The Links at Stono Ferry

The Links at Stono Ferry in Hollywood, SC, about 30 minutes southwest of downtown Charleston, combines Lowcountry scenic drama with a genuine layer of American Revolutionary War history. The 6,756-yard par-72 layout was designed by Florida architect Ron Garl in 1989 and has earned a 4-star rating from Golf Digest Best Places to Play, along with a South Carolina Golf Course of the Year nod in 2011. The site is where the Battle of Stono Ferry was fought on June 20, 1779, and the course integrates the history without being gimmicky, a replica cannon sits at the par-4 12th (named 'Redoubt'). The memorable back nine runs out to the banks of the wide and impressive Stono River, and the signature par-3 14th plays from the jetty of a former river crossing, requiring a 150-yard shot across a slice of the river to a green stoutly protected by trees both sides. The short par-4 18th closes on an island green. For a Charleston trip visitor looking for Lowcountry golf off the Kiawah-Isle-of-Palms tourist track, Stono Ferry delivers character and conditioning at a fraction of the resort-course price.