Greenville Country Club
In the spring of 1895, a small group of Greenvillians took possession of fifty acres of land conveyed to them by a local Indian tribe in the area to develop the first golf course in South Carolina. Seeking a larger, more modern facility in 1905, the group purchased Governor Benjamin Perry’s estate, Sans Souci, and the club was named Sans Souci Country Club. In 1923, the Club moved again, this time to its current location and in 1927, the Club amended its charter to become the Greenville Country Club.
In 1967, the Board of Governors authorized the construction of a new eighteen-hole golf course, engaging renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. to design the new course named Chanticleer. The championship course opened September 12, 1970 to much acclaim. Chanticleer has been nationally ranked in Golf Digest’s Top 100 including 51st in earlier years.
Grand Slam golfer, Gene Sarazen took part in the Chanticleer opening day festivities. He is quoted as saying “You have one of the finest courses in the South. It will rival Pinehurst No. 2 and in two or three years will be as good as, or better than, Augusta National…down there you can spray the ball around and still score. If you start spraying on this course, you better have a lot of balls with you.”
The Chanticleer Course has been consistently ranked as the top course in Upstate South Carolina. Affectionately known as the longest 6,900 yards in America, the par 72 layout is privately situated as a golf-only facility. With an impressive slope of 150 and a course rating of 74.9 from the tips with water and/or out of bounds on all 18 holes, the course offers one of the most beautiful and challenging golf experiences available anywhere.
