Playing Anson Point: Palmetto Bluff’s Newest Golf Experience
For more than a decade, the Palmetto Bluff development team envisioned a second 18-hole championship golf course designed by the renowned firm Coore & Crenshaw. This vision officially became a reality earlier this month with the opening of Anson Point, which welcomed its first members on January 2nd. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play the course—and it was well worth the wait.
Anson Point is a par-71 layout that offers a thoughtful mix of strategy, scenery, and playability. The front nine features three par 3s, including a short but deceptively tricky 9th hole that demands accuracy and a confident swing. The back nine is where the course truly stretches its legs, opening up to sweeping marsh views across the New, Wright, and Savannah Rivers. Holes 11 through 13, which play out onto the point itself, are particularly striking, with the city of Savannah visible in the distance on a clear day.
I was fortunate to tee off with the first group on Saturday morning, invited by a dear friend. The course is remarkably walkable—every group we saw that morning was on foot—which adds to the pure, traditional feel of the experience. While I can keep up thanks to my high school golf days, I’m certainly not a great golfer. That said, I found Anson Point to be extremely enjoyable for the average player. The roughs are forgiving enough for the occasional errant shot, yet the course offers plenty of challenge through its use of waste areas, native trees, and strategic angles. With very little water in play, the emphasis is on shot placement and shaping—more than once I caught myself thinking, “It’s 90 percent air… chances are I’ll get through.”
For a brand-new course, Anson Point has already grown in beautifully. The fairways are in excellent shape, and the greens were fast and true. Perhaps most impressive is how established the course already feels. Despite a temporary clubhouse, dirt road access, and no immediate surrounding development, the course feels as though it has been part of the landscape for years. Of course, that sense of anticipation—knowing what’s still to come—is part of the excitement.
Anson Point is currently open to members only, so you’ll need an invitation (or a membership) to experience it firsthand. I hope you’ll enjoy a few photos from the day, and as temperatures warm heading into spring, I can only imagine the experience will continue to get better.
— Thomas Maybank
