If Wade Hampton Golf Club were a painting, it would either be on display somewhere or locked away as apart of some collector’s private gallery. An obvious work of art, Wade Hampton bears the signature of Tom Fazio, whose bold strokes have not only enhanced the beauty of one of Mother Nature’s most enchanting creations.

Fazio, as recognized for genius among golf course architects as Picasso is among artists, has taken a mountain setting in Cashiers, N.C. that was already sensational and turned it into a golfing paradise. This is beauty on beauty.

Accolades are nothing new for Fazio, of course. Entering the golf course design business as an associate of his uncle, the late George Fazio, Tom has put his trademark on such courses as Wild Dunes, rated 37th in the world by Golf Digest last year, Jupiter Hills (ranked 23rd) in Florida, Butler National in Oak Brook, Ill., Pinehurst No. 6, Devil’s Elbow at Moss Creek in Hilton Head, the Fazio Course at Palmetto Dues, Cotton Dike on Dataw Island, S.C., Callawassie Country Club near Hilton Head, Wachesaw Plantation at Murrell’s Inlet, S.C. and Bay Tree in North Myrtle Beach, to name just a few.

Wade Hampton, which takes its name from a Civil War general who enjoyed spending his summers away from the heat of Charleston by retreating to the hills near Cashiers, has attracted national attention fro the day it opened in May 1987. Golf Digest was so impressed that it named Wade Hampton the “best new private course of the year.”

Fazio was not surprised. He recognized the quality of the acreage he had to work with and simply took advantage of the backdrop of spectacular scenery, which includes majestic granite-faced mountains, streams that wind into infinity, and a variety of giant pines and hardwood trees that provide an ever-changing tapestry of color.

“A course must harmonize with the environment and climate conditions,” says Fazio. “It should leave a pleasing impression of the total picture and not just be remembered for a few holes.”

That goal was definitely accomplished at Wade Hampton. Golfers just completing a first round find it almost impossible to name their favorite hole. One survey of golfers take by Director of Golf Waddy Stokes produced 13 different holes as the most memorable.

High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Wade Hampton lies in a valley framed by Chimney Top Mountain and Whiteside Mountain. Although one may need to play the course a few ties before being able to concentrate on the game instead of the scenery, the course is pleasantly playable, regardless of the caliber of the golfer. Four sets of tees, names The Fazio course, Wade Hampton, The Founder’s Course and Chimney Top, offer various challenges. From the back tees it plays to a rugged 7,109 yards, but drops to 6,459, 5,955 and 5,120 from the others. Par is 72 from all four tees, but championship tees have a USGA rating of 74.2.

“We wanted to challenge the good player, but we weren’t trying to build a U.S. Open course,’ says Stokes. “After all, how many golfers are that great?”

The first tee provides golfers a breathtaking view of what to expect further on. This is the highest point of elevation of the course, with a drop of some 5 feet to the fairway. But surprisingly, the course does not suffer from the normal uphill-downhill treks found on most mountain layouts. Although more that 3,650 feet above sea level, the course lends itself to walkers. There is only one hole, the 402-yard, par-4 ninth, that plays uphill.

“The high point and low point of the course are only 110 feet apart,” says Stokes. “It’s very walkable. And when caddies are available, tow out of every three rounds are walkers.”

Despite the terrain and the nature beauty, the excellence of Wade Hampton is hardly an accident.

“We studied the great courses and what made them great,” says Stokes. “And the one thing we found that they all had in common were good, fast greens. A lot of this course is in the movement of the greens.”

There is water, usually provided by the wandering streams, on 13 holes, although it is more often scenic than hazardous. Fazio also put in 110 bunkers, whose dazzling white sands create a stunning visual effect against the emerald green of the bentgrass fairways.

An ultra-private equity membership club, the beauty of Wade Hampton has not been encroached upon by fairway homes. In fact, there are no holes with property development on both sides. And there are no out of bounds on the course.

Golf balls are granted right-of-way by property deed. That is, of course, as long as the golf balls are not orange or yellow. You play with white balls only – that’s one of the club customs.

Like the golfers he surveyed, Stokes has difficulty naming the outstanding hole, although he does offer colorful descriptions of some, such as:

No. 3 219-yard par-3 – “You don’t want to be short left or long anywhere.”

No. 4 581-yard par-5 – “You need a safe tee shot and a safe second shot. The emphasis is on the pitch shot.”

No. 6, 156-yard par-3 – “Be sure to hit enough club. Two creeks come from behind the green and merge into one in front. It’s fair, but the tee shot can range from a wedge to a 7-iron depending on the weather conditions.”

No. 10, 564-yard par-5 – “It looks mean, but there’s room on the right and it’s reachable under certain conditions. If you lay up you have a decision to make because of the tiered green. The hole gives you a little of everything.

No. 11, 168-yard par-3 – “There’s a 14-foot-deep bunker behind the green. If you get in, it can be a memorable experience.”

No. 12, 317-yard par-4 – “We call this one the Temptress. I can be driven and that makes you want to go for it. You can make anything from a two on up.”

No. 15, 420-yard par-4 – “This is the most bogeyed hole. It’s 420 yards to a car hood.”

No. 16, 489-yard par-4 – “A pack-a-lunch” hole. A big ol’ good one. But the green is more level than most.

Built on 700 acres, Wade Hampton will be a $7 million development when the $2 million clubhouse opens next spring. It is strictly a golf club, offering no swimming pool or tennis courts, that opens May 1 and closes at the end of October. It currently has 150 members, but Stokes, his wife Martha and their son Matthew are the only full-time residents.

Development property ranges from $75,000 to $400,000, and play is limited to member s and guests.

“We’re member sensitive,” says Stokes. “We’re not trying to please everyone. We have seven or eight groups playing on a fairly busy weekday. On weekends we’ll probably have 50 to 60 players per day. We try to space it so there is never more than one group on a hole.”

The fairways feature Pennway grass, with Penncross on the tees and greens, protected by a mist watering system to lower the air temperature on hot days.

The man responsible for the superb condition of the course is superintendent Bill Knox, who was first assistant at Augusta National for five years. Stokes’ assistants are Will Hopkins, formerly of Magnolia Point in Jacksonville, Fla. And Tony Brabham, who came from Benevue Country Club in Rocky Mount, N.C.

The project is owned by A. William McKee of Cashiers and Ann McKee Austin of Atlanta. The McKee family purchased the property from the Hampton heirs in the early 1920s.

The Wade Hampton Golf Club is 65 miles southwest of Asheville, N.C., 11 miles northwest of Highlands, N.C., or nine miles due north of the common corners of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

The property is bordered by High Hampton Inn and Country Club on the north, and Nantahala National Forest on the east, a private estate on the south and U.S. Highway 107 on the west.