Bloody Point Golf Course

About Bloody Point Golf Course:

Bloody Point, like the rest of Daufuskie Island, has a rich history stretching back hundreds of years. Many different groups contributed to the Bloody Point that exists today.

Bloody Point was originally part of the land settled by European colonists in the late 1600s and early 1700s. In the year 1715, it was the site of a violent battle between the Yemassee Indians and the settlers on Daufuskie Island.

Various theories exist about the catalyst for this encounter, but most sources agree that the Spanish encouraged raids by Yemassee Indians and other tribes in order to inhibit English settlement so close to their Florida territory.

During one battle between the colonists and the Yemassee Indians, Bloody Point earned its name, as the southernmost point of Daufuskie Island ran red with blood. The local tribes ultimately lost their Daufuskie land, and after the Revolutionary War, the plantation era on Daufuskie Island began. Daufuskie was the site for twelve farming plantations, whose production of sea island cotton made them highly profitable.

After the Civil War and the eradication of slavery, oystering became the main industry for Daufuskie Island residents. When pollution from the Savannah river wiped out the oyster industry, the population on Daufuskie ultimately dwindled to mere dozens of remaining local residents. In 1951, the oyster beds were closed.

As the years went by, Daufuskie reached its modern era. In 1953, electricity came to the island, and in 1972, telephones were installed. In the 1980s, Daufuskie Island came to be regarded as having potential for residential oceanfront communities.

Melrose and Bloody Point were purchased and began to be developed. They ultimately became the sites for two championship golf courses and resorts. The Bloody Point Golf Course was originally designed in 1991 by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish. In 2008, the Daufuskie Island Resort went into bankruptcy and the Bloody Point Golf Course fell into disrepair.

In 2011, Brian McCarthy, a florist from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and long-time Daufuskie property owner, bought the Bloody Point Golf Club. Restoration of the golf course began in 2012 with a renovation by the Love Golf Design. McCarthy has accomplished much in the last year.

Most notably, he has constructed a new dock off the 17th green of the course and has purchased several boats for the water taxi service that has already begun. Also, he has converted the original Breathe Spa into the seven-bedroom Osprey Cottage.

The McCarthy Family and the entire Bloody Point Staff are working hard to ensure that Bloody Point once again becomes a destination that brings friends and families back time and time again.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of Bloody Point and Daufuskie Island, please visit the Daufuskie Island Historical Foundation: http://www.daufuskieislandhistoricalfoundation.org