Unique New 12-Hole Golf Course Coming To Chechessee Creek Club

One of golf’s newest short courses is taking a unique approach, with a 12-hole mixed routing in which five holes are geared toward beginners and higher-handicap players and the strategic nature of the other seven caters more to experienced golfers.

The yet-to-be-named layout at Chechessee Creek Club, a private club in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, is being overseen by Zinkand Golf Design (ZGD). The innovative routing was devised by lead architect David Zinkand, who spent 14 years working for Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the acclaimed duo who built Chechessee’s 18-hole course that opened in 2000.

The flexible 12-hole design at Chechessee starts with a five-hole loop of par-3 holes that are draped over a blanket of continuous turf. While intended to be less intimidating and challenging for newer or less-skilled players, the varied yardages on the opening holes will also test the short- and mid-irons of better players. The following seven-hole loop is a blend of par 3 and par 4 holes, with the longest being just over 300 yards, and is more strategic in nature with forced carries, pronounced bunkers, and putting surfaces with greater contour.

“Our new 12-hole course fulfills the club’s vision for a fun, bold playing experience that both complements and contrasts its existing 18 holes,” said Zinkand. “The first loop provides avenues to the hole for any level of play without sacrificing design character, while the second loop offers a balance of shot options for all skill levels.”

The Zinkand team broke ground on the golf course earlier this year and will continue working on the project throughout the summer. Shaping of the short course should be completed this fall, with member preview play beginning during the winter or early spring 2026. The course is expected to have its grand opening during the first half of 2026.

In recent years, more than one-third of new course openings have been so-called short courses, according to the National Golf Foundation, the majority being at resorts or private clubs.

Among the other private clubs currently building short courses are Tepetonka (MN), Crazy Mountain Ranch (MT), Miakka Golf Club (FL), High Grove (FL), and Old Sawmill (S.C.), while public Par 3 courses are in the works at places such as Sweetens Cove (TN), Wild Horse Golf Club (NE), and Sugarloaf Golf Club (ME).

Chechessee Creek Club, meanwhile, is among a growing number of South Carolina golf facilities undertaking new development, joining properties like 21 Club, Cypress Shoals, Kawonu, Old Barnwell, Old Sawmill, and Palmetto Bluff.

Florida and Texas are the only states with more current golf courses under construction or in-planning, according to the NGF.

The non-traditional routing isn’t the only unique element of the new course at Chechessee, which is being built in a Lowcountry setting punctuated by live oak trees and colorful wetlands. Amid the rugged environment, Zinkand and his team are preserving and incorporating native vegetation – including, most unusually, a carnivorous plant bog. Among the carnivorous plants native to South Carolina are the Venus flytrap, pitcher plants, sundew, and butterworts, and bladderworts, all of which trap, digest and absorb nutrients from insects and other organisms they capture.

“Our team is also establishing extremely varied habitats outside of turf areas, focusing on native plants and ground formations that will expand the site’s ecological diversity,” said Zinkand. “These planned habitats include installing what may be a true one-of-a-kind golf course feature.”

It’s doubtful, however, that any of the aforementioned plants can digest a golf ball.