Wedding & Event Venue Near Aiken, SC.

There are certain places in the world of golf that boast abnormal numbers of exceptional courses for their relatively small footprints, i.e. Westchester County, N.Y. or Philadelphia. Less urban outposts like the Monterey Peninsula, the Hamptons, or the northern Michigan region surrounding Traverse City are other examples.

New hot spots arise periodically, most recently with the burst of new course development in Martin County, Fla., and the area around Austin. The most unexpected may be Aiken, S.C., where a newly announced design to be constructed by Rob Collins and Tad King will join two ambitious courses that opened in fall 2023 and a collection of established clubs that have turned this former winter retreat for the wealthy Northeastern equestrian set into one of the South’s biggest power stations.

The new outpost, 15 miles outside the small town (pop. 32,000), is called 21 Golf Club and will consist of two 18-hole courses. The first to be constructed is The Hammer, named for the match-play game showcased by Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth during "Full Swing," the theme of the design. Collins and King, who have built genre-expanding risk/reward sensations Sweetens Cove near Chattanooga, Landmand in northeast Nebraska and Red Feather in Lubbock, Texas, need little encouragement to construct audacious holes that haze the line between destruction and salvation. Their design at The Hammer promises more of the same with Siren-like shots that will attempt to lure players into pursuing more than they can handle.

The second course, to be constructed later, will be based on the original plans for Alister MacKenzie’s El Boquerón course he drafted in 1930 for Enrique Anchorena, a wealthy Argentinian. It was to be located on Anchorena’s estate in the coastal city of Mar del Plata with 18 temptation-inducing holes played to nine enormous double greens, but the course was never built. Like The Lido, recently resurrected at Sand Valley in Wisconsin, El Boquerón has lived in the imagination of architectural enthusiasts for several generations who have wondered what the course would look like if it realized form (the drawing of the course circulated in MacKenzie’s writings). Should owner Wes Ferrell give Collins and King a chance to find out, they would be an ideal match as they've long experimented with holes that cross and play into shared greens.

Golf in Aiken began over a century ago with two in-town courses, Palmetto Golf Club and Aiken Golf Club. Palmetto, founded in 1892, was primarily designed by Herbert Leeds, the builder of Myopia Hunt Club near Boston, with major amendments in 1932 by Alister MacKenzie who was working on Augusta National (just 30 miles away). Ranking comfortably inside our Third 100 Greatest Courses, it’s a polished, jewel-box design draped over up and down topography with one of the country’s great sets of greens full of slick interior movements that slip away into a variety of undulous chipping areas.

Aiken is a public course that dates to 1912 when its first holes opened as an amenity to the Highland Park Hotel (closed during the Depression), with several running parallel to the rail line that transported guests in and out of town. Owned by the McNair family since 1959 and just steps from the historic downtown, it possesses the same assets as Palmetto though in less refined form with ocean-surge greens, eccentric bygone shaping, tantalizing short par 4s and significant fairway movements across the hilly terrain. Very few places have more eclectic or expressive golf packed into a $26-48 green fee. Jim McNair, who operates Aiken Golf Club, is also responsible for locating and building The Chalkmine, a nine-hole short course and practice area for The First Tee of Aiken on a defunct sand and chalk mining site that might have some of the most exciting holes in the county.

Sage Valley, 20 miles to the northwest, represents the opulent opposite end of the golf spectrum from Aiken. This stand-alone golf club, designed by Tom Fazio and molded in the image of Augusta National, rolls over an impressive pine-lined property with several lakes and creeks. Maintained to the highest standards, the fairways turn around crisp-edged white sand bunkers and rise into large greens surrounded by carved-out bunkers, fall-offs, water and pine straw boundaries. Once ranked as high at 78th on America’s 100 Greatest Courses, Sage Valley now resides at No. 153.

Two newly opened courses have further attracted national attention—and golfers—to Aiken. The Tree Farm, routed by Tom Doak and built by Kye Goalby, is the dream of PGA Tour player Zac Blair and is full of sloping holes cut through pines with wide fairways and gambling approach shots. Old Barnwell, built by Brian Schneider and Blake Conant for owner Nick Schreiber, is more open but possesses steep, formidable bunkers and wild green surfaces.

Why has Aiken become such a flashpoint for new development?

One reason is its proximity to population centers and membership bases like Augusta, Columbia, S.C. and Charleston, with major international airports in Atlanta and Charlotte less than three hours away by car. More importantly, the Aiken area still offers attractive undeveloped land value for parcels of 500 acres or more, large enough to encompass full golf courses and amenities. Many of these are mature pine farms on interesting sites. On top of this, Aiken resides on the western edge of the broad coastal reef of sand that stretches inland from the pine hills of central North Carolina (where Pinehurst is located) south through central Georgia (where Ohoopee Match Club is located) and into Florida, which makes constructing courses both affordable and aesthetically evocative.

The current spike in golf participation that has led to crowded clubs and driven up competition for tee times has also created membership demand. As more people, specifically more people with disposable income, migrate to the south, their affluence is no longer enough to gain admittance to clubs that have no room.

This has led to new course developments beyond Aiken, and the next several years will see a mini-boom in upscale private clubs in South Carolina and throughout the Southeast. In-state, Kyle Franz is currently working on Broomsedge Golf Club in Rembert, S.C. northeast of Columbia. Tyler Rae has plans for a new course near Charleston, as does Beau Welling for an addition to the Kiawah Island Club portfolio.

RELATED: The best golf courses in South Carolina

But for now, Aiken has the spotlight.

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Cato Fashions is closing its doors for good before Christmas on Aiken’s Southside.

The last day the store will be open is Dec. 24, according to a woman working there Tuesday.

She declined to comment on the record, but indicated that a lease-related issue was the reason why Cato was shutting down.

Located at 439 Fabian Drive in the Hitchcock Plaza shopping center, Cato sells women’s clothing, accessories and footwear.

The store is part of a retail chain operated by The Cato Corporation, which is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.

According to a recent earnings report by The Cato Corporation, it had 1,245 Cato, Versona, It’s Fashion/It’s Fashion Metro stores in 31 states as of Oct. 28.

More than 900 were Cato stores.

Wayland Henry Cato Jr., co-founder of The Cato Corporation and a native of Ridge Spring, died Nov. 4 in Charleston at the age of 100.

The only other Cato store in Aiken County is at 1235 Knox Ave. in The Shoppes @ North Augusta.

The other Cato locations in South Carolina include Barnwell, Batesburg-Leesville, Columbia and Lexington.

Among the Cato store sites in Georgia are Augusta and Evans.

A Dollar Tree and a Family Dollar Tree are set to be built in the Aiken area.

A sign along East Pine Log Road indicates a Dollar Tree will be built on the southeastern corner of East Pine Log Road and Banks Mill Road. And a developer plans to construct a Family Dollar Tree at 2530 Columbia Highway N.

The East Pine Log Road Dollar Tree is to be constructed on the former Carolina Fresh Farms site located at the at 1103 and 1123 Banks Mill Road.

Carolina Fresh Farms moved further east in 2021.

WTC of Banks Mill is developer of the property.

Records of South Carolina Secretary of State Mark Hammond’s office indicate the company is based in South Carolina. The records add its registered agent is Thomas Goforth of Graniteville.

The Aiken City Council voted unanimously Oct. 9 to approve a request from WTC of Banks Mill to annex the property from Aiken County into the city of Aiken and to zone the property General Business.

When the Aiken City Council voted to approve the annexation and zoning request, what was being planned for the property was unknown.

Planning Director Marya Moultrie told the Aiken Planning Commission a developer does not have to submit a concept plan for City Council approval if the property is zoned General Business.

The planned size of the store is unknown.

A timeline for the construction and opening of the store is also unknown.

There are currently four Dollar Trees in the Aiken area. One is near Walmart on Richland Avenue, another is on the corner of Laurens Street and Rutland Drive, a third is located in the Shoppes on Whiskey and the fourth is located on the corner of Bettis Academy Road and Ascauga Lake Road near Graniteville.

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A raid on Aiken County massage parlors has led to charges against a woman who was tied to them, according to authorities.

In August, search warrants at seven massage parlors in Aiken Countywere executed by the Department of Homeland Security, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and other local law enforcement.

Agents charged Ping Hong Tang, 52, of Evans, on Friday with seven counts of prostitution - first offense, SLED says.

State records show she owned two of the businesses.

Tang was booked into Aiken County jail and released on a cash bond, records show. Her bond was set at $3,255.

According to arrest warrants, agents conducted an undercover operation at T Aroma Massage. An agent requested a 30-minute massage, paid $100 in covert funds and stated that $40 would be a tip, according to a warrant.

Near the end of the message, the agent negotiated a sex act with the employee for additional money, according to authorities. A check of ledgers and receipts showed customers often tipped disproportionately to the services, according to authorities.

Other arrest warrants make similar allegations involving Georgia Ave Massage, 507B Georgia Ave.; LiLi Massage, 129 Marketplace Drive; and again at T Aroma.

Authorities said digital evidence showed the defendant had a “history of promoting commercial sex activity” including at businesses that fall under Tang’s management at 401 W. Martintown Road in North Augusta.

LiLi and T Aroma are owned by Tang, according to state business licenses.

READ THE WARRANTS:

This arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of human trafficking at illicit massage businesses in Aiken County, SLED says.

In September, we uncovered documents sharing what they were looking for and more, including the possibility of victims of human trafficking.

SLED is partnering with the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the Aiken Department of Public Safety, the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Anyone with information about suspicious behavior or possible illicit activity that could involve human trafficking should contact tips@sled.sc.gov.

If you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking, survivor resources with the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force can be found at www.scag.gov/human-trafficking and the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network at www.scvan.org.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

JACKSON, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The family of an Aiken County missing woman is offering a $5,000 reward for information about her case.

Meanwhile, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office is following up on every lead to find out what happened to Jamilla “Millie” Smith, who’s been missing since Dec. 5.

Daniel Harmon was arrested and charged with kidnapping her, but she hasn’t been found.

“We have received tips from the community and ask them to continue to assist us in this very active ongoing investigation,” sheriff’s Capt. Eric Abdullah said.

Noting that Harmon goes by the nickname Pikachu, the sheriff’s spokesman asked anyone to call if they’ve had contact with him or Smith since Dec. 2.

EARLIER COVERAGE:

Smith’s last known location was her house in the 400 block of Old Jackson Highway on the night of Dec. 2. She called 911 and said she was running from a man she described as her ex. The phone went dead but not before a male voice is heard yelling at her to get in the car, followed by a horn blaring.

Smith had been with Harmon earlier that day, driving to Columbia. She was in contact with her family during the drive, telling them she’d argued with Harmon.

By Monday night, authorities had issued a missing-person alert about Smith, saying she was thought to be with Harmon in a black Charger.

The Charger was seen at a home in North Augusta in the 400 block of Carpenterville Road. Deputies converged on the home, bringing in the SWAT team as a precaution, and Harmon was taken into custody after a tense hour.

But Smith wasn’t there.

Harmon was initially arrested on a warrant for domestic abuse, but a kidnapping charge was soon added.

He was denied bond in a hearing Thursday. Smith’s family members had traveled to Aiken County from across the country, and they were at the hearing, fighting back tears.

“I would want the court to deny bond. It’s hard every day,” said her father.

Harmon, dressed in red, both hands and feet in shackles, couldn’t sit still as Smith’s father spoke.

“It’s hard every day. I see you, but I do not see my daughter,” he said.

Over the weekend, the family put up the reward money in a case that has them heartbroken.

“I’m telling you man, I just need to see my baby. That’s all I am asking for,” said her father.

The family has expressed hopes for a communitywide search for Smith. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t said yes to that, but it also hasn’t said no.

“Every step of this investigation is dictated by the progress of the case,” Abdullah said. “At this point, our priority is locating Jamillia and we are not ruling out using a search with the support of the community.”

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Smith is urged to call 803-648-6811. Tipsters can also send a message at www.aikencountysheriff.net.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the South Carolina Department of Transportation has agreed to pay for the mistake it made when it prepared bids for an Aiken County Transportation Committee project.

The Aiken County Transportation Committee won’t have to pay over $87,000 to correct a South Carolina Department of Transportation mistake after all.

Four department officials asked for and received $87,736 from the transportation committee to complete improvements to the intersection of Jefferson Davis Highway, Sudlow Lake Road and Langley Dam Road.

But, instead the department will cover the cost, S.C. Sen. Tom Young Jr., R-Aiken, said Wednesday evening.

The four department employees asked the county transportation committee for the money to correct a mistake made when the department prepared a bid package for the project.

The Aiken County Transportation Committee is one of 19 counties that use the department to manage road improvement projects. The remaining 27 county transportation committees manage their projects themselves.

The Jefferson Davis Highway project includes offsetting the turn lanes on Jefferson Davis Highway to make it easier for drivers to see oncoming traffic as they try to turn left onto either Sudlow Lake Road or Langley Dam Road.

But when the South Carolina Department of Transportation began accepting bids for the $800,000 project, not all of the project was included in the information provided to potential contractors. Specifically, concrete medians costing $87,736 were left out of the information.

Department employees Bobby Usry and Alex Bennett provided two different explanations for why the medians were left out.

“They were left off the plans, they were left off the summaries and quantities. Therefore, they did not get bid on,” Usry said.

But, Bennett said the department’s “letting prep group” didn’t process the sheets with the concrete medians as it prepared the project for bid.

Usry added the medians are necessary to tie the drainage system together.

Chairman Johnny Beam called for an investigation into how the Department of Transportation left the concrete medians out of the project.

“Somebody needs to get an answer out of Columbia how they messed that up,” Beam said.

He added he had asked the Department of Transportation officials several times if there was enough money to fund the project, only to be told yes, there is enough money and there could be some left over.

Usry, Bennett and two other department employees then asked the committee to fund the additional cost.

During a public comment period, an Aiken County resident asked Usry and Bennett why the county transportation committee should fund a Department of Transportation mistake.

“This was a CTC-funded project prior to this going to bid,” Usry said.

The Department of Transportation’s budget is $2.44 billion.

Beam also asked Bennett what the department would do if the county transportation committee didn’t have funds to cover the cost.

“I don’t know, that question’s a little bit above my pay grade,” Bennett said.

Several members of the transportation committee suggested the Department of Transportation could find the money to fund the medians.

Regardless, the county transportation committee voted unanimously to fund the request.

But, that won’t be necessary.

Young said he confirmed late Wednesday afternoon the department would pay for its mistake.

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