POINT AND SENSE OF IDENTITY WHEN FAMILY CONNECTIONS WERE BROKEN. THIS SHARED IDENTITY WAS VITAL TO BUILDING COMMUNITY AND PLACED RELIGION AT THE VERY HEART OF GULLAH GEECHEE CULTURE.

information down generationally from community elders to the youth. Over time, African proverbs were shared through easily remembered sayings like:

It takes a whole village to raise a child;

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped;

Wherever a man goes to dwell, his character goes with him;

Once you carry your own water, you’ll remember every drop; and

One falsehood spoils a thousand truths. These sayings not only helped the Gullah bridge and maintain a connection to Africa but also provided a framework for parenting within Gullah Geechee culture.

Strong character and kindness are revered traits in Gullah Geechee society. If one had, then all had. Sharing resources, skills, and the bounty from land and sea was essential and emblematic. The community was intertwined in supporting and doing for each other. Regardless of need, everyone was taken care of. If a house needed to be built, the community would come together to build it.

This sense of giving, community, and respecting the integrity of the land is how the Gullah Geechee have lived in our area for generations. Southern hospitality and the gentile nature of the Lowcountry is not accidental, it’s the culmination of rich Gullah Geechee traditions blended into the fabric of American culture.

HOLE 14

THE MAY RIVER AT SUNRISE

A HOLE-BY-HOLE GUIDE TO THE MAY RIVER GOLF COURSE

HEAD PRO GREG WROBEL OFFERS AN INSIDER LOOK AT THE JACK NICKLAUS MASTERPIECE SITUATED ALONG LOWCOUNTRY MAJESTY.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY PATRICK O’BRIEN

TAKE IN THE GRANDEUR OF CENTURY-OLD LIVE OAKS AND SERENE NATIVE LANDSCAPES AS YOU LINGER ON THE SCENIC, 18-HOLE JACK NICKLAUS SIGNATURE COURSE. A TOTAL OF 7,171 YARDS WEAVE THROUGH THE MARITIME FOREST, WITH SEVERAL HOLES ON THE BANKS OF THE MAY RIVER.

YOU ARE STANDING ADMIDST AN ANCIENT MARITIME FOREST. OAKS AND OTHER HARDWOOD TREES CREATE A THICK CANOPY AND SAWTOOTH PALMS MAKE UP THE UNDERSTORY.

HOLE #1 || PAR 4 || 350-429 YARDS

STARTING OUT WITH A DOG LEG TO THE RIGHT. YOU’LL NOTICE A VERY LARGE PINE TREE GUARDING THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY AND A BUNKER GUARDING THE RIGHT. THE EASIER TEE SHOT IS HITTING STRAIGHT AT THE FAIRWAY BUNKER, WHICH LEAVES YOU THE BEST ANGLE INTO THE ELEVATED GREEN. PLAYING THE BALL LEFT AND SHORT OF THE FAIRWAY BUNKER IS A GREAT OPTION; HOWEVER, IT DOES LEAVE A MORE CHALLENGING SECOND SHOT. THE GREEN IS GUARDED BY BUNKERS TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT AND A LARGE FALSE FRONT ON THE FRONT RIGHT OF THE GREEN, WHICH WILL COLLECT MIS-HIT SHOTS. NOTICE THE WISHBONE OAK BEHIND THE GREEN!

HOLE #2 || PAR 3 || 127-206 YARDS

OUR FIRST PAR THREE. WE HAVE FIVE PAR THREES ON THE COURSE, WHICH IS QUITE UNIQUE. NUMBER TWO PLAYS UP TO 210 YARDS FROM THE BACK TEE. THIS HOLE PLAYS SLIGHTLY UPHILL AND IS GUARDED BY TREES, SO THE WIND CAN BE TRICKY. FROM THE TEE, YOU HAVE TO CROSS A SLIVER OF WETLAND TO A SMALL ELEVATED GREEN. CENTER OF THE GREEN OR SHORT FRONT OF THE GREEN IS IDEAL. TRY NOT TO HIT LONG OR LEFT. THE LEFT IS GUARDED BY A HUGE BUNKER, WHICH MAKES GETTING THE BALL UP AND DOWN DIFFICULT.

HOLE #3 || PAR 4 || 307-428 YARDS

THIS IS A STRAIGHTAWAY PAR FOUR WITH A LARGE LAGOON GUARDING THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY. THE SAFER PLAY IS AWAY FROM THE WATER BUT THAT LEAVES YOU WITH A DEMANDING SHOT OVER A SMALL LIVE OAK AND A BIG WASTE BUNKER ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOLE. THE BEST ANGLE IS HITTING CLOSER TO THE WATER. IT’S RISKIER OFF THE TEE BUT ALLOWS FOR A STRAIGHTER SHOT ONTO THE GREEN. THE GREEN IS WELL GUARDED BY BUNKERS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT. THE MISS HERE WOULD BE SHORT OF THE GREEN. A GOOD SCORE ON THREE WILL START YOUR DAY OFF RIGHT!

HOLE #4 || PAR 5 || 402-565 YARDS

THIS IS OUR FIRST PAR FIVE! IT’S A LONG HOLE FROM THE BACK TEES, PLAYING 565 YARDS. BUNKERS GUARD THE RIGHT SIDE, AND THERE’S A SMALL POT BUNKER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FAIRWAY. THAT’S A GREAT PLACE TO AIM. LONG HITTERS CAN GO FOR THE GREEN IN TWO BY CARRYING THE FAIRWAY BUNKER. IF YOU DON’T GO FOR IT IN TWO, THERE’S A WASTE BUNKER 150 YARDS SHORT OF THE GREEN THAT YOU WOULD LAY UP IN FRONT OF. THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST ANGLE ONTO THE GREEN. IF YOU WANT TO GET A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE, TRY A HYBRID OR LONG IRON SECOND SHOT AND A SHORT WEDGE INTO THE HOLE. THE ELEVATED GREEN IS GUARDED BY A VERY DEEP BUNKER ON THE RIGHT SIDE WITH A DRAMATIC FALSE FRONT ON BOTH SIDES. THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT APPROACH SHOTS ON THE FRONT NINE! A BIRDIE HERE IS WELL DESERVED.

HOLE #5 || PAR 4 || 325-442 YARDS

ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PAR FOURS ON THE GOLF COURSE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WIND IS BLOWING. THE HOLE IS A SLIGHT DOG LEG TO THE LEFT. BEAUTIFUL LIVE OAKS GUARD BOTH SIDES OF THE FAIRWAY AND MAKE FOR A VERY DEMANDING TEE SHOT. THE UNIQUE GREEN COMPLEX IS VERY NARROW FROM FRONT TO BACK AND WIDE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. DEPENDING ON THE HOLE LOCATION, CHIPPING AND PUTTING CAN BE CHALLENGING. [JACK] NICKLAUS LEFT A SINGLE PALMETTO TREE SHORT, FRONT OF THE GREEN, AND THIS WILL LIKELY COME INTO PLAY. DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE WATER ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE GREEN AS WELL! THE STRATEGY HERE IS TO FIND THE CENTER OF THE GREEN. THERE IS A BIG SLOPE SPLITTING THE GREEN INTO LEFT AND RIGHT SECTIONS, AND TWO-PUTTING CAN BE A CHORE. A PAR FOUR HERE IS VERY WELL EARNED!

HOLE #6 || PAR 3 || 117-175 YARDS

THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE PAR THREE ON THE COURSE. THIS IS THE FIRST VIEW OF THE MAY RIVER AND A GORGEOUS BACKDROP. THIS HOLE PLAYS BETWEEN 117 AND 175 YARDS, AND THE GREEN IS SURROUNDED BY BUNKERS ON THE FRONT, BACK, AND LEFT SIDES. THE MARSH COMES INTO PLAY FOR ERRANT TEE SHOTS SHORT AND LEFT. THE GREEN IS BISECTED BY A LARGE SLOPE THROUGH THE MIDDLE, WHICH MAKES A TWO-PUTT A WIN. YOUR BEST BIRDIE OPPORTUNITY IS IF THE PIN IS LOCATED AT THE FRONT RIGHT OF THE GREEN. IF THE PIN IS CUT TO THE BACK LEFT, A PAR THREE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. I’D SAY THIS IS PROBABLY THE PRETTIEST PAR THREE IN THE LOWCOUNTRY.

LOBLOLLY PINES FRAME THIS HOLE FROM THE TEE. A NATURAL SLOPE TAKES YOU FROM HIGHLAND TO LOWLAND AND ACROSS GREENLEAF CREEK. AS YOU CROSS THE BRIDGE, YOU’LL SEE BLACK NEEDLERUSH ON THE BANKS OF THE CREEK AMONG RED CEDAR AND LIVE OAK.

HOLE #7 || PAR 4 || 224-336 YARDS

LENGTH IS NOT A FACTOR HERE, BUT PRECISION. SOME PLAYERS PREFER TO LAY BACK WITH A MID-IRON OR HYBRID OFF THE TEE, WHICH GIVES THEM A FULL WEDGE SHOT ONTO THE GREEN. THE AGGRESSIVE PLAY IS TO HIT IT AS FAR DOWN THE FAIRWAY AND AS CLOSE TO THE HAZARD AS POSSIBLE, WHICH LEAVES A SHORT LITTLE PITCH SHOT INTO THE GREEN. YOUR SECOND SHOT IS OVER A HAZARD TO THE NARROW GREEN, SURROUNDED BY HAZARDS ON THE BACK, FRONT, AND LEFT SIDES. IF THE PIN IS LOCATED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE GREEN, NEVER HIT TOWARD IT! TRY TO BAIL OUT A BIT LONG OR TO THE RIGHT. IF YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH A PAR FOUR HERE, YOU’RE GOING TO BE SMILING EAR TO EAR ON YOUR WAY TO EIGHT.

HOLE 7

HOLE #8 || PAR 5 || 463-555 YARDS

EIGHT IS A LONG PAR FIVE, SLIGHT DOG LEG TO THE LEFT, WITH A CLASSIC NICKLAUS POT BUNKER RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FAIRWAY. DRIVER IS DEFINITELY THE PLAY OFF THE TEE AS THE LONGER HITTERS CAN BITE OFF SOME OF THE DOG LEG. THE MORE CONSERVATIVE PLAY WOULD BE A TEE SHOT SHORT OF THE POT BUNKER, AN IRON SECOND SHOT, AND A FULL THIRD INTO THE GREEN. ACCURACY IS A PREMIUM ON YOUR SECOND SHOT. A LARGE WASTE BUNKER GUARDS THE ENTIRE LEFT SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY, AND THREE SMALL POT BUNKERS GUARD THE RIGHT. THE GREEN IS ELEVATED WITH LARGE SLOPES ON ALL SIDES. ANY BALL THAT’S NOT IN THE CENTER OF THE GREEN IS GOING TO GET KICKED OFF TO THE EDGES, MAKING PAR A CHALLENGE AT BEST!

HOLE #9 || PAR 4 || 336-471 YARDS

THIS IS ONE OF THE LONGEST PAR FOURS ON THE GOLF COURSE. YOU’LL NOTICE AN INVITING FAIRWAY WITH A LARGE OAK TREE GUARDING THE RIGHT SIDE. A SHOT THAT VEERS RIGHT MIGHT BE BLOCKED OUT BY THE TREE, AND YOU’LL HAVE A PUNCH OUT TO GET BACK INTO PLAY. A PERFECT TEE SHOT DOWN THE LEFT SIDE WILL FIND A SPEED SLOT AND THE BEST ANGLE INTO THE GREEN. FOR THE SECOND SHOT, A LONG IRON, HYBRID, OR EVEN A FAIRWAY WOOD WILL BE NEEDED. A CLUSTER OF BUNKERS GUARD THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GREEN, AND THE LEFT SIDE FEATURES A LARGE FALSE FRONT. IT REALLY PUTS A PREMIUM ON HITTING THE CENTER OF THE GREEN—ANYTHING AT THE EDGE IS GOING TO GET REPELLED DOWN THE STEEP SLOPE LEAVING AN UPHILL CHIP TO GET BACK ON THE GREEN. IT’S A CHALLENGING HOLE TO END THE FRONT NINE, BUT GOOD NEWS—THE CLUBHOUSE AWAITS YOU FOR A SNACK OR BEVERAGE TO START THE BACK NINE!

HOLE #10 || PAR 5 || 426-556 YARDS

NUMBER TEN IS A STRAIGHTAWAY PAR FIVE. THERE’S A LOT GOING ON VISUALLY HERE. BUNKERS GUARD THE LEFT SIDE, THE RIGHT SIDE, AND AGAIN THAT FAMOUS NICKLAUS POT BUNKER IN THE CENTER OF THE FAIRWAY. IF YOU GET INTO ANY BUNKERS, YOU’LL HAVE TO LAY UP SHORT OF THE WETLAND HAZARD CROSSING THE FAIRWAY. A GOOD TEE SHOT HERE WILL GIVE YOU THE OPTION TO GO OVER THE HAZARD IN TWO. BUT BEWARE! THE LAYUP AREA IS SMALL WITH POT BUNKERS SCATTERED IN THE LANDING AREA, AND THE MAY RIVER IS IN PLAY ALONG THE RIGHT. PLAYERS WHO HIT A SHORTER TEE SHOT WILL HAVE TO LAY UP IN FRONT OF THE HAZARD, WHICH LEAVES ROUGHLY 160 TO 180 YARDS INTO THE GREEN. THE UNDULATED GREEN IS GUARDED BY THREE BUNKERS AND IS EXPOSED TO THE WIND OFF THE RIVER. CHECK OUT THE VIEW FROM THIS GREEN! A FUN HOLE TO START THE BACK NINE AND A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR BIRDIE.

HOLE #11 || PAR 3 || 103-169 YARDS

A SHORTER PAR THREE FOR MOST, BETWEEN 103 AND 170 YARDS. A LARGE LAGOON GUARDS THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GREEN. THE GREEN IS VERY LONG FROM FRONT TO BACK, NEARLY 50 YARDS DEEP, WITH A LOT OF SLOPING AND UNDULATION. THE PREMIUM SHOT HERE IS A GENTLE LEFT-TO-RIGHT SHOT THAT COVERS THE CENTER OF THE GREEN. ANYTHING RIGHT WILL CAROM INTO THE LAGOON, LEAVING THE BALL IN A WATERY GRAVE.

HOLE #12 || PAR 4 || 282-402 YARDS

TWELVE IS A PAR FOUR DOG LEG TO THE LEFT. THIS IS A SHORT BUT UNDERRATED HOLE. IT’S GUARDED BY A LARGE WASTE BUNKER ALONG THE LEFT THAT RUNS FROM THE TEE ALL THE WAY TO THE GREEN. THERE’S ANOTHER NICKLAUS POT BUNKER IN THE CENTER OF THE FAIRWAY THAT CAN BE USED AS AN AIMING POINT. IF YOU’RE OK GETTING A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE, A DRIVER OFF THE TEE WOULD GET YOU OVER THAT POT BUNKER AND LEAVE A SHORT WEDGE SHOT ONTO THE GREEN. THE MORE CONSERVATIVE PLAY IS A HYBRID OR FAIRWAY WOOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE POT BUNKER. THIS IS GOING TO LEAVE YOU WITH A LITTLE MORE OF A CHALLENGING SHOT WITH A MID TO SHORT IRON. THE GREEN IS VERY NARROW AND SURROUNDED BY BUNKERS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES. A CUT SHOT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT WOULD LEAVE A PRETTY GOOD PUTT FOR BIRDIE.

HOLE 14

SIGNATURE HOLE

HOLE #13 || PAR 4 || 297-472 YARDS

ANOTHER FAVORITE PAR FOUR. THIRTEEN IS A SLIGHT DOG LEG TO THE LEFT WITH A VERY GENEROUS FAIRWAY. THE LANDING ZONE IS FAVORABLE BUT DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE! THERE ARE BUNKERS IN THE FAIRWAY AND A WATER HAZARD IF YOU HIT IT TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT. A GOOD TEE SHOT LEAVES MOST PLAYERS WITH A REASONABLE APPROACH TO THE GREEN. WATCH THE LITTLE POT BUNKER JUST IN FRONT OF THE GREEN—IT CATCHES A LOT OF MISSED SHOTS. DEPENDING ON THE HOLE LOCATION, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR BIRDIE.

A BIT OF VISUAL TRICKERY: IF YOU’RE STANDING ON THE GREEN AND LOOKING BACK TOWARD THE FAIRWAY, ALL THE BUNKERS IN THE FAIRWAY DISAPPEAR! HOLE #14 || PAR 3 || 110-190 YARDS

IF THE COURSE COULD HAVE ONE SIGNATURE HOLE, THIS IS IT. THE PAR THREE PLAYS BETWEEN 110 AND 190 YARDS, AND THE WIND CAN BE A HUGE FACTOR. IF IT’S COMING OFF THE RIVER FROM RIGHT TO LEFT, IT MAKES HITTING THE GREEN A TOUGH TASK. YOU’RE NAVIGATING THE WATER AND BUNKERS TO THE RIGHT AND A LITTLE BUNKER ON THE LEFT, WHICH SEEMS TO COLLECT MANY TEE SHOTS. THE GREEN IS LARGE. IF YOU MISS A LITTLE SHORT AND LEFT, YOU STILL HAVE A PRETTY GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE AN UP AND DOWN. WHEN STANDING ON THE GREEN, LOOK BACK TO YOUR RIGHT AND YOU WILL SEE THE BLUFFTON OYSTER CO. AND MAYBE A DOLPHIN!

HOLE #15 || PAR 5 || 400-535 YARDS

FIFTEEN IS A STRAIGHTAWAY PAR FIVE AND CAN OFFER UP SOME PRETTY CHALLENGING WIND CONDITIONS. OFF THE TEE YOU’RE WORKING WITH WATER ON THE RIGHT AND BUNKERS GUARDING THE LEFT. HITTING THE FAIRWAY IS PREMIUM. LONGER HITTERS CAN HIT THE GREEN IN TWO, BUT SHORTER HITTERS WILL NEED TO LAY UP JUST SHORT OF THE GREENSIDE BUNKERS. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST UNIQUE GREEN COMPLEX ON THE COURSE. MOST GREENS ON THE COURSE ARE SHAPED LIKE UPSIDE-DOWN SAUCERS, BUT THIS IS JUST THE OPPOSITE. IT’S SHAPED LIKE A BOWL, SO EVERYTHING RUNS TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE GREEN. IF YOU HIT A SHOT LEFT, IT’S GOING TO FUNNEL TO THE RIGHT. IF YOU HIT A SHOT RIGHT, IT’S GOING TO FUNNEL TO THE LEFT. FIRST-TIME PLAYERS ARE TRICKED INTO THINKING THAT THE TWO BUNKERS SHORT OF GREEN ARE DIRECTLY ADJACENT. BUT ONCE YOU GET DOWN THE FAIRWAY, YOU REALIZE THOSE BUNKERS ARE A GOOD TWENTY YARDS IN FRONT OF THE GREEN. MORE VISUAL TRICKERY FROM MR. NICKLAUS. LONG HITTERS CAN DEFINITELY MAKE BIRDIE OR EVEN EAGLE HERE. SPEAKING OF WHICH, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS BALD EAGLE NESTS IN THE PINE TREES ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HOLE! THIS IS PROBABLY THE LAST TRUE BIRDIE HOLE ON THE BACK NINE.

HOLE #16 || PAR 4 || 288-436 YARDS

THIS IS THE LAST PAR FOUR, A SOFT DOG LEG TO THE RIGHT. THIS HOLE HAS A DEMANDING TEE SHOT BECAUSE OF THE FAIRWAY BUNKERS GUARDING THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY AND THE UNIQUE “TUNING FORK” PINE TREE JUST OFF THE TEE ON THE LEFT. BE CAUTIOUS THERE. ONCE YOU FIND THE FAIRWAY, IT LEAVES A LONG SECOND SHOT WITH ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT GREENS TO HIT ON THE BACK NINE. IT’S ELEVATED WITH A FALSE FRONT ON ALL SIDES. THERE’S ONE DEEP BUNKER TO THE LEFT, WHICH IS A BIG NO-NO. FIND THE CENTER OF THE GREEN, AND IF YOU HAPPEN TO MAKE A PAR IT IS WELL DESERVED.

THIS HOLE IS SURROUNDED BY A PREHISTORIC SITE, OCCUPIED BY HUMANS AS EARLY AS 200 BC. NOTICE THE UNIQUE CLUSTER OF SABLE PALMS BEHIND THE GREEN. HOLE #17 || PAR 3 || 135-234 YARDS

THIS IS OUR LAST AND LONGEST PAR THREE, PLAYING BETWEEN 135 AND 240 YARDS. GUARDED BY A LARGE BUNKER ON THE RIGHT AND SOME BUNKERING AND FALSE FRONTS ON THE LEFT, WHICH CAPTURES MOST OF THE TEE SHOTS. IF YOU MISS THE GREEN LEFT, IT RUNS OFF AND LEAVES YOU WITH AN UPHILL SHOT TO AN ELEVATED GREEN. SHOTS THAT LAND RIGHT LEAVE YOU WITH A VERY CHALLENGING UP AND DOWN FROM THE BUNKER. SOMETIMES THE SMART PLAY IS SHORT OF THE GREEN, LEAVING A PUTT OR CHIP SHOT TO THE UNIMPEDED HOLE. THIS PAR 3 HAS DECIDED MANY MATCHES HERE AT MAY RIVER.

HOLE #18 || PAR 5 || 476-570 YARDS

VISUALLY OFF THE TEE, YOU’RE STARING AT WATER. WATER GUARDS THE ENTIRE LEFT SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY AND A LARGE OAK TREE GUARDS THE RIGHT. THIS IS A RISK-REWARD HOLE WHERE LONGER HITTERS CAN REACH THE GREEN IN TWO SHOTS, SEARCHING FOR A LOW SCORE, BUT THE PENALTY IS A BALL IN THE WATER. THE TRADITIONAL SECOND SHOT IS DIFFICULT WITH A POT BUNKER DOWN THE CENTER OF THE FAIRWAY. THE PLAY IS TO EITHER LAY UP SHORT OF THAT POT BUNKER, WHICH WILL LEAVE A WEDGE OR SHORT IRON ONTO THE GREEN. IF YOU’RE FEELING CONFIDENT, CARRY THE POT BUNKER, WHICH LEAVES A SHORT PITCH SHOT. BUT BEWARE, THE FAIRWAY NARROWS AS YOU GET CLOSER TO THE GREEN. BE STRATEGIC IN YOUR LAY UP. THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FAIRWAY WILL GIVE YOU THE BEST ANGLE INTO THE GREEN. BUT TOO FAR LEFT AND OUR 200-YEAR-OLD OAK TREE COMES INTO PLAY. IF YOU LAY UP TO THE RIGHT, YOU BRING WATER INTO PLAY. THE FINAL CHALLENGE IS THE GREEN ITSELF. IT’S A LONG PUTTING SURFACE FROM FRONT TO BACK WITH THREE DISTINCT TIERS. THE BACK RIGHT HOLE LOCATION CAN SCARE EVEN THE BEST PLAYERS. A BIRDIE ON EIGHTEEN IS WELL DESERVED AND CAN BRING APPLAUSE FROM THE CLUBHOUSE PATIO!

DON’T MISS PALMETTO BLUFF’S SIGNATURE TREE. THIS MASSIVE LIVE OAK SITS AT THE END OF THE FAIRWAY AND IS ESTIMATED TO BE OVER 250 YEARS OLD.

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