Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Historic Preservation (MHP)
Department
Historic Preservation
Committee Chair/Advisor
Laurel Bartlett
Committee Member
Luke Pecoraro
Committee Member
Gregory Ramshaw
Committee Member
William Eubanks
Abstract
When Belvidere Golf Links was established along the banks of the Cooper River in 1901, golf began to blossom in the Charleston Metropolitan area. The early-twentieth century was an era of growth for golf in the region, which took advantage of former plantation landscapes for the further expansion of leisure activities. This thesis examines how these once agrarian landscapes were transformed into some of Charleston’s finest golf courses. To establish the history of what was lost and altered on each landscape, archival research was done to unearth historic, photographs, maps, and plats. Together these sources were organized to document and trace the history of each golf course’s unique but similar history.
The documentation and analysis revealed that each golf course largely reengineered their landscapes upon their establishment. These courses were designed without heritage in mind; however, each course marketed its history to the public with the intent of creating an air of historic nostalgia around them. These courses were also designed with the goal of being some of the very best designed golf courses of their era. It is why famous golf course architect Seth J. Raynor, and his golf course designs, inspired from famous golf courses in the British Isles, were employed at each course. The designs of these courses and promotion of their history reflect the growing movement for leisure activity and tourism in the Charleston Metropolitan area during the early-twentieth century.
Although the golf courses examined in this study may have largely erased their original plantation landscapes, they have subsequently embraced the landscapes they have been built upon, and in turn have erected their own historic landscapes. It is this ideology that identifies why these golf courses are important to preserve for future generations. This in turn leads the public to discover why these courses were so important to the further establishment of the game of golf in the Charleston Metropolitan area.
Recommended Citation
Darrah, Thomas A., "A Cultural Landscape Analysis of Early Twentieth Century Plantation Based Golf Courses in the Charleston Metropolitan Area" (2026). All Theses. 4773.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4773