Andrew Green • January 8, 2025

Crafting the Course: January 2025


Avoiding the Floodplain

ANDREW GREEN

When evaluating the available ground at Kawonu, a range of decisions had to be made about how the property could unlock great golf, be epic in every way, and remain sustainable for the future. Many answers emerged naturally during the layout process, with holes aligning to the land as if destined to be there.                                                                              

In studying the lower ground, it became clear that avoiding the floodplain was crucial. This decision minimized infrastructure needs, avoided forced transitions between elevations, and eliminated the risk of flooding course features. Floodplain courses, while common, often suffer from soil deposits, debris, and water damage, compromising strategic features and drainage.                            


Hurricane Helene caused these types of issues at several courses in the Upstate and also caused them to close for extended periods. By keeping Kawonu’s features out of the floodplain, we’ve capitalized on wonderful land features that will not only create dramatic and memorable golf, but also a sustainable course that will have minimal weather-related downtime.


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By The Hole Story Podcast July 6, 2026
Scott Ferrell joins us to share the journey of developing Kawonu Golf Club in Greenville, South Carolina, from land selection to design with architect Andrew Green, and the vision for a golf-only, community-focused experience. LISTEN HERE.
By Athlon Sports July 1, 2026
The latest construction milestones at South Carolina’s Kawonu Golf Club reveal more than progress; they offer the clearest glimpse yet of a private golf experience rooted in timeless architecture, thoughtful design and an unwavering commitment to the game. Every now and then, a new golf course comes along that quietly captures the attention of architecture enthusiasts long before a single scorecard is signed. Kawonu Golf Club is becoming one of those places. Nestled on more than 290 acres outside Greenville, South Carolina, the private, golf-only club has steadily built momentum over the past year without relying on flashy announcements or celebrity fanfare. Instead, it has allowed the land, the design team and a clearly defined vision to tell its story. Two recent construction milestones—the beginning of course grassing and the unveiling of the clubhouse complex—suggest that story is entering an exciting new chapter. For golfers who appreciate great architecture as much as great golf, these aren’t simply construction updates. They’re the first tangible signs that one of the country’s most anticipated private clubs is beginning to emerge from the landscape. Anyone who has ever watched a golf course being built knows the most important work often happens out of sight. Before fairways turn green, countless hours are spent moving earth, shaping contours, installing drainage and laying irrigation. It’s essential work, but it requires a bit of imagination to see what the finished product will eventually become. That changes once grass begins to take hold. Since breaking ground in April 2025, Kawonu has completed much of the heavy construction across the property. With shaping and irrigation now largely complete, crews have begun sodding and grassing the championship layout, moving methodically from greens and tees to fairways. The transformation may seem cosmetic to the casual observer, but in reality it marks one of the most significant milestones in the life of any new golf course. Andrew Green, whose reputation has skyrocketed through acclaimed restoration work at some of America’s most revered clubs, has said grassing is the stage where golfers finally begin to understand the rhythm of the routing. Instead of isolated construction zones, the individual holes begin connecting into a cohesive journey across the property. That’s particularly exciting at Kawonu, where Green has routed the course through rolling meadows, mature hardwood forests and the Reedy River corridor rather than forcing the landscape to conform to a preconceived design. Everything we’ve learned about the project suggests the land remains the star of the show. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.