Dustin Gilder
Dustin Gilder
Dustin Gilder
Dustin Gilder
Wellman Club
Wellman Club
436 Club House Dr
Johnsonville, SC 29555-6522
United States
Telephone
Overview
Everyone loves an underdog, especially when it’s mixed with a revival story. Golfers once teemed over the holes of Wellman Golf Course, a simple but lovely Ellis Maples and Ed Seay hidden gem from the late 1960s located in the rural South Carolina town of Johnsonville, an hour west of Myrtle Beach. But with a population of just over 1,000, there weren’t enough local players to keep the business running following the 2009 recession, and the owners filed for bankruptcy in 2010. Eventually the city purchased the closed course and hired Rees Jones and longtime associate Bryce Swanson to remodel the layout, which reopened in 2024 as the rebranded Wellman Club. Jones described the land as closer to Pinehurst than to Myrtle Beach, and the holes flow through corridors of pines into enlarged greens and more consequential bunkering. Two par 3s play across ponds, and the par-5 11th boomeranging around a lake is a doppelganger of the par-5 13th at The Dunes 50 miles east, one of mid-century golf’s most famous holes designed by Jones’ father, Robert Trent Jones. Wellman symbolizes the resilience of golf in small towns and has become a sort of community gathering space, as well as a worthwhile stopover for anyone passing nearby.
About
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Sneaky good layout for a municipal course. Neat story of it's remodel after being closed. Worth a trip to see it once, as it has good bones, but marginal conditions."
Read More2025
Review
“Worth the drive inland from The Strand. Nice collection of greens, no frills but very nice people."
Read More2024
Review
“Minimalist golf at its finest. A small clubhouse with a cashiers area/snackbar belies what is ahead. A strong layout that features "largish" greens at the end of generous corridors. Layout variety is a strong point along with several challenging risk reward holes. Well worth the drive when visiting the Myrtle Beach area."
Read More2024
Review
“Wonderful muni and value!"
Read More2024
Review
“Newly renovated course with a very good layout at a very reasonable price. Great hospitality. With some cosmetic work and maturing it will be a gem"
Read More2024
