Palmetto Golf Club

The course was designed by Herbert Leeds, with later refinements by Alister MacKenzie, the Scottish architect responsible for Augusta National and Cypress Point. That MacKenzie pedigree alone makes Palmetto worth serious attention. His touch shows in the green complexes, which reward thoughtful shot-making and punish lazy approaches in ways that feel timeless rather than tricky.

Aiken sits in the South Carolina Midlands, a region of longleaf pine, red clay, and an equestrian culture that gives the town a distinctly unhurried character. Palmetto carries that same temperament — a private club that has never felt the need to announce itself.