Aiken, South Carolina is just across the Savannah River from the famed environs of Augusta, Ga., home of the Masters tournament. And like its Georgia neighbor, Aiken was once a popular winter refuge for vacationing northerners seeking warmer, snow-free playgrounds during the winter months. Aiken attracted the horsey set, and many of the elegant homes, pastures and woodsy trails are still there. But there is also plenty of golf in this small Carolina town. One of the better modern courses is found at Cedar Creek, an Arthur Hills design that makes full use of the rolling terrain of the Carolina midlands. The course begins with three attention-getting holes. The first is a tricky dogleg par four of some 422 yards that requires an accurate tee shot right out of the box. The second is a difficult 581-yard par five that begins in a chute of trees and ends with a downhill approach to a bunker-surrounded green. And the third is the number-one handicap hole on the course, a 439-yard par four with water in front of the putting surface. Once past that fearsome stretch, the rest of the course is almost a breeze, with the rolling hills and thick forests providing most of the challenge. Walking is permitted at Cedar Creek (except on weekend mornings), but because the course was laid out as part of a real estate development, some of the distances between green and the next tee are quite long. The back nine is a bit more open than the front, but many of the fairways are bordered by sandy waste areas that capture errant shots. The closing hole, a 389-yard par-four, requires an accurate approach to a tightly bunkered, raised green. Allow some time to explore Aiken: it’s a lovely old town dripping with southern charm.