Columbia Country Club

Columbia Country Club's Lakeside course sits in Blythewood, a suburban community northeast of Columbia in South Carolina's Midlands region. Ellis Maples designed the layout, bringing his characteristic approach to working with the gently rolling terrain typical of the Carolina Piedmont. Maples, who practiced primarily in the Carolinas during the mid-twentieth century, developed a reputation for routing courses that balanced playability with strategic interest, often incorporating natural water features and native vegetation into his designs. The course takes its name from the presence of water throughout the property, with lakes and ponds coming into play on multiple holes. The Midlands topography provides modest elevation changes rather than dramatic contours, and Maples used this rolling landscape to create variety in hole presentation and shot requirements. Tree-lined fairways frame the holes, a common characteristic of courses built during Maples's era in this region, where mature hardwoods and pines define playing corridors and provide both aesthetic appeal and strategic challenge. Columbia Country Club serves the greater Columbia area's golfing community, offering a traditional private club experience in a setting removed from the urban center. The Lakeside course functions as part of the club's amenities, complementing the social and recreational aspects typical of established country clubs in Southern cities of this size. The layout reflects the design sensibilities of its period while providing a familiar test for members and guests navigating the Piedmont landscape.