Making Inroads at Kawonu Golf Club

The First Call Staff • February 6, 2025

Restoration specialist Andrew Green has begun making inroads with his original design


Next up for Green is Kawonu Golf Club in Simpsonville, South Carolina, which is slated to break ground within trst few months of 2025. Located approximately 30 minutes southeast of Greenville, Kawonu will be the first private, golf-only club to debut in the region in more than three decades.


The development is spearheaded by industry veterans Scott Ferrell and Barton Tuck. Ferrell has vast experience with Gary Player Design, the PGA Tour and TPC properties, while Tuck has been involved in the building, management and ownership of more than 60 golf courses in the southeastern U.S., among them Forest Creek in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Kawonu will unfold atop a 290-acre parcel next to the Reedy River that once was home to members of the Cherokee Nation. The name "Kawonu" is derived from the Cherokee word for the ducks that populate the ponds and streams on site. The water features will be utilized in the course routing, which also navigates rolling terrain and wooded, boulder-strewn bluffs.


"It’s a stunning piece of ground," Green told the Greenville Journal during a September 2024 visit. "At the forefront of our mind is to enhance and amplify it, not to destroy. It is such a magical place. There is so much that’s already inherently here that we can draw from. The principles that have guided the best golf in the United States are in place here. The idea is that we utilize the ground really well. We find unique ways to play over, around, across it. Those are critical."


Ferrell, who set up nearly 100 course design contracts worldwide on behalf of Gary Player Design, knows a great site when he sees it.


"Somebody said earlier it’s like nature’s already moved the dirt for us, and that’s a nice way to put it," he said. "It’s a tremendous site with tons of variety. It’s just really tailor-made for a championship golf course. We’re creating an enclave that will add a unique concept to the golf landscape of the Upstate. Local members will not have to travel to 'get away' and national members will not only enjoy the relaxed club environment but take in the wonderful town of Greenville."


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Kawonu Golf Club course construction in southern Greenville County

By Greenville Journal • September 22, 2025
Kawonu Golf Club is taking shape in southern Greenville County. Ryan Gilchrest September 22, 2025 Course architect Andrew Green gave a tour of the progress on Sept. 18. He was joined by founding partner Scott Ferrell and superintendent of agronomy David Barrett. Fairway areas have been cleared on the 290-acre site, which borders the west bank of the Reedy River near the intersection of S.C. Highway 418 and Fork Shoals Road. About 100 acres of the site will remain undeveloped, including the stretch along the river. The course will be private, with plans to cap the membership at 500. It will play at about 7,300 yards from the championship tees and roughly 5,000 yards from the front tees. It is expected to open in 2027. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Construction continues on exclusive Greenville-area golf club

By Post and Courier • September 22, 2025
The Greenville area’s newest invite-only golf club is moving ahead. Kawonu Golf Club is expected to be complete in about one year. Spencer Donovan September 22, 2025 Founders of Kawonu Golf Club — taking its name from the Cherokee word for “duck” — toured a few holes on Sept. 18 at the property, which sits about 30 minutes south of downtown Greenville and 10 minutes west of Fountain Inn. It sits at the corner of S.C. Highway 418 and Fork Shoals Road, a booming corridor in southern Greenville County that’s dotted with recent tract home developments and new shopping centers. The Reedy River runs alongside the eastern edge of the property, where a portion of the property will be preserved as a waterfowl sanctuary. The 290-acre property was farmland and hunting property for generations, said Scott Ferrell, founding partner and majority owner of the club. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

National pro golf architect tours new private course

By Greenville News • September 22, 2025
The private fairways, greens, and bunkers of the upcoming Kawonu Golf Club are beginning to take form. A.J. Jackson September 22, 2025 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. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

Kawonu Golf Club: A New Classic in the Making

By LINKS Insider • August 7, 2025
Something extraordinary is taking shape in Upstate South Carolina, just minutes from the charm of downtown Greenville LINKS Insider Aug 7, 2025 Kawonu Golf Club, a private golf sanctuary, is poised to offer membership focused purely on golf—rooted in history, heritage, and a deep love for the game. Set to open in early 2027, Kawonu is the first private, golf-only course to be built in the Upstate in more than three decades. With national memberships capped at just 150 and local options available, the club offers a focused, distraction-free setting designed for people who simply love the game. At the heart of it all is an original design by celebrated architect Andrew Green—one of his first from-scratch layouts after a string of acclaimed renovations at Inverness, East Lake, Oak Hill, and Congressional. “The property is amazing,” says Green. “Long vistas, water features, upland terrain. The ground speaks for itself. We’re creating a new golf experience that feels old, and I couldn’t be more excited.” READ FULL ARTICLE HERE