Many features stand out Old Barnwella Brian Scheider and Blake Conant design that ranks 51st on the GOLF list Top 100 courses in the USA. Her greens are hardy. His direction is inventive. Freeways give you a wide berth, but punish you for being out of position. You can play all kinds of shots on the ground and in the air. Mix it all you like. You won’t be bored.
As much as design, however, what defines Old Barnwell, an unconventional club in suburban Aiken, SC, is an abstract concept with a tangible impact.
They call it “the mission,” and everyone is on board. Members. The employees. Playing away also supports it.
Old Barnwell describes the “mission” in broad language: bringing people together through golf. At first glance, this is not a new concept. Such ideas get a lot of attention in the game.
But Old Barnwell delivers the speech. He takes those words and puts them into community-minded action. At the center of his efforts is a youth program and boxes that provide good-paying work for children from diverse backgrounds. Beyond putting money in their pockets, the program helps those kids build real-life skills and real-world connections. It fosters mentorships and offers those young people a chance at Evans Scholarships, which cover full tuition and housing for four years of college for high-achieving caddies with limited financial means.
At most courses, caddying is meant to be a service to the golfer. At Old Barnwell, says club founder Nick Schreiber, it’s the opposite. of corpse there is the program to benefit the child in the bag.
Schreiber, who grew up in Chicago, came to golf through cadence. But he did not come from an underserved background. His family was rich. He knows he’s off to a good start. He wants to help others give it a fair shot.
On a recent visit to Aiken, GOLF spent time with Schreiber at Old Barnwell, playing a loop in the company of some of the club’s 200 or so young teams. During the outing, Schreiber talked about his life in golf, a game that has given him so much and through which he is giving back. The mission extends beyond the box yard. Through a joint initiative with the ANNIKA Foundation, the club also supports women golfers, all recent graduates of four-year college programs, in their quest to make a living in the game, with support that includes housing, access to Old Barnwell facilities and stipends to cover travel and tournament entry fees.
The mission, Schreiber says, is a work in progress, something he expects to evolve as the club does. And Old Barnwell is growing. A second course, Gilroy, is well underway on the property. He will welcome limited overseas play, with proceeds going back into the philanthropic efforts that give this country its purpose.
To learn more about Old Barnwell, its mission and Aiken’s booming golf scene, watch the video above.
