HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Horry County Fire Rescue crews contained three separate fires totaling roughly 13 acres overnight and into early morning, capping a busy Fourth of July for firefighters across the county.

Silvercrest Drive

Horry County Fire Rescue responded to the first fire at 10:32 p.m. Saturday at Silvercrest Drive in the Carolina Forest community.

The grass fire, estimated at one acre, threatened nearby structures, but crews contained it and protected the structures.

Smoke may still linger in the area Sunday.

Sunny Heights Road

Shortly after, around 11:10 p.m., firefighters responded to Sunny Heights Road in the Longs community for a woods fire.

The slow-moving fire grew to roughly 10 acres. No structures were threatened. The South Carolina Forestry Commission assisted crews on scene.

People in the area will continue to see smoke and possible flare-ups for an extended period. The fire was contained around 1:15 a.m.

Hardwick Road

At 3:32 a.m., Horry County Fire Rescue responded to the 10000 block of Hardwick Road in Nichols for a brush fire estimated at two acres.

The fire threatened nearby structures, but crews announced at 6:05 a.m. that the fire was contained and all structures were protected. The South Carolina Forestry Commission also assisted at this scene.

People in the area may continue to see smoke and possible flare-ups. Crews will continue to monitor the area.

Fireworks and Drought

In addition to the fires, Horry County Fire Rescue said crews kept busy throughout the evening with multiple calls, including outside fires reportedly started by the discharging of fireworks.

Ahead of the holiday weekend, HCFR had advised the community to skip personal-use fireworks and leave holiday shows to the professionals, citing dangerous dry conditions across the county.

Nearly all of Horry County, 99.3%, is currently under an extreme drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor data. Our First Alert Weather team has more on the expanding drought conditions here.

It is unclear if any of the three fires above were caused by fireworks.

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South Carolina made a late entrance into Jayden Broadie‘s recruitment, but the Gamecocks made every moment count.

The three-star EDGE from Rolesville (N.C.) announced his commitment to Shane Beamer and South Carolina on July 4, choosing the Gamecocks after a recruitment that remained fluid until the final weeks.

Broadie originally planned to commit this summer before considering delaying his decision into the season. Everything changed after South Carolina offered following a standout camp performance.

His first trip to Columbia was when the offer was earned, and it immediately left an impression.

“After camp they took me on a tour and talked to me about everything,” Broadie told Rivals. “All the coaches showed me love and made me feel like I belonged there. They made me feel wanted.”

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Defensive ends coach Deion Barnes quickly became a major factor.

Barnes worked with Broadie throughout camp, spent extra one-on-one time with him before drills began and showed the type of investment the North Carolina standout wanted to see.

“He definitely pushed me hard,” Broadie said. “He pointed out what I could improve, but he also told me what I did well. I really liked how Coach Barnes really invested his time in me before camp even started. That showed his character.”

Broadie also connected with Beamer.

“I love Coach Beamer’s energy,” he said. “After they offered, he called me a few times and was fired up about me. I love how he carries himself.”

Those relationships ultimately separated South Carolina from the rest of the field.

“They made me feel like a priority,” Broadie said. “Coach Barnes was very invested in me. He told me I would have an opportunity to compete and play early. He made me feel like I could come in and make a difference on the defense.”

Playing in the SEC also appealed to Broadie.

“It is the best of the best,” he said. “You get to compete against the best competition and really see how good you are. That’s what excites me the most.”

• Anson Point is a new private golf course in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
• Unlike many new courses, Anson Point was built without any surrounding homes, creating a tranquil, core golf experience.
• The course is noted for its subtle, traditional Lowcountry design that makes it feel as if it has been there for decades.

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Anson Point, the latest design to open by the architectural team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is a welcomed change of pace in today’s market of high-profile course introductions. Its subtlety and Lowcountry charms offer a sense that the course has been there for decades.

Those sensations run contrary to most recent course openings in the Southeast. The past 10 years have seen a huge boom in high-profile private golf in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. In Florida we have seen Panther National, Apogee, High Grove, Soleta, the soon-to-open Miakka and a host of other developments. Georgia has welcomed Ohoopee Match Club and Fall Line. South Carolina has had The Tree Farm, Old Barnwell, Broomsedge, 21 Club and more come online. These offerings are all welcome additions to the golf scene, and they all feel big, bold and new. 

Where those courses zig, Anson Point zags. The private course is located near the southern tip of Palmetto Bluff, a 20,000-acre waterfront development with three golf courses, a marina, two village centers, a Montage hotel and a wide selection of nature activities. The course plays inland through mostly pines and oaks before offering marshland views from multiple holes on the back nine. 

Opened early this year, Anson Point wasn’t ready in time to qualify for the various 2026 course rankings within this magazine, but it’s easy to anticipate the layout landing coveted spots on the lists as enough raters play it. Palmetto Bluff’s two other courses are the Jack Nicklaus-designed May River, which opened in 2004, and the non-traditional, nine-hole Crossroads by Tad King and Rob Collins, which opened in 2024 and offers a reversible layout. 

Unlike many courses within such large developments, including May River, Anson Point is void of surrounding homes. This adds greatly to the tranquility of the experience. Hats off to South Street Partners and Henderson Park, owners of Palmetto Bluff, for taking such an approach on their newest course.

“The scale and conservation ethos of Palmetto Bluff provided South Street with a unique opportunity to site Anson Point on 500 dedicated acres within which Coore and Crenshaw could design a ‘core golf course’ without any single-family homes fronting the course,” said Chris Randolph, managing partner at South Street Partners. “While direct golf frontage real estate has historically driven premium pricing that developers seek when justifying the cost of golf course and clubhouse construction, South Street believes proximity to a world-class golf experience alone should drive even higher premiums across the entirety of the community.”

This approach, which has been the model at several new courses but not all, works well for both golf and homeowners. Residents receive easy access and increased home values with the close affiliation to the course, yet they are not bothered by mowers early in the morning or golfers in their backyards. Most important, the homes don’t impact the golf.

In an era of frequently wide-open golf, Anson differs from many other new developments in that most internal holes — those away from Savannah River’s marsh with its long views toward Georgia — are framed by trees so that the longest view across the course is about 500 yards. This provides an intimate feel that showcases the subtle features incorporated by Coore and Crenshaw. 

Coore spent ample time at Anson Point discovering a routing that takes golfers through the woods and out to the marsh on multiple occasions. Coore and Crenshaw associate Ryan Farrow was the on-site lead and handled much of the shaping. The green-to-tee walks are short, the fairways and greens hug the ground, the bunkering is sparse, and areas between the fairways and the woods vary based on what was there at the outset of the project. The design embraces all the features that were available, starting at No. 1.

“There was a really special little quarry area with exposed sand and mossy edges, and we sited No. 1 green right there and used that feature as our guiding light for how to best showcase the land,” Coore said. “That and the beautiful trees and marsh edges.” 

There is a mixture of holes, long and short with doglegs left and right. A pair of three-hole stretches on each nine showcase the best of Anson Point. 

The par-5 seventh starts wide and gently narrows all the way to the green – players have choices off the tee, on the second shot and all around the green. The long par-4 eighth looks straight in planning, but on the ground players should favor moving the ball left to right. The tiny par-3 ninth plays across a low sandy area to a green set on a diagonal from front-left to back-right. 

On the back nine, the par-4 15th is drivable for many players, with a small bunker that looks greenside but is well short and must be avoided. The par-5 16th moves from right to left and is reachable for long hitters, but the hole location dictates how to attack. The long par-3 17th plays toward the marsh, starting in a narrow shoot before the hole opens up to a green with a strong flash at the back edge, all with views of Savannah some 10 miles across the water. 

These are all the types of holes that would play differently day to day, and a member would learn the subtle nuances and strategies in time. If it were a resort course, Anson Point might feel a bit underwhelming, as it lacks elevation change, multiple water features and expansive bunkering. But as a member’s course, it is a shining example of the long-term relationship one would seek out. 

“We worked hard to uncover and incorporate little details throughout, and I believe it is a golf course that will reveal itself over time,” Coore said. “I imagine members will like and appreciate it even more after years of play.”

At a time when golf development in the Southeast is booming, it is nice to see that a low-profile layout is still welcome in Lowcountry. Gwk

– Jay Blasi is a golf course architect based in California who writes occasional stories for Golfweek and hosts groups of Golfweek’s Best course raters around the world.