A new exclusive, invite-only golf club named Kawonu is under construction in Simpsonville, South Carolina.
The 18-hole course is being designed by nationally recognized golf course architect Andrew Green, who was enamored by the Simpsonville site and its topography.
The club will feature a clubhouse, overnight suites, and other amenities on its 290-acre property.
Kawonu Golf Club is slated to open sometime in 2027.
The private fairways, greens, and bunkers of the upcoming Kawonu Golf Club are beginning to take form.
Construction on the exclusive, invite-only links site at 3801 Fork Shoals Road in Simpsonville was showcased for the first time on Sept. 18, where nationally recognized pro-golf course architect Andrew Green and Scott Ferrell, founding partner of Kawonu Golf Club, toured the site and detailed the uniqueness within Greenville’s first private club in more than 30 years.
“We’re starting to uncover the magic of Kawonu,” said Green, who has transformed various historic greens across the country since 2010.
“For me, it’s important that we’re leaning into and embracing the idea that the topography and community here in Greenville is so unique. It’s got a lot of interest, soul, and we want to make sure we embrace it and amplify it.”
The highly anticipated course is slated to open sometime in 2027.
While there were no tee boxes, fairways, bunkers, or greens installed, progress at Kawonu Golf Club was showcased during a walk to holes two through four, with distant glimpses of the back 9. The construction crew has begun clearing dirt on the site, specifying each hole’s location, and showcasing the quality and variations of golf shots that are available to the course.
“When I heard that Andrew Green was going to be building this course, it piqued my interest,” said Chad Arrington of Bel-Air, Maryland, who signed up to be a member of the club. “I thought it’d be a good opportunity to give me a reason to come play golf in South Carolina.
“When I started to hear how special the topography of the land was, I just really loved what I heard and was willing to get in and see the project unfold from the ground up,” he added.
Here is more on Kawonu Golf Club and its unique design:
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What is special about the grounds at the upcoming Kawonu Golf Club?
The grounds at Kawonu Golf Club at 3801 Fork Shoals Road in Simpsonville once served as Cherokee hunting grounds and are located on Revolutionary War battle soil.
“The course will become a 290-acre, 18-hole course that will feature an intimate clubhouse with indoor and outdoor spaces, a food and beverage space called Founder’s Fish House, and overnight stay suites located between holes 9-and-13 called the Founder’s Village,” according to Ferrell, founding partner of Kawonu Golf Club.
During the tour, Green detailed the topography of the grounds and environment as having a unique “golden hour” — how the sun sets along the golf course — or how the design of the ground allows certain golf shots to simply “make sense.”
“Here you have two golf holes that are nearby one another, but play entirely differently because of the natural elements that make this a great golf course,” Green added.
“After two short months of construction, we think people are going to be even more passionate about this project, and bring more passionate people in,” said Scott Ferrell, founding partner of Kawonu Golf Club. “And that starts with Andrew (Green).”
In his career, Green, who is president and principal architect of AH Green Design, has redesigned the historic Inverness Club, which opened in 1920 and was recognized as the Restoration of the Year by Golfweek in 2018 due to Green’s upgrades.
He has also performed architecture consulting and design at the Congressional Country Club, which will host the 2037 Ryder Cup, and at least five other PGA-sanctioned courses throughout America.
Green is joined by Joel Newman of Beaufort, who will design the clubhouse, lodging, training center, and comfort station at Kawonu Golf Club.
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What specific course details have been confirmed for Kawonu Golf Club?
During the evening tour in Simpsonville, more details were shared about the course and Green’s design for the Upstate, including:
The entire course features a great “golden hour,” as Green describes, which means golfing as the evening approaches will present beautiful and majestic views
Hole 3 is 375 yards long and travels downhill. Its fairway has a bunker on the inside of the “dog leg” and the green lands left-to-right.
The depth of perception coming down the fairway on Hole 3 is unique, as there is a lake just beneath the green, and also, the Reedy River, which sits far behind the sightline of the course but adds difficulty.
Hole 4 is 475 feet long and travels uphill.
20-cabin spaces, featuring four bedrooms and one suite, which members can rent and host groups.
“Our goal is for you to be able to hit the ball and find it. But you’d better have the skill to execute the shot,” Green said. “The topography is one of a kind, the dimensions of the ground create great golf, meaning that the highs and lows are nice distances for the golf shots we’d like to play,” he added.
While details on the full financial investment have not been disclosed, Ferrell believes that the total cost and impact of the new course will be a benefit to the Upstate for years to come.
“You can hear the passion in Andrew’s voice,” said Ferrel, founding partner of Kawonu Golf. “Not many people can see things like Andrew Green.
“He saw a lot of things that I couldn’t see, and that passion is what we’re trying to carry through the membership and the overall quality of hospitality and elegance around Greenville.”
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