Cherokee Valley - Hole 8

Getting To Know: Cherokee Valley Course and Club

An Insightful Interview With Matt Jennings, Owner and Director of Operations

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Matt Jennings who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Cherokee Valley is home to the region's only P.B. Dye-designed layout. It's a 6,728-yard mountain gem winding through rolling hills and deep dales, sprinkled with ample stretches of gently rolling fairways and trademark Dye green complexes.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
The all-new, Finn Golf Cycle from Sun Mountain. These scooters are revolutionizing the game of golf. They are fun, safe, practical and speed up the pace of play. It's easier than riding a bike and the battery power is green friendly. We are proud to be the first course in the Upstate to offer this innovative golf transport. Come out and try it today!

A practice facility and player development like no other. Our team is committed to developing golfers at every level. We can help with your short game, off the tee, sand play and more.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
Our fairways and tees are green all year round! No dormant brown, Bermuda. We overseed with ryegrass so you can enjoy green fairways all year round.

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
We recently installed a 7,000 sq ft teeing ground on Hole 17 made of Chisholm Zoysia. We are the first course to use this type of grass for teeing areas.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
We are recognized as one of the 'Most Innovative' Golf Courses in North America by Golf Inc.

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
Hole 8 is one of our signature holes, it is a par 3, playing 226 yards from our black tees. As you are planning your shot into the green, you get to look up at the majesty of the Blue Ridge and Glassy Mountains!

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
Hole 18, it's a reachable par 5 that makes you think about where to position your second shot, whether to go for the green or not. The two-tiered green with water in front and to the side offers an additional challenge. The view and undulation it offers make it truly memorable.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Our peachwood smoked chicken salad sandwich is our member's post-round favorite.

This year, Cherokee Valley will open its full-service restaurant, CORE 450, featuring a contemporary, engaging and casual theme with a diverse menu ranging from small plates and pizza to five-course meals.

For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
For traveling golfers or local groups in search of a golf staycation, Cherokee Valley's collection of on-site cottages features four master suites with one or two beds in each, five full bathrooms, great room, and wrap-around porches.

They are conveniently located just a few steps from the golf shop and the first tee. Full cottage rentals start at $400 and single rooms at $130, per night (tax not included). Golf can be added for $30 or $50 all-day subject to availability.

Ideally located 25 minutes north of award-winning downtown Greenville and 45 minutes from the craft beer capital of Asheville, N.C. Cherokee Valley is the perfect basecamp for exploring the beauty and adventure of the western Carolinas.

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 6728
Slope: 133
Rating: 71.6

More Information
Cherokee Valley Course and Club
450 Cherokee Valley Way
Travelers Rest, South Carolina, 29690
864-689-3585

www.cherokeevalleyclub.com/

Revised: 04/08/2020 - Article Viewed 20,960 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.