Charlotte-area golfers may soon have a new reason to point the car south: Candyroot Lodge is moving from construction-site curiosity to limited public play. The South Carolina Sandhills resort plans to open its first 18-hole course for preview rounds on October 28, with a full public debut targeted for spring 2027.
The 1,200-acre property is about an hour from Charlotte. According to the Charlotte Business Journal, the first course will allow up to 40 golfers per day during the preview period, giving the resort a deliberately small opening tee sheet.
Preview access is being packaged as an all-day experience rather than a standard one-round booking. Forbes reports that the $175 pass is expected to include unlimited golf, select food and drinks, and a welcome pouch, while forecaddie service will cost extra; passes are scheduled to go on sale September 8.
Candyroot’s First Course Lets The Sandhills Do The Heavy Lifting
Candyroot says its opening course is being built around the land’s natural sandy ridges, gullies and slopes instead of forcing the terrain into a conventional resort layout. The company describes the design as an intentionally minimalist, walkable test with small greens, restrained bunkering and an emphasis on shot-making.
The project is located in Jefferson, in western Chesterfield County, and its ambitions extend well beyond the first tee box. As reported by SC Biz, the long-term plan calls for four 18-hole courses, a lighted par-3 course, lodging, wellness facilities and trails woven into the Sandhills setting.
A Public Course In A Mostly Private Development Boom
Candyroot is also arriving at an unusual moment for South Carolina golf. The National Golf Foundation says Candyroot is the only public facility among nine South Carolina projects with new courses in the development pipeline, while roughly 89% of the state’s active projects are private.
That helps explain the attention from Charlotte and Columbia golfers, who are part of a combined market with roughly 300,000 golfers but relatively limited public access, according to the foundation. If the preview rounds go as planned, Candyroot will offer a high-end golf getaway without requiring an invitation, membership or a little social maneuvering at the clubhouse door.
