Earlier this year, on April 14th, ceremonial shovels hit South Carolina soil with the weight of three decades of anticipation behind them. On a perfect spring afternoon at 3801 Fork Shoals Road, just outside Simpsonville, more than 150 founding members of Kawonu Golf Club gathered to witness something increasingly rare in modern golf: the groundbreaking of a new private club.
The 290-acre property along the Reedy River represents Greenville’s first new private golf establishment since the early 1990s, a milestone that founding partners Scott Ferrell and Barton Tuck didn’t take lightly as they outlined their vision for a club dedicated purely to the game of golf.
“We’re building something that honors the traditions of the game,” Ferrell said. The hardwood forests and rolling land that will soon frame 18 championship holes also honor the Cherokee.
The name Kawonu, derived from the Cherokee word for duck, pays homage to the property’s history as a hunting preserve. But the site’s rolling terrain, mature trees, and stunning river vistas suggest it was always destined for golf…