Wade Hampton Golf Club

Wade Hampton Golf Club opened in 1987 in Cashiers, North Carolina, on roughly 300 acres in a high mountain valley once tied to the Wade Hampton family estate. Developer William McKee commissioned Tom Fazio, who counts the course among his own favorites, to route it across dramatic terrain framed by the surrounding peaks. Working with the land rather than against it, Fazio piped several mountain streams underground to keep the holes playable and walkable. The course, stretching past 7,300 yards, was named Golf Digest's Best New Private Course of 1987 and has ranked among America's 100 Greatest Courses ever since. The private club is celebrated for its immaculate conditioning, its striking mountain backdrop, and an understated, strategic design that lets the setting rather than manufactured features supply the drama.