Candyroot Lodge is a new public golf resort being developed in the Sandhills of South Carolina by proprietors Ethan and Aaron Oberman, featuring minimalist course design and a focus on walking, wellness and accessible play.
The first of four planned 18-hole courses, designed by Mike Koprowski, is two-thirds through rough shaping with irrigation and drainage installed and was scheduled for preview play in November with a grand opening targeted for Spring 2027. The master plan by Hart Howerton anticipates lodging, restorative wellness amenities such as hot-cold therapy and miles of trails, plus a lighted short course and a modest clubhouse called The Hang.
Candyroot matters because it challenges the state’s private-club trend by offering high-caliber, walkable golf to a broader audience, improving regional access for day players and travelers and supporting a next-generation roster of architects in public-course design.
Image Credit: Candyroot
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Walkable Golf Experiences
- A new model of public-access, walkable golf that pairs pedestrian-friendly routing with casual pacing and day-player appeal, broadening participation beyond traditional cart-centric play.
- Minimalist Course Design
- Courses emphasizing strategic routing, reduced earthwork and native landscapes that lower construction and maintenance intensity while spotlighting architectural finesse.
- Wellness-integrated Resorts
- Public golf resorts combining restorative amenities, trails and thermal therapies to position golf as part of broader health and leisure experiences.
Where This Applies
- Golf Course Development
- Smaller-scale, publicly accessible projects and designs tailored for walking play that shift developer focus from exclusive memberships to diversified visitor revenue streams.
- Wellness Hospitality
- Lodging operators incorporating spa, hot-cold therapy and active-restorative programming alongside outdoor sport offerings to attract wellness-minded leisure travelers.
- Recreational Tourism
- Regional tourism strategies that leverage accessible, high-quality public courses and trail networks to extend stays and draw a broader demographic of day and destination visitors.
