Golf
The Ford Plantation features a premier Pete Dye-designed championship course with two distinct nine-hole challenges: the front nine is designed around 250 acres of freshwater lakes, and the back nine resembles a great Scottish links-type course, with holes placed among the Plantation's original rice fields. Mr. Dye calls his Ford course "arguably my finest southern design."
One of America's finest private golf clubs, The Ford Plantation does not require tee times—members play whenever they wish. The course is challenging and plays from "executive length" short to “pro length” long, and rewards for accuracy and shot-making. And, the surrounding scenery is extraordinary—naturally beautiful with frequent sightings of bald eagles, osprey, and fox.
The Clubhouse is classic and impressive, perched on the edge of the marsh on the site of the antebellum Cherry Hill Plantation. A formal colonnade of live oaks still greets visitors as it has since the middle of the 18th century. In keeping with the best sporting clubs, the Golf Pro Shop, practice facilities, and staff are superb. A full range of programming and instruction is available to players of all skill levels.
Please click here for a pdf of our golf yardage book.
Course Rating/Slope
Black Tees 75.2/143
Gold Tees 73.2/140
Modified Tees 71.3/135
Blue Tees 70.1/132
White Tees 68.1/125
Red Tees 70.4/127
Golf Tournaments
Empty Bottle OpenSunday, January 1, 2013. Join us on New Year’s Day for our annual Empty Bottle Open. Individuals will play 18 holes, using a Stableford scoring system. Rather than counting the total number of strokes taken, points are earned based on the number of strokes taken at each hole. Under Stableford rules, the objective is to have the highest score, and the player with the most points at the end of his or her round will be the Champion. This event has both men’s and women’s divisions. The tournament has no set tee times, but all competitors must tee off before 10:30 a.m.
Gentlemen’s / Ladies’ Match Play
Friday, February 15–Saturday, February 16, 2013. Match Play is a fun and competitive format that was most commonly played when golf was in its infancy centuries ago. We encourage members to partake in this exciting tournament, in which the score is kept by the winning and losing of holes, rather than the numbers of strokes. First and second match rounds will be played Friday, February 15 and Saturday, February 16. After the first weekend, competitors will schedule their own matches, to be completed by Sunday, March 23. Competitors will receive full handicap.
Par 3 Challenge
Wednesday, February 27, 2013. In the Par 3 Challenge, we will play the course backwards from the “next hole tee boxes” to the “previous green.” For instance, we will play from the 18th tee to the 17th green and so on. Where conditions are not conducive to direct line play, we’ll establish special tees. All skill levels are encouraged to participate. The handicap is 25% of your Blue or Red Tee course handicap. 2:00 p.m. shotgun start.
Golf Club Championship 2013
Friday, March 1–Saturday, March 2, 2013. Rather than skipping a year due to our golf course restoration, the 2013 Championship has been scheduled in the spring. This members’ only tournament is a two-day individual event with men’s and women’s divisions. Each player will be preflighted according to his or her handicap. Each flight will have a handicapped flight winner and runner up, with the low gross player in the Championship Flight winning the Club Championship. Tee times start at 9:00 a.m.
Men’s and Ladies’ Member/Member
Thursday, March 7–Friday, March 8, 2013. Pick your favorite member (or the member who is playing particularly well!) and make a team. This two-day tournament features a One Best Ball format on day one and a Two Person Quota format on day two. Tee times start at 9:30 a.m.
The England
Friday, March 15, 2013. This is a black tee championship honoring the memory of former assistant golf pro Andy England. It is a one-day individual, nonflighted handicapped tournament. The low net player for the event will be the Champion. 9:00 a.m. shotgun start.
Ladies’ Invitational
Wednesday, March 20–Friday, March 22, 2013. Ladies have the opportunity to invite guests to comprise teams of two for this popular event. The format is a Two Day Net Eclectic. Competitors will keep their best net score for the team for day one. If they have a better score on a hole the second day, they count the second day net score. Players can only better their day one score! This event is played with a full handicap, with a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start.
Men’s Invitational
Thursday, April 4–Saturday, April 6, 2013. Members have the opportunity to invite guests to comprise teams of two. The format for this popular event is a 45 hole, Net Best Ball and Two-Man Quota with 27 holes on day one and 18 on day two. Each player will receive full handicap for both formats. At the completion of play, all flight winners will be involved in a shoot-out playoff, with one team eliminated on each hole. Flight runners-up will compete in a closest to the pin contest to determine which flight runner-up team advances to the shoot-out. 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Both the Ladies’ and Men’s Invitational offer a great opportunity to host guests who wish to become better acquainted with the property, our members, and the lifestyle at The Ford Plantation.
Couples’ Golf Championship
Friday, April 19, 2013. This tournament offers the opportunity for one couple to be crowned our Couples’ Champion. This 18–hole format tournament will be followed by an a la carte lunch at The Clubhouse. 9:30 a.m. shotgun start.
