Forget Augusta National, head over to Sage Valley

Want to play Augusta National but have been denied? Take matters into your own hands. That is exactly what Aiken, S.C., businessman Weldon Wyatt did after being snubbed for membership at Augusta National.

Since they wouldn’t let him play at Augusta, Wyatt pretty much told Augusta to “stuff it” and showed them that he could build just as nice of a golf course. In fact, the motto printed on the scorecard at the exclusive Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, S.C. states “I always thought everyone should have another chance to get even.”

Wyatt and his son Tom set out to create their own personal playground, a mere 15 miles from Augusta National, by building a bigger, better, more beautiful golf course that revivals this country’s most famous golf venue replete with rolling terrain, perfectly manicured fairways, SubAir drainage systems under the greens, stately pines, and undulated greens, not to mention thousands of azaleas and dogwood trees and caddies with white jumpsuits. A Tom Fazio designed course playing 7,344 yards from the back tees, Sage Valley looks and feels like Augusta National.

I had the opportunity to play there yesterday and I will have to say that it ranks as one my best golf experiences ever. From the moment you pull through the gates, until you leave, you feel like you have died and gone to golf course heaven, not to mention that the food is free at the half-way house, playing golf really doesn’t get any better than Sage Valley.

I hate to say that it is more beautiful than Augusta (I have played there too and that was always my favorite), but I will have to say that I think Sage Valley has out-done Augusta in almost every way. In fact, my friends and I gave up the opportunity to go to the Master’s to watch the practice round just to play golf at Sage Valley. There was not even a debate of whether or not we should go to the Master’s or play Sage Valley. We all chose Sage Valley. For Weldon Wyatt, revenge is sweet.

Karen tees off on Sage Valley’s par-4 11th hole named Dogwood.

Caddies at Sage Valley walking up the par-4 3rd hole Cypress.