Congaree Golf Club
Ridgeland, Jasper County, South Carolina · Beaufort & the Sea Islands golf market
- Access
- invitation only
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- Tom Fazio
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Congaree Golf Club occupies the historic Davant Plantation, an 18th-century estate in unincorporated Gillisonville near Ridgeland, Jasper County -- geographically west of Beaufort proper and sharing the market's rural, secluded, low-density character described in this market's brief, even though it sits roughly 30,000+ acres and a county line away from the coastal Sea Islands cluster. Co-founded in 2014 by Dan Friedkin (chairman of The Friedkin Group) and the late Bob McNair (former Houston Texans owner), the club opened its Tom Fazio-designed course in 2018 and has rapidly become one of the most nationally significant private clubs built in the past decade, anchored by an unusual philanthropic mission (the Congaree Foundation) rather than a conventional membership-fee business model.
Golf & Course
The 18-hole Tom Fazio course opened in 2018 and was named Golf Digest's best new private course of 2018 and, subsequently, among the best courses built anywhere in the 2010s. It has hosted two PGA TOUR events: the inaugural Palmetto Championship at Congaree (June 2021, won by Garrick Higgo for his first career PGA TOUR title) and THE CJ CUP in South Carolina (October 2022, relocated from Las Vegas). The club also hosted the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup, a leading international collegiate golf competition. The Lodge, the club's main clubhouse framing the 18th hole, was named among Golf Digest's Top 30 'Greatest Clubhouses in America.'
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Congaree has no conventional paid-membership tier or public application process. Membership ('Ambassador' status) is granted strictly by referral, with roughly 200 active Ambassadors and about 100 additional honorary/professional Ambassadors (including touring professionals such as Nick Price, Tom Watson, and Mark O'Meara). Rather than an initiation fee, Ambassadors make a financial contribution to the Congaree Foundation, the club's affiliated youth-development philanthropy focused on educational and vocational opportunity through golf.
Living in Congaree Golf Club
Congaree is not a residential development. The former Davant Plantation's historic buildings were restored from 2015-2017 into guest cottages surrounding the main house, alongside a newly built 12-bedroom inn, providing overnight lodging for Ambassadors and their guests -- there is no home real estate for sale as part of the club, and it does not function as a bundled-community anchor in the way most other anchors in this market do.
Lifestyle & Amenities
The club's identity is built around philanthropy and elite competitive golf rather than residential lifestyle amenities -- its core offering beyond golf is guest lodging (restored plantation cottages and a 12-bedroom inn) and a renowned practice facility, not tennis, marina, or pool amenities typical of the market's residential anchors.
Location & Surrounding Area
Located in unincorporated Gillisonville, Jasper County, outside Ridgeland, SC -- geographically west/inland of the coastal Beaufort Sea Islands cluster and closer to the rural, inland character of Brays Island Plantation than to the barrier-island communities. Not to be confused with the Congaree River or Congaree National Park, both located near Columbia, SC, roughly 100+ miles to the north and organizationally and geographically unrelated to this club.
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What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm gated/security status of the property directly -- not found this session (it is a private estate, but formal gated-community status was not confirmed).
- Confirm the size or typical range of Ambassador financial contributions to the Congaree Foundation, if ever disclosed.
- Independently verify latitude/longitude -- this session used a geographic estimate, not a confirmed geocode.
- Confirm whether any future PGA TOUR or other professional event dates are contracted at Congaree beyond the 2021/2022/2025 events already documented.
Notable
- Hosted two PGA TOUR events: the inaugural Palmetto Championship at Congaree (2021) and THE CJ CUP in South Carolina (2022).
- Named Golf Digest's best new private course of 2018 and later recognized among the best courses built during the 2010s.
- Co-founded by Dan Friedkin and the late Bob McNair on the historic 18th-century Davant Plantation site, with a philanthropic mission (the Congaree Foundation) built into the club's core membership structure rather than a conventional dues model.
- Hosted the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup, a leading international collegiate golf competition.
- Genuinely unrelated to the Congaree River or Congaree National Park near Columbia, SC, despite the shared name -- confirmed distinct entity in a distinct county (Jasper, not Richland/Calhoun).
Nearby Golf Communities Worth Comparing
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US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.