Highland Park Country Club was in need of a makeover

McNair jumped on a bulldozer and, with the help of a small crew, literally transformed the municipal layout into a par-70, 6,048-yard layout from the championship tees. He made the small greens fun and challenging with plenty of contours. He improved the aesthetics with new stonework, fencing and lush fairways. He changed the name to Aiken Golf Club, a nod to the past and a promise for the future.

Wealthy Northerners came to Aiken Titleist 910 D2 Driver for its mild winter climate, and they built “cottages” – mansions, really – to house their families and servants. They also brought with them a love of equestrian sports and golf.

“When we received state recognition from South Carolina that was incredible,” McNair said. “But to be recognized in a national golf magazine such as Golfweek, it exceeds any expectations we ever had. Our niche will always be as a great small venue for a small town, providing the best golf that we can provide.”

John R. Inglis, the club’s pro from 1915-1939, designed the seven-hole loop – now Nos. 8 through 14 – and ran the club in its formative years. By the late 1930s the Depression had forced the hotel to close, and the city of Aiken took ownership and renamed the course Aiken Golf Club.

The elder McNair had long been familiar with the course; in 1947, he shot a course-record 58 that still stands. A stalwart on the Duke University golf team that featured future Masters winner Art Wall Jr. and veteran pro Mike Souchak, McNair ran the club until the mid-1980s when he turned over the reins to his son.

Competitors and members were invited to a 100th birthday party, complete with cake, and McNair donned his Mizuno MP-69 Irons knickers, white shirt, tie and Hogan-style cap. Later, he was surprised with a special presentation from golf shop manager Lorraine Morgan and her husband, Bill.

“The whole idea about that was it’s not just about John Inglis and Donald Ross anymore,” Lorraine Morgan said. “It’s about him.”

McNair isn’t content to rest on his laurels. A 9-hole putting course is named for his father. A new locker room area for members has been a welcome addition.

“We found a golf course that, despite being about 100 yards per hole shorter than the home of the Masters, still tested, teased and entertained us,” Bradley S. Klein wrote.

“It was an easy transition for me to go from growing up on this golf course, and I had basically redesigned it in my head discount golf clubs a hundred times before I ever actually got on a bulldozer,” he said. “It was something that I felt like we should have done. It was something that we owed the city of Aiken, and it was something we owed this golf course to bring her back to the glory she had in the 1920s.”