“Have you heard of Candy Land?” a friend asked me last week.

He was sitting on a bench, cell phone in hand, absent-mindedly scrolling through his emails.

“Candy Land?” I said. “I loved that board game when I was a kid.”

I was being cheeky. My friend is a golf junkie, and I knew what he meant. He was referring to Candyroot, a resort-in-the-making in South Carolina that is fast emerging as the worst-kept secret in destination golf.

Bandon Dunes in the Carolina Sandhills? I’m not sure the people behind Candyroot would frame it that way. But it’s not an unflattering comparison. Nor does it seem unfair. A sand-based property with a minimalist ethos and golf at the center of everything sounds a lot like a certain Oregon resort. Just not as remote. Candyroot sits roughly between Charlotte and Columbia, about an hour from both, within easy reach of a large, golf-mad population.

Every time word leaks about another destination-course project, the same question springs to my mind: How much more can the high-end golf market support? For now, at least, demand appears bottomless.

And Candyroot seems well positioned to take advantage of it.

Plans call for multiple courses, with the first layout projected to open for preview play as soon as this fall.

Charlotte is one of the country’s biggest golf hubs, flush with players but surprisingly short on standout public-access golf. Candyroot appears aimed squarely at that audience, with golf designed to contemporary tastes: walking-friendly layouts and minimalist shaping, complemented by smart but unfussy amenities that understand their place in the pecking order of guest priorities.

The developers have tapped Mike Koprowski, the unlikely co-founder and designer behind Broomsedge, the cult-favorite South Carolina course born from a mid-career pivot into architecture. Koprowski bought land, learned by doing and stitched together one of the more improbable success stories in modern golf design. The Chicago-based investors behind Candyroot were also involved in Broomsedge.

So far, they haven’t made much noise about it.

There’s a website with the basics. Beyond that, the team has largely stayed quiet, seemingly intent on crossing its T’s and dotting its I’s before launching a full-scale PR push. But golf gossip travels faster than any marketing campaign. My bench-sitting friend had already heard the buzz. And last week, while scrolling through his inbox, he’d stumbled onto something more concrete: an invitation from Candyroot offering the chance to become a founding member.

The model will sound familiar to anyone tracking modern course development. Properties like The Lido, Rodeo Dunes and Wild Spring Dunes have leaned on early believers to help fund ambitious builds.

As for the name? Candyroot is drawn from a flowering plant native to the Sandhills landscape. Candy Land, a board game built on sugar highs and short cuts that I really did love as kid, is not in the running. But maybe it should be. Golfers, after all, have always been fond of shortcuts, and the “energy” bars we eat are mostly candy bars in disguise.

2 things I’m thinking

1. Going “Coastal”

I was surprised to learn of the new-look La Valle Coastal Club because, well, I’d never heard of the La Valle Coastal Club in the first place. Turns out I knew it by a different name. It’s official. What was once Morgan Run Club & Resort, a 27-hole facility in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., has been reborn, with upgraded golf and amenities, and a moniker that conveys a more vivid sense of place. Coming off the renovation, all three nines at the property, just minutes from Del Mar’s beaches, are now more walker-friendly, with improved vistas and sharpened shot-making demands. There’s also a new hotel, with guest rooms a mere shanked wedge from the course, among other additions ranging from a putting green to a spa and wellness center. 

2. Not that I’m counting…

Because I am. Last night, I made a checklist and confirmed that I’ve played golf in 32 countries. That’s more than some people but less, I suspect, than many of you. Later this month, I’m going to add a 33rd, which is currently a large gap on my resume. I’m headed to New Zealand for a story and video on the depth and variety of golf in that other land Down Under. I’ll be sticking to the North Island, and I’ve got most of the biggies on my itinerary: Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs, Te Arai, Titirangi, Tara Iti, Paraparaumu Beach. But I’m also keen to see the country courses, especially any sleepers that may have escaped my notice. That’s my way of saying that I’d welcome recommendations. If you’ve got a secret favorite you don’t mind sharing, I’m at josh.sens@golf.com.