In early 2023, a shovel pierced the dirt in the wilderness that straddles the Oconee River and Richland Creek. Tad Hopkins was there that day — and the next day and the next. The future superintendent of Richland golf course would eventually spend thousands of hours on site, watching its creation as if witnessing the Great Pyramid of Giza go up, one block at a time.
“A test of patience,” Tad says, “which is tough because supers like me tend to be impatient.”
It’s two years and half a million cubic yards of dirt later. (For perspective, one dump truck holds 18 cubic yards of dirt.) The 50 acres of sod is rooted. Richland opened in fall 2024 and it’s already been named the “Best New Private Course” by Sports Illustrated. Tad has seen every square inch take shape, from that very first shovelful of dirt to today. He’s walked the course, driven it, and crawled on it. Occasionally, he stops long enough to look around. Certain spots have grown on him.
“I know of at least 20 that stand out,” he says, before being asked to narrow them down to his top three. “That will be tough to do.”
We give him a day to think about it.
“I know where to take you,” he says the next morning.
We start right over here
AS SOON AS #10 COMES INTO VIEW
“There’s no hole at any of the seven Reynolds courses that grabs my attention quite like this one. I’ve made the turn from the ninth hole to here a hundred times, at least, and the intimidation factor never fades — even when I’m just riding around without clubs. Look at that sightline: over a gulley, across a creek, and into the face of a long uphill climb that stares right back at you. I like a challenge as much as anyone, but I’m pretty sure most players will be glad they changed the layout to a 460-yard par-four. The original plan had it playing even longer.”
LOOKING BEHIND FROM THE BACK TEE AT #15
“This was formerly number-six on The Bluff. The view has always been here, but some strategic landscaping during the conversion into Richland’s number-15 amplified it into what I consider ‘the million-dollar view.’ It’s easy to miss when you’re focused on the fairway up ahead and actually, I’m not even sure if this view was intentional. All I know is that whenever I come up here, I make a point to turn around and check out the vista looking down to the lake in the distance. It’s a good way to relax before teeing it up.”
FROM THE TOP OF #11
“The first time I came up here, I did what most players will probably do: take a moment and take a good look around. We’re close to the highest point at Reynolds, and the landscape of Richland makes it possible to turn 360 degrees and see almost every hole on the course — and far beyond for miles. I’m guessing there will be a lot of pictures taken from this spot.”
