Located on an ideal site featuring sandy soils and rolling topography near Aiken, South Carolina, The Tree Farm seeks to bring to life a transcendent modern golf experience that respects, amplifies, and blends in with the natural landscape. The masterplan and buildings for the project all work toward creating simple, thoughtful spaces that are rooted in and responsive to the place, climate, culture, and rich history of the game.
The scope of the project includes: a clubhouse (~14,000 sf), a 10-room cabin (~3,700 sf) that can be replicated across the site, and on-course amenities.
The Tree Farm aims to be a leading club in the southern US in terms of sustainable golf course design, the built environment, and maintenance. Design strategies for the built environment include using site-specific configurations to create strong relationships between each building and the landscape, referencing vernacular forms and materials that keep the scale of the buildings humble, and offering an entirely walkable experience centered around enjoying the landscape.
Sited on along the central ridgeline, the clubhouse becomes the centerpiece of the project -- following the topography closely and stepping down the hillside in order to create a strong connection to the 1st tee and 18th green. The massing is broken into 4 separate buildings connected by exterior circulation under deep overhangs, and linked by a central courtyard. A simple material palette blends with the natural surroundings, including wood sourced from on-site, local reclaimed brick, and Corten roofs that dissolve at the edge – creating a play of light and shadow like that found beneath the Longleaf pine canopy. Interior spaces like the Bar/Grill and Locker Rooms thoughtfully gather views and light, creating intimate places for gathering at multiple scales under timber framed vaults.
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