A view of hole #2 at Timberlake Golf Course
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4.1
371 Reviews (371)
5 Stars
117
4 Stars
153
3 Stars
62
2 Stars
19
1 Stars
20
Conditions
3.8
Value
3.8
Layout
4.4
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.8
80.6%
Recommend this course
307 out of 371 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.5
11 Reviews (11)
5 Stars
6
4 Stars
5
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.0
Value
4.1
Layout
4.5
Pace
4.2
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.5
100.0%
Recommend this course
11 out of 11 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
25 Reviews (25)
5 Stars
12
4 Stars
9
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.0
Value
4.0
Layout
4.5
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.9
StaffFriendliness
4.5
84.0%
Recommend this course
21 out of 25 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Par 71
Length 6579 yards
Slope 136
Rating 72.6

Timberlake Country Club in Chapin sits on the shores of Lake Murray, just outside of Columbia in the Midlands of South Carolina. The classic design is reminiscent of traditional Scottish links courses, featuring a combination of water and pot bunkers as well as large grassy swales. The golf course sprawls across rolling hills, which provide plenty of contours and elevation changes. From the elevated tees, golfers will have a dramatic view of the rugged landscape. The golf course is mostly open though there are a few stands of mature trees that can be troublesome if you're not careful. The cavernous bunkers and carefully molded mounding present formidable challenges that will test even the best golfers. In addition to the golf course, Timberlake also offers a full driving range and practice green as well as tennis courts and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

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Timberlake Country Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1988
Golf Season Year round
Architect Willard Byrd

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Bunker Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed No
Dress code Proper attire is required.

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Lounge, Banquet Facilities

Available Activities

Swimming, Billiards

Available Sports

Fitness, Tennis

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2023 #4)
  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in South Carolina (2016 #13)

Reviews

4.1
371 Reviews (371)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 12
19th Hole Scenic Views 9
Patio Dining 8
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 26
Bunkers 21
Elevation Changes 21
This course/club is great for:
Locals 25
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 23
Advanced Golfers 20
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 25

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

First Time Recently

Timberlake has always been a nice course and beautiful setting. The course is in great shape right now one of the best playing experiences I have had in the Columbia area this year.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 67
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

GREAT LAYOUT

1st time playing, and I will be back. Course is a phenomenal layout.....alot of blind shots which added to challenge being 1st time playing. On any shot you can get into trouble. Course was in EXCELLENT shape, except greens had just been sanded & fertilized, so were very inconsistent & hard to get a good speed reading down. No biggie, they have to maintain the course, just would have been nice if they had swept them, as some had heavy sand & some were very light. I imagine in 3-4 days they will be perfect. An amazing layout, and possibly the most demanding 6000 yds Ive played in a few years. If youre just off the fairway, youre in woods, rocks, or some very gnarly, thick rough!!! This is a shotmakers course, for sure. Everyone we encountered from the staff were very friendly. I'll definitely be back....soon!!!!!!!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 56
Handicap 15-19
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Course looking good.

The entire course is in great shape. Greens are fast rolling true.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Breathtaking

views on this course are just wonderful. Greens are little on the fast side fairways a tad soft from recent rain so run outs where not there. This course is definately on the list to go back to. My biggest impression of this course outside the view was the pace of play very excellent we finish 18 in no time at all.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

A good day at Timberlake

Overall the course was in good condition with the fairways very full. The greens were generally good though a few were fairly bare around the edges. The only negative was there was a lot of very heavy 2-4 inch rough often just off of the fairways and greens. This made play mcuh more difficult and slowed everything down quite a bit. Overall I was very pleased and will play there agin.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Slowwwwwwwww

No Ranger anywhere to be seen. Players in front added an extra hour to the back nine because of their slow pace of play, and wouldn’t let us play through.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Rough

Although is a nice track and can be fun, the overall condition is rough for the price.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
3.0
Previously Played

Needs a lot of love and conditioning

Let me preface this by saying I’ve been playing golf in the Columbia area for almost 30 years. I can remember when Timberlake was being constructed and how part of it opened and the other 9 holes opened up later. I can remember the clubhouse being out on the point above the 18th. I can remember playing there one year on temporary greens where the holes were coffee cans. Needless to say, I’ve been around here a few times.

The layout itself is still really solid. It has some really memorable holes and you can tell some thought went into the design, except for on the 9th hole. I realize they tore up the old one and built a characterless par 4. It happens. The best part of this course is the back nine to me.

The conditioning leaves a lot to be desired. There were a couple of holes on the front where the greens almost looked totally lost for the season. I can tell they are trying to fix it but I think some heavy duty tree thinning would solve a lot of the problems around the greens.

Pace of play was horrific. I played as a single and got stuck behind a six some who I didn’t pass until after the turn. I still made it around in less than four hours.

The gentleman at the counter was very nice and accommodating but beyond that, there wasn’t anyone else who greeted me or asked me if I needed help. They were having a fitting day with Callaway so it’s possible they were tied up with that. Who knows?

They are also in the middle of a construction boom with the houses being built around the front nine. The first couple of holes you couldn’t get away from the hammering and saw noises. The construction really tightened up on the last 3 holes. The 9th, especially if you’re offline you’ll end up in someone’s basement.

If you live in Irmo or Chapin, this is pretty much the closest place to play. Unless you’re willing to go to Lexington or Blythewood. Otherwise, this is at the bottom of my list until conditions improve.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
First Time Playing

Great layout, poorly maintained

It is a shame that a great location on the lake is so poorly maintained and managed.

Greens slow, old style bermuda, and inconsistent. Cart paths really bad. No rangers or bev cart on course. Slow play due to a group of 6 playing.

Overpriced for the condition.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once every three months
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Beautiful scenery. Challenging for any level of golfer.

Course in general was in great condition. Some of the greens were in rough shape but majority were in good condition. They were very slow but it was right after a week of rain. Scenery was great! Beautiful and calm with lots of water.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Not impressed at all by this course. Overpriced for these bad course conditions. The twilight rate should be the normal rate at best. For a Lake Murray course with all its surrounding resources and working class citizens I was disappointed. IDK where all the money from customers/members is going but it is not going into the course. Greens were patchy, bumping and furry (slow). Fairways were tight from lack of grass growth not because they are cut low. Tee boxes looked average and the cart paths with it’s pot holes and dirt/rocks at holes and tee boxes didn’t help either. Lake views & Cart guys were the nicest things we experience. Wish I would have read the reviews before I booked online b/c I would not have took some visiting of town family members here. Will not come back.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Poor
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