The Top Choice for Semaglutide in Okatie, SC

OKATIE, S.C. (December 11, 2023) -- Final results from U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying at Oldfield Golf Club in Okatie, S.C. on Monday, December 11, 2023. (7,142, par 72).

Two qualifying sides and two alternate sides were available at this qualifying site.

Jon Weiss Jr of Florence, S.C. and John Schaffer of Sumter, S.C. fired a round of seven-under-par 65 to share medalist honors with JD Lehman of Greenville, S.C. and Matt Lehman of Dallas, Texas. Three teams finished at six-under-par and played off for the alternate positions. Paul Tucker of Waxhaw, N.C. and Brent Roof of Columbia S.C. won the first alternate position and Jack Larkin Jr and Zach Healy of Atlanta, GA will be the second alternates.

The qualifiers will advance to play in the championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, Pennsylvania from May 25-29, 2024.

Hole-by-hole scoring can be viewed here.

US Amateur Four-Ball Qualifying Results

Oldfield Golf Club, Okatie, S.C.

December 11, 2023

Developers are building condos off S.C. 170 in Bluffton, but people won’t live there. Their cars will.

CarVillage USA, an “automotive enthusiasts’ club,” will have 31 car condos on a five-acre site between the Village at Verdier and S.C. 170 near Seagrass Station.

Despite the use of the term condo, these aren’t going to be residences. A car condo is essentially a climate-controlled, indoor garage for multiple cars. Owners will be able to customize their condos as they see fit or, if they need more space, buy multiple condos and have them combined into one.

“Guys like to have their own space,” said Gary Brown, one of the people behind the unique development. “They have their fancy cars. They’re working on them. They have a new home, but it’s got a two-car garage. That’s not going to work.”

Each condo will start at 1,680 square feet, which is expected to be enough for six-cars.

The starting cost for a condo is $550,000. Brown said anyone who signs up before Monday at noon will get a $10,000 discount; community leaders will be at Hilton Head Island’s Concours d’Elegance and Motoring Festival over the weekend .

In terms of customization, the only limit will be the owner’s imagination.

“These units have mezzanines, and the mezzanines are designed in a way that you can do whatever you want to do,” Brown said. “Whatever makes you happy.”

That could mean office space or furniture.

There are a few places like this across the United States, Brown said. However, the social aspect of the Bluffton location makes it stand out.

CarVillage is being designed to be more than just a place to keep cars. Instead, it is meant to be a place for car collectors to gather and hang out.

A 20,000-square-foot clubhouse will include an F-1 racer simulator, a full bar, a pool hall, private offices, a cigar lounge, detailing services, a kitchen for catering, private wine bottle storage, and a lift for servicing and washing vehicles.

There are also plans for events like car shows that would be open to the public and “coffee and cars” meetups for car enthusiasts on the weekends.

“With all of these units and all of these owners, it’s natural for us to be sort of a clearinghouse for the members,” Brown said.

According to the CarVillage website, five condos already have been sold and six have been reserved.

Club membership at CarVillage will be limited to 250 members. Members will not have to be condo owners. The upper level of one of the buildings will include general storage members can rent to store their vehicles.

Brown’s team is expecting to break ground on the project in February and expects construction to take about a year.

Sebastian Lee covers Beaufort County for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2022. If he’s not working he’s most likely watching a good movie or spinning a record.

The sizes and colors may vary, but there’s an uncanny resemblance among the 40-plus dogs at the county’s overcrowded animal shelter in Okatie. You know it when you see it: the thick, athletic build, high-set ears and a smooth, short coat.

They’re all pit bulls, says Tallulah Trice, director of Beaufort County Animal Services. It’s not an officially recognized breed, but “pit bull” is used as an umbrella term to describe canines descended from bulldogs and terriers.

“Walking down one section of the shelter, and in every kennel you can see your pit bulls or pit mixes,” Trice said. “People say ‘How would you know?’ It’s just a look.”

The county-run shelter is waiving adoption fees and offering free spay and neuter services for all local pit bulls. A county ordinance passed in 2015 mandated the alteration procedures for all pit bulls and pit mixes — but population control takes time, and the pedigree faces stereotypes of aggression that hurt their adoption rates nationwide.

While puppies and in-demand breeds are often adopted within weeks, most pit bulls stay at the county shelter for at least six months, sometimes years. And as the only organization in Beaufort County required to take in all homeless pets, Animal Services bears the brunt of pit bulls that are turned away from private shelters in favor of more adoptable breeds.

Pit bulls were bred to excel in dog fighting rings in nineteenth-century England, a history that contributes to their blemished reputation. Trice attributes the prominence of pit bull attacks to their massive population relative to most breeds, employing the phrase “It’s not the breed, it’s the deed.”

“Anything big has the potential to do harm,” Trice said. “I believe pit bulls are the predominant aggressors in the world because they are the predominant breed in general.”

All dogs at the county shelter are thoroughly screened for aggressive behavior before they’re put up for adoption. In rare circumstances where dogs’ hostility is not improving or a canine resident is in continual poor health, the animal is euthanized.

Aside from encouraging local adoptions of pit bulls, Animal Services also helps the pups find homes in unlikely places. A score of creative adoption alternatives has helped decrease euthanasia rates at the shelter — especially for pit bulls, who make up 82.5% of their euthanized dogs.

In the year since its inception, the Pit Stop Dogs program has paired about 50 of the shelter’s pit bulls with professional truck drivers looking for a ride-along buddy. Dogs placed into the program are hand-picked to ensure they have the right temperament for the road, according to Trice.

“The trucking industry has grown significantly,” she said. “Woman truckers are out there more. They need companionship and security because they’re on the roads.”

Five particularly high-energy pit bulls from the Okatie shelter recently won the trip of a lifetime: moving to southeast Oklahoma to live and work with hog hunters. The dogs help control the population of the area’s feral hogs, which are considered an invasive species due to their harm to local agriculture and propensity for disease.

“The hunters are looking for high-energy dogs that just have this drive,” Trice said. “(The dogs) live in a home environment. They’re actually becoming hog hunters, and they love it.”

Animal Services is even encouraging local businesses to consider taking in a pit bull. The dogs could serve as an “office pet” during the day while standing guard at night, Trice said. “That’s another thing we’ve been looking into.”

But with nearly 250 pit bulls brought into the shelter so far this year, Animal Services has plenty more lovable local pups that are eligible for adoption. If applicants have a safe and qualified home for the dog, staff can help lessen the financial burden that comes with a new pet.

“We offer crates, leashes, collars,” Trice said. “We’ll do anything to get one pit bull out at a time.”

This story was originally published June 28, 2024, 8:53 AM.

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AsAs the quaint coastal village between Savannah and Hilton Head Island continues to grow into a hotspot, so does the choice of where to dine. Joelle (132 Bluffton Road, Bluffton) is the most recent addition to the bustling neighborhood.

Robert and Breana DeLeo, a husband-and-wife team, dreamed of opening their own modern Italian restaurant since meeting and working together at the Restoration Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina. Joelle is the fruition of that dream. Named after their newborn daughter, Joelle is inspired by the couple’s Italian-American background and a direct reflection of their time in the food and beverage industry.

Robert’s culinary background is baked in his genes. Growing up in New York, his interest in the hospitality industry was cultivated in his father's collection of delis. From serving and managing in South Florida to managing food and beverage operations at several properties in Charleston, Robert’s past culminates in what the two hope will be a bright future.

If we have another child, we’ll have to have another restaurant,” says Robert.

Nestled in the heart of Bluffton, Breana designed Joelle’s interiors with breezy, earthy tones customized with family flourishes. Joelle’s indoor dining area features views of kitchen action, including a custom wood-fired pizza oven and a prosciutto-slicing station. A 12-seat bar flanks the interior wall. While the bar does have a TV, don’t come expecting to catch the game. Breanna says they’ll be playing classic, black-and-white movies that will play to the black-and-white family portraits that accent the walls.

The pizza and its subsequent oven are the stars of the kitchen. “Our pizza oven is really special and manufactured by Fiero Pizza Ovens,” says Robert. “Every ingredient of the pizza has been thought through and considered. Our flour is directly imported from Molino Pasini, which we also use for our pasta.”

Executive chef Brandon Torre runs the kitchen. Before joining the Joelle team, Torre held positions at the Ritz-Carlton, the Omni Hotel, the Westin Hotel, and, most recently, the Colleton River Club. Torre plans to offer a seasonally rotating list of familiar Italian favorites, including fresh, housemade pasta (the casarecce with spring fava beans, burrata, pesto, and pine nuts is right on time seasonally), wood-fired pizza including a margherita pizza with confit tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, and coastal modern favorites like tuna crudo spiced with Calabrian chili, capers, chive oil.

Joelle opens on Wednesday, April 10 at 11 a.m.

A colder than usual winter has delayed the expected opening of the U Pick Daffodil farm, but the Bluffton-area attraction’s owners say they are now ready to welcome visitors.

A trip to the farm has become a spring rite for families, flower-lovers and photographers, and co-owners Chuck and Diane Merrick expect to be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24. The farm may close early if the Merricks begin to run out of blooms.

“Cold weather doesn’t hurt the flowers; it just slows them down,” said Chuck Merrick, who estimated the blooming fields are about two weeks behind where they would be in a typical year.

The weather forecast for Saturday in Bluffton is sunny and windy with a high of 67, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston. Sunday will be sunny with a high near 60.

The fields are located at 48 Calhoun Plantation Road, just off Pinckney Colony Road.

Each stem picked is 50 cents. Cash and card payments will be accepted.

This year, the Merricks likely will open the fields only on weekends because that’s when their family is available to help them. Weather and the lack or abundance of blooms will affect what days the farm is open.

For information about days the farm will be open, watch its Facebook page or go to its website at upickdaffodils.com. Those who’d like to check on the status of the flowers before making a longer commute can also text Chuck Merrick at 843-368-1998.

The U Pick Daffodil tradition started more than 50 years ago, and each year the farm has expanded to meet a growing demand.

Chuck Merrick uses a planting machine purchased from Holland — it is pulled behind a tractor — to plant tens of thousands of daffodil bulbs with varying blooming times so the farm has a longer picking season.

Daffodils don’t grow easily in the Lowcountry climate, he previously told The Island Packet, and every year the farm loses about half of the ones they had planted in earlier years.