Being from the Augusta area, Warne knew that the Aiken area had great property with sandy hills and the type of soil that Pinehurst, the famous golf resort in North Carolina, was built on.
“Who knew it would blow up like it has? It’s a great city,” Warne said. “Downtown is a beautiful place to live and visit. Anyone in Aiken already knows what a great destination it is.”
Unlike some private clubs and golf destinations where players are encouraged to stay on property, Warne wants a different model.
“I always envisioned you would stay in Aiken,” he said. “Aiken fits that bill, same as great towns in the United Kingdom. But I’m not ruling it (lodging) out for the future.
“I just prefer to be in town … it’s nice to go into town and see some non-golfers.”
Inspiration from an Aiken club
Warne is an unabashed fan of Palmetto, the area’s oldest course.
He first played the course in the late 1970s in the Southern Cross Junior Invitational, and has been a member for more than three decades.
“We’ve all known about Palmetto, in my opinion the greatest golf course and club in the country,” he said.
“I thought Palmetto was the one place that if I was ever going to start a golf course,” Warne said of his inspiration. “The atmosphere. Local/national memberships. Its simplicity. The hub of Palmetto is the golf shop and what is now the grill. Back in the (former golf pro) Tom Moore days, you’d go get your Coke out of the cooler.
“What I’m trying to do is eliminate all of the hoopla with the locker rooms and fancy restaurants. Being able to grab a snack and a beer with a community gathering spot. It’s like a small home, which is what Palmetto kind of is. Every time I go in there I see someone I know.”
‘Lay of the land’ golf
Warne is a self-proclaimed social media novice, but his post on X on Oct. 29 quickly went viral.
His photos of the New Holland Golf Club land and the simple sentences “New Holland Golf Club, Aiken, SC” and “join us on the journey” were all it took.
