Candyroot Lodge is scheduled to begin limited preview play on its first 18-hole golf course on October 28, 2026. The venue lies near Jefferson in South Carolina’s Carolina Sandhills, at 5507 Mt. Pisgah Road, Jefferson, SC 29718, an address listed by the PGA of America. October 28 is the advertised preview date in Golf Digest, Forbes and an October report by Athlon Sports. The resort’s own current website gives a broader fourth-quarter 2026 window, so the date should be treated as the planned start, not independently verified evidence that the first public round has already been completed.
A first course, not a finished resort
Candyroot Lodge occupies roughly 1,210 acres of rolling sandy terrain. The inaugural 18-hole layout was created by Mike Koprowski, who previously worked on Broomsedge. It is his first solo full-length course design. Developers Aaron and Ethan Oberman envision additional courses, accommodation and wellness facilities. Those future amenities are part of the overall master plan, not a promise that they will be operating for preview visitors.
Why the architecture matters
Candyroot describes the course as an experiment in extreme minimalism. According to the developer, its construction did not require trucking dirt or sand onto or off the property. Instead, the routing follows a descending ancient sandhill, crossing ridges, gullies and natural changes in elevation. Small greens with intersecting contours, irregular fairway edges and relatively restrained bunkering encourage golfers to study the terrain rather than simply aim at a flat landing area.
The design invites a genuine choice between carrying the ball toward the green and using firm ground to run an approach in. Slopes can alter both the visual impression of distance and the eventual lie of the ball. A successful round should therefore depend on imagination, trajectory control and sensible course management, not just distance off the tee.
What a preview pass includes
The 2026 experience was marketed as A Day at Candyroot, a $175 pass allowing as much golf as the guest can fit into the day. Selected food and beverages and a welcome package are included. A forecaddie is required and carries a separate charge. The initial preview allocation was limited to 40 golfers per day and sold out rapidly. This distinction matters: public access does not mean unlimited tee times or open walk-up availability.
Golfers who missed the initial allocation have another announced date to watch. On its official website, Candyroot says tee times for January, February and March 2027 will be released at 10 a.m. US Eastern time on November 2, 2026. This is a future booking release, not confirmation of any particular available start time. Prospective visitors should check live availability and the club’s current conditions before making travel plans.
What remains on the drawing board
The project also includes the planned short course Sweet Tooth, a collaboration between Koprowski and former US Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie West. The concept combines flexible teeing areas, multiple ways to play holes and the prospect of night golf. It is a separate course and is not part of the October 28 launch of the first 18 holes.
Candyroot is noteworthy partly because many ambitious new developments in the region are private. Here, the stated aspiration is a public destination built around walkable golf. The practical test of that promise will be the price of a visit, the mandatory forecaddie, daily capacity and the frequency with which fresh booking dates become available.
