A Legacy of Excellence: Kerry Tharp Discusses the Darlington Country Club's Centennial
The Darlington Country Club, an esteemed institution in the realm of golf, is poised to commemorate its centennial celebration, an occasion of profound significance. In this enlightening discourse, I, alongside my co-host, engage with Kerry Tharp, the esteemed co-general manager of the club. Tharp elucidates the remarkable history of the club, detailing its evolution and the myriad of events that have shaped its legacy, including the upcoming Southern 500 Golf Invitational. We delve into the club's exceptional amenities, including its recently renovated championship golf course, and the vibrant community it fosters. This episode serves not merely as an exploration of the club's past, but as an invitation to partake in its future, urging listeners to experience the warmth and hospitality that define the Darlington Country Club.
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Transcript
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Speaker C:Welcome, welcome, welcome to the All About Nothing podcast.
Speaker C:I am Barrett Gruber.
Speaker C:This is episode number 258.
Speaker C:And in just a minute we're going to be heading out to the Darlington Country Club in Darlington, South Carolina to sit down with Kerry Tharp, who is the co general manager of the Darlington Country Club.
Speaker C:We're going to have a discussion with him about the centennial celebration that's coming up for the Darlington Country Club as well as a lot of the tournaments that they have that are going to be going on.
Speaker C:We talk about the amenities.
Speaker C:It's a beautiful course.
Speaker C:We had a lovely time and I'm.
Speaker A:Very excited to share that with you.
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Speaker C:All right, gonna turn it over to Barrett at the Darlington country club in Darlington, South Carolina, sitting down with Mr.
Speaker C:Kerry Tharp.
Speaker A:All right, welcome to the All About Nothing podcast, Ker.
Speaker A:We are here at the Darlington Country Club.
Speaker A:It is the we're getting ready to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the country club.
Speaker A:So first of all, to remind everyone, Carrie Tharp was the associate athletic director for the University of South Carolina for how many years?
Speaker B:20 years.
Speaker A:20 years.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker A:At the end of your administration, essentially, was the decision that you were going to retire or were you just leaving and going to go?
Speaker A:Was the plan always to go do something else?
Speaker B: Well, when I left USC in: Speaker B:And at the time, and I think we might have talked about this previously, I didn't even like nascar.
Speaker B:They called me and wanted me to come interview for a job, communications job for nascar.
Speaker B:And I said, I'll be glad to talk to you, but when it comes on tv, I turn it off.
Speaker B:But lo and behold, I worked 11 years for NASCAR up in North Carolina, but I still lived in South Carolina.
Speaker B:I lived in Fort Mill because I love the state of South Carolina.
Speaker B: then I came to Darlington in: Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:There's my golf cart over there.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And help them out with marketing and, you know, promotion and member relations and things like that.
Speaker B:And so, again, I love the state of South Carolina and really enjoy living in Darlington.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So just to give everyone an idea of the country club here, it's the Darlington Country Club in Darlington, South Carolina, which is pretty close to the raceway.
Speaker B:It's not far, about four or five miles.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:This club features an 18 hole championship golf course that challenges players at all skill levels.
Speaker A:Set against the picturesque Black Creek, the course oversees scenic views, a variety of terrains, and in recent years, you all just had it renovated.
Speaker B:We did last summer.
Speaker B:We pretty much redid the 15th, 16th and 17th holes, Barrett, and really turned them into something special on our back nine.
Speaker B:And the architect that we use is a gentleman by the name of Rich Mandel, and he's out of Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Speaker B:And if I'm not mistaken, they know a little bit about golf up in Pinehurst.
Speaker B:And so he came and worked his magic out here on the golf course and is really, really, I think, enhanced this, this golf course to become a very nice, enjoyable place to play.
Speaker B:And, and we're getting a great response from the people that are playing out here the last couple of years.
Speaker A:If, if someone had never been here before, what are three of the best, the, the most enticing reasons to, to come to Darlington to play here?
Speaker B:Well, I think first of all, the hospitality that you receive.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think is, is fantastic when people come into our golf shop or people come into our restaurant or, or whatever.
Speaker B:I mean, we, we absolutely make them feel at home.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And we want them to come back.
Speaker B:And so I always try to make it a point.
Speaker B:If I see someone that I don't know who they are, I'll always ask them, you know, where are you from?
Speaker B:And so I have an opportunity to meet a lot of people out here.
Speaker B:But I think hospitality, Barrett, is our number one attribute.
Speaker B:And then, you know, we offer a great social experience out here.
Speaker B:We got a wonderful golf course.
Speaker B:As you can tell back here, we're right on the backdrop of it.
Speaker B:We got Olympic size swimming pool.
Speaker B:It's really the best pool around in these parts.
Speaker B:And then we've got a wonderful restaurant, a chef that we just brought in back in February that is just a outstanding chef.
Speaker B:And you know, we have events here.
Speaker B:We had a wedding here about two weeks ago with about 300 people, a wedding reception down on the Black Creek.
Speaker B:And it's just, you know, it's a unique place.
Speaker B:Obviously, it's in a small town, a small community, but I think it's a very, very important part of this community, just like the racetrack is.
Speaker B:And, and I encourage people to come out because I think they'll receive great treatment from the people that work here, and I think they'll enjoy the experience that they have as well.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:How long.
Speaker A:So in the hundred years of Darlington Country Club being here, how, how long has it been as popular?
Speaker A:It is, because if I do a search of golf clubs, you know, country clubs in South Carolina, it comes up in the top five.
Speaker B:Well, anytime you're around for almost 100 years, I think that speaks volumes for how successful and popular you've been.
Speaker B:And so to be able to celebrate Our centennial in 226, I think is very, very special.
Speaker B:You know, this, this golf course in this country club has a lot of history back when, when the race car drivers used to come out here and play a lot.
Speaker B:David Pearson, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, they used to come here and play a lot, you know, back in the 80s and 90s when the schedules were different than they are now when they come to Darlington for a race.
Speaker B:And so this club has a lot of history.
Speaker B:It's, it's, it's got the Black Creek that kind of snakes through the, the, the, the course.
Speaker B:And I'm told that there was a lot of times that people just kind of snuck away back there and swam in the Black Creek.
Speaker B:Not sure if sometimes, if they had all their clothes on, but, you know, that's okay.
Speaker B:That was way back in the back, and I don't think anybody paid, paid attention.
Speaker B:But, you know, Darlington is a, is, is, is a unique little town that, you know, probably is a little underrated, to be honest with you.
Speaker B:And I think this golf club, this country club is a little underrated.
Speaker B:And, and, you know, as I mentioned earlier, if you're around for 100 years, you're doing something right.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And, you know, we're gonna, we're gonna really celebrate our 100th year.
Speaker B:And really starting probably the latter part of this year, we'll start celebrating it.
Speaker B:And so I just think that it's an important part of the community, as is this racetrack, obviously.
Speaker B:It's a huge, huge part of this community is Darlington Raceway.
Speaker B:And so, you know, we're just happy that our club continues to grow and we're excited about, you Know what the future holds, what the second hundred years hold, what is.
Speaker A:Because you've been here at the Country Club now for a few years since your retirement from nascar.
Speaker A:I assume you played here before you started working here.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:For you, what are some of the most challenging holes?
Speaker B:Well, for me, most of them are, to be honest with you.
Speaker B:If you've ever seen me play.
Speaker B:Tom has seen me play.
Speaker B:Tom Sliker, he's seen me play.
Speaker B:But, you know, I would have to say I start off with a number 18 hole.
Speaker B:It's a hole that we redid about two years ago, and if you play it from all the way the back tees, it's about 630 yards.
Speaker B:And in fact, we have a marker out there on the T marker.
Speaker B:It's the hole too tough to tame, obviously, connected with the racetrack.
Speaker B:So that's, that's a, that's a long day out there.
Speaker B:630 yards, to be honest with you.
Speaker B:But, you know, some of the par threes here are very, very tricky.
Speaker B:That number nine hole out by the road, I've played it for several years.
Speaker B:I think I've hit the green maybe three times and all the times that I've ever played here.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:And then hole 14 is a, is a par three.
Speaker B:That's a little tricky as well.
Speaker B:But, you know, as you, as you go through this golf course and listen to people that have, you know, not really ever played here, you know, they look at the scorecard and they see, well, it's not that long of a course, and it is not, but it's a, it's.
Speaker B:It's a tricky course.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, and the greens are small, the greens are fast, and so if you miss the green and, you know, you're in trouble.
Speaker B:And so I think the course, though, offers a challenge for all levels, all skill levels.
Speaker B:But I think that it's probably a little bit more difficult course than people give it credit for.
Speaker A:Any pros on, on staff that, that you all have come around fairly often to, to play through?
Speaker B:Well, we do.
Speaker B:We have, in fact, Rich Mandel, whose I mentioned is our course architect, he had a group of, of pros from Denmark that came in for the Masters back in April, and there was three or four Danish golfers here that were professional golfers, and they played out here and they came back and they said, you know what?
Speaker B:This is a, this was a very, very nice, challenging golf course.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so, you know, and we'll get some, some, some pros come through here.
Speaker B:You know, maybe on some of the lower tier professional tours.
Speaker B:And we get a lot of college golfers that are out here.
Speaker B:You know, we, we host a number of high school tournaments here during the course of the season.
Speaker B:And, and, you know, you get, you get a group of high school folks that are out here, and, you know, they have that limber back.
Speaker B:They can hit the ball pretty good.
Speaker B:And, and so it's, it's exciting to see, to see them play.
Speaker B:And, and, but there's, there's enough good players in this, in this region that when they come on this golf course and play.
Speaker B:There's a player out of Hartsville who's been on the Korn Ferry tour for quite a while, Tommy Two Gloves Gainey.
Speaker B:And in fact, he's won a couple of professional tours before, and he plays out here on occasion.
Speaker B:And so, you know, we attract a pretty good skill set of golfers out.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm not one of those.
Speaker B:Me and you both joined a crowd.
Speaker C:Frequently.
Speaker A:When I was in high school, I had friends that did golf, and they were on the golf team, and one of the things that they would do was as a pitcher, baseball.
Speaker A:They would encourage me to come and play golf because they're like every baseball player plays golf.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Baseball player and hockey player.
Speaker B:Hockey players are good.
Speaker B:Golfer.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, and not to plug, not to plug anything that's off topic, but I'm looking forward to Happy Gilmore, too.
Speaker B:I am, too.
Speaker B:That's going to be fantastic.
Speaker A:But the driving range was always something that they always wanted to go out.
Speaker A:And I did decent on the driving range, but, well, you know, speaking of.
Speaker B:Driving range, I always was of the, of the, of the thought, why go out and waste a good shot?
Speaker B:You know, and so I don't really ever warm up a whole lot when I play because, you know, somebody goes, have you want to go out and hit some balls?
Speaker B:I said, well, if I hit a good one, it won't count.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:You know, so sometimes I don't really get on the driving range a lot, but certainly that, that's probably tells you what kind of golfer I am, too.
Speaker A:Well, you know, it's.
Speaker A:I think it's less about how good you are and more about how much you enjoy your time.
Speaker A:Exactly how often do you just get on your golf cart and just, just scoot around?
Speaker B:I tell you what, I get on this golf course probably six days a week, seven days a week.
Speaker B:I live right down the street.
Speaker B:And so most days I bring my golf cart to work.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And usually when I leave the club.
Speaker B:I'll go home, and I'll get my dog, Kobe, who's part lab, part pit bull.
Speaker B:And if I say to him, kobe, you want to go on the golf cart?
Speaker B:He almost mauls me because he just can't wait to get on the golf cart, come out on the golf course.
Speaker B:We drive around the golf course, and if.
Speaker B:If no one's golfing, you know, I'll let him off.
Speaker B:Off the.
Speaker B:Off the cart, and he'll like to explore, etc.
Speaker B:But I'm pretty much on this golf course.
Speaker B:I said six days a week, probably seven days a week, because I just enjoy it.
Speaker B:I enjoy the beauty.
Speaker B:It's relaxing.
Speaker B:I don't play as much as I used to, but I get out on this golf course almost every day of the week.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So also here at the Darlington Country Club, we have the Black Creek Grill and Bar.
Speaker A:It's an upscale dining venue providing a diverse menu.
Speaker A:On that menu, how many of the things have you eaten in your time here so far?
Speaker B:I say probably 90% of what's on there.
Speaker B:Like I said, we just brought in a new chef.
Speaker B:His name's Charles Lyon, and Charles spent most of his professional career in Chesapeake Bay area outside of Baltimore.
Speaker B:Last I checked, they're pretty good with seafood up there a little bit.
Speaker B:He is an outstanding chef, really knows the business.
Speaker B:He's.
Speaker B:He's worked 13, 14 years at a big club out up there outside of Baltimore that held a number of LPGA championships.
Speaker B:He's worked at big hotels and resorts up there.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And, you know, there isn't anything on our menu that I don't like.
Speaker B:Our lunch menu is fantastic.
Speaker B:We have a Reuben sandwich that, you know, you can make two meals out of it.
Speaker B:It is really, really delicious.
Speaker B:I tell you what we've started up on Sunday nights that has become very popular is Smash burgers.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And he can.
Speaker B:He can cook up Smash burgers and a side.
Speaker B:And, you know, we're in here, we're watching golf, we're watching nascar, and we've been drawing really good crowds for that.
Speaker B:And our Thursday nights have been pretty good for.
Speaker B:For dinner here.
Speaker B:And we usually have music out here on Michael's porch, but, you know, his seafood, his crab cakes, top notch.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Best I've had.
Speaker B:And so, you know, when you.
Speaker B:When you bring in someone of his pedigree, it makes.
Speaker B:It makes the.
Speaker B:The dining experience all that better.
Speaker B:And, you know, as I mentioned, we had a wedding reception here a couple weeks ago with almost 300 people, and we did it down here by the Black Creek.
Speaker B:And so all of the food had to be transported down there and warmers and things of that nature.
Speaker B:And we would have never pulled that off if it hadn't been for his expertise, being able to do something like that.
Speaker B:And so the restaurant here is a real godsend.
Speaker B:You know, it's open to the public, obviously, we do have members here, but the restaurant's open to the public.
Speaker B:And we serve lunch in there Wednesday through to Saturday and dinner on Thursday and Friday evenings.
Speaker B:It's delicious.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I dare say you could find a better meal, you know, within 100 miles of here.
Speaker B:And I'm being serious.
Speaker B:And, you know, I like to eat and, you know, being able to eat here in a nice environment like this is very, very special.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What's.
Speaker A:As far as the members?
Speaker A:Because just walking through the facility, the lobby here with you, they all know you.
Speaker A:You are, you, you are a.
Speaker A:An ambassador.
Speaker B:I appreciate that.
Speaker B:And in fact, Timmy Huntley, one of the man that owns the club, who's out on the putting green right now, when he talked to me about coming, he asked me right after I retired.
Speaker B:And Timmy and I have been friends for long as I've been in Darlington.
Speaker B:He said, he said, are you really going to stay retired?
Speaker B:I said, well, I don't know.
Speaker B:My, My wife didn't give me a list of things to do.
Speaker B:She gave me a notebook.
Speaker B:And so I said, you know, what you got in mind?
Speaker B:And he said, well, I need somebody.
Speaker B:And he used that word to be an ambassador for the country club.
Speaker B:And I said, well, I said, I've kind of been doing that most of my life, whether, you know, in sports, you know, me in college sports or in nascar.
Speaker B:And so I just enjoy being around people.
Speaker B:And we had a group out here today of almost 50, I guess you would call them senior citizens, guys from around the state that they call themselves the hobos.
Speaker B:And I just enjoyed being around that group.
Speaker B:And several of them I actually knew from Columbia.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's, it's, it's just, you know, this is a country club.
Speaker B:It's supposed to be a place where people come enjoy themselves, they bring their families here.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's a relaxing experience to have great fellowship and, and camaraderie.
Speaker B:And so, you know, I try to do what I can to make sure that they have a great experience.
Speaker B:And, and, you know, when they leave Darlington Country Club, particularly someone that maybe has never been here before, they, they, they say to themselves, you know what?
Speaker B:I might go back there Because I was treated very well.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it's not that far a drive from Columbia.
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:Florence.
Speaker B:Over an hour, hour and 15, hour and 20.
Speaker B:And Florence is 20 minutes away.
Speaker B:Hartsville's right down the street.
Speaker B:Myrtle beach, an hour and a half.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Conway, you know, so even Charlotte, I mean, you can get your Charlotte two hours from here.
Speaker B:So it's in a good area.
Speaker B:What we do get is a lot of people that are going to the beach to play golf stop by here on their way and play here, spend the night in Florence, you know, because a lot of times when you go to the beach, you can't check in until like 2, 3 o' clock.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So they'll come here and play and then they'll go over to the beach the next day.
Speaker B:And so that's, that's a good selling point for us too.
Speaker A:Year round golf too.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, there was a few days in maybe January and February that was a little chilly and the greens were at frost on them and that type of thing.
Speaker B:But I can't remember hardly a day here other than, you know, when it's raining and that type of thing that you can't play here.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And you know, that's, that's a real selling point too.
Speaker B:You know, obviously you get, the people come down here, I guess they call them snowbirds.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:That come down from, from up east and they come through here particularly in January, February, March.
Speaker B:And you know, they love that warm weather.
Speaker B:And that's the thing about South Carolina, too.
Speaker B:I think the weather is fantastic.
Speaker A:This is, this is Michael's porch.
Speaker A:Who is Michael?
Speaker B:Michael is Michael Dean Sigmund, who unfortunately passed away about five years ago in an auto accident.
Speaker B:And his family, Diane and Dean Sigmund wanted to do something in his memory and so they started a scholarship fund.
Speaker B:In fact, we just had his annual golf tournament this past weekend with almost 90 golfers here.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Raising money for scholarships.
Speaker B:And so this porch was built in his honor.
Speaker B:And so, you know, he was a real vibrant young man.
Speaker B:He was one of three triplets here in the community.
Speaker B:And so this porch is named in his honor and in his memory.
Speaker A:I see that we have some sponsored bricks.
Speaker A:Yes, there's still the availability of sponsoring bricks.
Speaker B:There are.
Speaker B:And like I said, it's Michael Dean Sigmund Memorial Scholarship.
Speaker B:I think They've raised almost $40,000 scholarship money over the past handful of years that they've had this tournament.
Speaker B:And again, I think that just kind of is a.
Speaker B:Goes to show you, you know, a Community, like Darlington is a tight community, tight knit community.
Speaker B:And you know, when, when, when someone hurts, you know, you get, you get people to wrap your arm, their arms around you.
Speaker B:And so that's what this community has done for that family and continues to do for that family.
Speaker B:And, and, you know, it's.
Speaker B:Every time we come out here, you know, we think of Michael.
Speaker A:Yeah, we passed the, the red bar zone.
Speaker A:Tell me about that.
Speaker B:Yeah, the red bar is, is kind of tucked over in the corner.
Speaker B:It's, I guess you could kind of call it our quote unquote cheers bar.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:The golfers love going in there.
Speaker B:You know, that's when they go in there and they, they count up their bets and they look at their scorecards and maybe get their erasers out and start figuring out, well, maybe I didn't get a five on that hole, maybe I really had a four and that type of thing.
Speaker B:But it's kind of a place where you can kind of, you know, say whatever you want to say in there.
Speaker B:And, and there's, there's not a whole lot of filters in there, if you know what I'm saying.
Speaker B:Yeah, so that's, that's.
Speaker B:That bar has, has a lot of history here at the, at the country club, and, and so we like to keep it alive and well as well as the bar we have here in the Black Creek Grill.
Speaker A:Any, any.
Speaker A:Nobody has any specific memories of Arnold Palmer walking out of a shower?
Speaker B:No, I don't.
Speaker B:You very well could have.
Speaker B:I don't know who knows who's walked through, through these hallways or who's.
Speaker B:Who's had a libation in that bar, but I'm sure there's been some stories that, that could be told.
Speaker B:Maybe, maybe not over this podcast, but, you know, we might have to do that, take that offline.
Speaker A: d since it was established in: Speaker A:There was, it's, it's, it's gone.
Speaker A:The country club's been here through World War II and Korean War.
Speaker A:One of the things that I saw online was just the number of retirees that come to the Darlington area.
Speaker A:Former Fort Jackson.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Department of Defense, that sort of thing.
Speaker A:There is, there's a lot of veterans that live in this area.
Speaker B:There are, and we certainly salute those men and women, without a doubt, every single day.
Speaker B:And, you know, that's.
Speaker B:I'm glad you brought that up because I think Darlington, you know, has, that has that aura about being you know, God, family, United States.
Speaker B:I think those are very, very important aspects and attributes of the folks that live in this community.
Speaker B:And it's a very resilient community, as is the state of South Carolina.
Speaker B:Very.
Speaker B:You know, the people in this state have a lot of grit, I think, and same thing holds true for Darlington.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's a community that, as you said, has been around a long, long time, was, you know, here during the Civil War and that type of thing.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's, it's, it's interesting when you think about, you know, the history of this town.
Speaker B:And, and, you know, they call this town the pearl of the pd.
Speaker B:And so I think that's something that speaks a lot for the, for the character of this town and how this town is kind of, you know, been resilient over the years.
Speaker A:Yeah, because you've got, it's between the two rivers.
Speaker A:You got water reed just over to the east or to the west, and then we got the PD over to the, to the east.
Speaker A:Significant things have happened in Darlington.
Speaker A:There were, there were, there were years of flooding.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, it's, it's, it's experienced, it's experienced its own issues.
Speaker A:The Depression was not great in Darlington.
Speaker A:Even driving through the town, right.
Speaker A:Saw that there, there are still storefronts that.
Speaker B:Oh, there are, there are difficult.
Speaker B:And, you know, I think that's something that, that the leadership in this community is very, very conscious of, to try to rebuild that town square.
Speaker B:Because I'm told that, you know, back in the day, the town square was very vibrant.
Speaker A:It's beautiful.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:And, you know, thankfully, we have had some local business people that have opened up some, some stores and shops down there.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's, it's a little by little that it happens.
Speaker B:But, you know, you take a look at around here and some of the industry that we have in Darlington county is pretty impressive.
Speaker B:I mean, you have Sunoco.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Who is a Fortune 500 company.
Speaker B:You've got Nucor Steel, which is a huge, huge manufacturer of steel.
Speaker B:You got Georgia Pacific, I think, who used to be called Dixie Cup.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so I went.
Speaker A:One of the biggest paper companies in the world.
Speaker B:Unbelievable.
Speaker B:I went through their plant here last year, and it's right here in Darlington.
Speaker B:It's three miles from here.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And they, they, they manufacture, I think, all the Dixie cup plates, paper plates in the world.
Speaker B:And it's amazing how many they manufacture here.
Speaker B:And so, you know, just in this little small community, you, you have some, some pretty active industry.
Speaker A:I Think that's, that's, that's definitely one of the things that has really.
Speaker A:Because in the last 15, 20 years, Darlington has, has obviously made a comeback.
Speaker A:It's almost, you know, Columbia's had its own experience with coming back.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:But, but Darlington is one of the towns that, that continues to rank as places that most people want to move.
Speaker B:I think so.
Speaker B:And I think Darlington county, you know, includes Garlington and Hartsville is a quality place to live.
Speaker B:I think the education is getting better.
Speaker B:The cost of living here, I think is very reasonable.
Speaker B:Unemployment here is very low.
Speaker B:And so the location, I think is ideal.
Speaker B:So I think this is a great place to settle down, to retire or even raise a family.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:When it comes to entertainment, you talked about that.
Speaker A:The lunch is open.
Speaker A:Dinner's open Wednesday through Saturdays.
Speaker A:What other sorts of activities does the Darlington Country Club offer as far as potential?
Speaker A:Not just golf, obviously.
Speaker A:And I see there's, there's several bird.
Speaker A:The, the bird houses and the nest.
Speaker B:Yeah, the Martin house.
Speaker A:I was going to say the.
Speaker A:How, how, how often do martins play a role in somebody's shank or hook?
Speaker B:They're very.
Speaker B:Well, good.
Speaker B:We got a lot of geese out here too, on some of the ponds.
Speaker B:They kind of come and go depending upon the seasons.
Speaker B:But, you know, we've got a wonderful pool over here.
Speaker B:Olympic sized pool that, as I said, I think it's probably one of the better pools in this, in this region, to be honest with you.
Speaker B:We got pickleball every Tuesday morning.
Speaker B:There's probably 20 to 25 people out there playing pickleball.
Speaker B:Got tennis courts, lighted tennis courts that people, you know, can come and play.
Speaker B:And we have line dancing every Thursday night.
Speaker B:We have shag lessons, you know, if you, if you're, if you want to, you know, become a great shag dancer or I guess that's what you call it shagger.
Speaker B:So we, we offer those types of things.
Speaker B:We had a group of about 30 ladies in here today playing bridge.
Speaker B:I accuse them of gambling, but they, they said that they're not gambling.
Speaker B:So they're in there playing bridge and you know, it.
Speaker B:You know, there's always something going on up here.
Speaker B:And I know the month of May, we had, every weekend we had a wedding here.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker B:And you look at this venue here and what a pretty nice backdrop for a wedding here, to be honest with you.
Speaker B:And so we have class reunions here.
Speaker B:And you know, this is, this facility can hold up to probably close to 300 people.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And so, you know, and it's got a good aura to it.
Speaker B:It's, it's, you know, not too fancy, but yet not too, too plain.
Speaker B:It's got a little bit of, I think, class to it.
Speaker B:And so it's a good place to have a, have a function, have an event and, you know, we're proud of it.
Speaker A:Dana's Bar.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Another, that's another bar.
Speaker B:Well, it's Dana's Corner.
Speaker A:Dana's Corner.
Speaker B:Right out here.
Speaker B:Dana's Corner.
Speaker B:And it's a great place there.
Speaker B:We'll open that up for, you know, like a little bit of a serving station during the summer for, for folks to come in and get sandwiches, get drinks, etc.
Speaker B:Off of the pool.
Speaker B:We've got some great outdoor grills over here underneath that shelter where people can bring, you know, some food in and grill out.
Speaker B:I know this past Memorial Day, we had a big cookout over there late in the day and our Fourth of July event here that we have for our members is really, really cool.
Speaker B:And we'll let members decorate their golf cart carts.
Speaker B:We'll have a golf cart parade through the neighborhood.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And, and so that's pretty, pretty much fun and you know, just, just an opportunity to come out here and when, when, when, when this, this Michael's porch is, is, you know, ready to roll and we have music out here and so forth.
Speaker B:You get 50 or 60 people out here.
Speaker B:It's a really good time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Zach would be upset if I didn't at least ask you about the Lou Holtz era at us.
Speaker A:What was your, I guess, your participation in Lou Holtz's coming to usc?
Speaker B:Well, I can tell you that, you know, I was pretty, pretty heavily involved with his hiring.
Speaker B:You know, the night before we actually hired Coach Holtz, we were up in the legal department on campus talking to coach and on the phone and trying to work through the contract and things of that nature.
Speaker B:And you know, we were up there at about 2 o' clock in the morning and finally got everything squared away.
Speaker B:And then I worked very closely with him for six years as associate ad and you know, he was a, he was a one of a kind guy, to be honest with you, and still keep in touch with him.
Speaker B:He, I don't think there was a better coach in the country at building a program up that had fallen down.
Speaker B:Yeah, you know, you look at the places that he had been over the years, whether it be NC State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Notre Dame and then South Carolina.
Speaker B:Every one of those programs that he took over was, was at the bottom.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And by the time he left, it was at the top.
Speaker B:And so, you know, he was really, really good at doing that.
Speaker B:And he, he was this, you know, he had some one liners.
Speaker B:He was just a unique individual, being around him.
Speaker B:And I enjoyed those years, for sure.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:One of, One of my experiences when I was still living in Atlanta and dating a girl who was in the marching band at University of Georgia.
Speaker A:So we, after.
Speaker A:I can't remember whose defeat it was that Georgia, that Georgia faced that defeat, but it was.
Speaker A:It was Donnan's, Donovan Donan's last game.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:And he was replaced by Mark Rick.
Speaker B:Mark Rick.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker A:Well, we were sitting at the IHOP in Athens, and the loss was still.
Speaker A:You know, I was.
Speaker A:I'm a Georgia Tech fan.
Speaker A:I was recruited at Georgia Tech.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker A:We were sitting at the IHOP at Athens, and while we're sitting there, I'm looking across the restaurant and I recognize Mark Rich.
Speaker A:And I told my girlfriend at the time and her brother, we were sitting there eating.
Speaker A:I said, that's Mark Richt over there.
Speaker A:I said, I said, I bet you they fired Donan.
Speaker A:I said, I said, I said, I'm just gonna walk over there and ask him.
Speaker A:I walked over.
Speaker A:It was a Sunday morning.
Speaker A:I walked over to the table that Mark Richt and his wife and his kids were sitting at, and I said, I said, hey, my name is Barrett Gruber and I just want to.
Speaker A:I just want to say hello.
Speaker A:I said, I think.
Speaker A:I think you're a great coach.
Speaker A:I said, I said, are you here to take over at Georgia?
Speaker A:He just, he looked up at me, he just grinned at me.
Speaker A:And he said.
Speaker A:He said, I can't say anything yet.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Because it was three days later they announced that.
Speaker B:They announced it.
Speaker B:So he was probably in town that day talking to the athletics director and the president and the board of trustees and trying to get things worked out, etc.
Speaker B:But yeah, I mean, we spent many a times over at Georgia, you know, gets coach done and Ray Goff, Vince Dooley, Mark Richt.
Speaker B:I'd already left before Kirby Smart got there.
Speaker B:But that's a great rivalry.
Speaker B:And you know, those two states, South Carolina and Georgia recruit against one another, but yeah, you know, we actually beat them a few times when I was at South Carolina, and that was always a good win.
Speaker B:When you beat Georgia, you knew you'd played a very, very good game.
Speaker A:There are very few games that I don't root for South Carolina to win that.
Speaker A:Very rarely do they play Georgia Tech, right?
Speaker B:Very rarely.
Speaker B:Haven't Played them recently.
Speaker B:Played them a couple times when I was there and beat them once or twice.
Speaker B:And then they.
Speaker B:They beat us a couple times, too.
Speaker B:So I say.
Speaker A:You can say.
Speaker A:You can say Georgia Tech got beat a lot.
Speaker B:Well, you know, but I don't know.
Speaker A:Out of.
Speaker A:Out of all the schools, Georgia.
Speaker A:Georgia Tech, Florida, Georgia Tech still has the most national championships out of them.
Speaker A:And that's something.
Speaker B:I agree with you.
Speaker B:They do.
Speaker B:And some of them date back for a ways.
Speaker B:But, I mean, you can.
Speaker B:You can always say, look at the.
Speaker B:Look at the trophy.
Speaker A:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker A:It's the rings.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Rings.
Speaker B:You got.
Speaker A:One of the other things that we got to discuss last time was about the Southern 500 invitation.
Speaker A:And that is a yearly event, right?
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:That has not taken place this year yet, has it?
Speaker B:No, it's August 22nd through the 24th.
Speaker A:Okay, so tell me a little bit about how that came about.
Speaker A:What was.
Speaker A:I mean, I assume it was a little bit before your time they started doing it, but.
Speaker B:Yeah, this will be the 61st year for our tournament.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:I think it's one of.
Speaker B:The longest.
Speaker B:One of the longest running amateur golf tournaments in the state.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And, you know, obviously the name Southern 500 is tied in with the race that's happened so many years over at Darlington over Labor Day.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so our tournament was always.
Speaker B:Is always the week before that race.
Speaker B:And, you know, they say that back in the day that when the driver schedules were a lot different than they are now, that the drivers would actually come in and play in this tournament.
Speaker B:And they said it wasn't unusual for some of the drivers to, you know, come and participate.
Speaker B:Yeah, of course, their schedules are a lot different now.
Speaker A:40 races a year now.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And, you know, their time at the track is not what it used to be.
Speaker B:They usually come in the day before the race now and, you know, and that type of thing.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:But, you know, it's a tournament that has a lot of history.
Speaker B:Like I said, there's a lot of connection with the racetrack.
Speaker B:And, you know, I think it's a tournament that people want to come and play.
Speaker B:We get people from all over the state to come in and play, and a lot of them are some of the best golfers in the state.
Speaker B:And so, you know, we're excited once again to host it again here.
Speaker B:August 22nd, 23rd and 24th.
Speaker A:Going back to the centennial of the Country Club, what do you think has allowed the Country Club to really be a part of the Darlington community for so Long.
Speaker B: know, formed the club back in: Speaker B:And I'll be honest with you, there was a time when I first moved to Darlington about nine years ago that this club wasn't in very good shape.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, it was struggling.
Speaker A:There's a lot of those.
Speaker B:So it was, it was, you know, a tough time for this club.
Speaker B:And then when our current owners, Timmy and Nancy Huntley, took over the club a little over five years ago, close to six now, they really breathe new life into this country club.
Speaker B:And so people that have not been here before.
Speaker B:There was a gentleman that played in this hobos tournament that we had here today.
Speaker B:He said he had not played at this club in 40 years.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:40 years since he'd been to Darlington Country Club.
Speaker B:He said, unbelievable, the transformation.
Speaker B:He said the last time he played here was a nine hole course and one of the holes went across the road over here.
Speaker B:And so, you know, again, I just go back, I say, I think it's the people, I think it's the resolve to make sure that this club made it.
Speaker B:Because, you know, even in a small community like this, to have a club like this that offers, you know, the different forms of entertainment and, and social opportunities that it does, I think it's important.
Speaker B:And so I think those people that, you know, were, were, I think they were invested in the club and to make sure that it succeeded no matter what.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Cleaning, getting a golf course back up is, is not a, is not an easy thing to do.
Speaker B:No, it's not.
Speaker A:My.
Speaker A:So my godparents, my godmother now lives across the street from Eastlake Country Club in Decatur.
Speaker A:And when we grew up, when I, when I was a child, one of the things that my parents and then my godparents also did was that they, they were part of a revitalization of the Eastlake Country Club.
Speaker C:And now it hosts the championship, right?
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:TGA Tour Championship.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Excuse me.
Speaker B:At the end of the year.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's one of those things that it's not just about putting money into a place, but it's about really driving the community to invest themselves into it as well.
Speaker A:And this is an amazing course.
Speaker A:I mean, fortunately.
Speaker A:And thank you to broadstreet.net for setting this up for us.
Speaker B:No doubt.
Speaker A:But they provided me with drone footage that, that it's pretty good.
Speaker A:I, I put on a Loop for some of them.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And, and there's a, except for the ones where I can clearly see the guy operate.
Speaker A:I can, I can see him standing there.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I, I, I'm, we're gonna, and, and in the footage of this, you're probably seeing some of it on YouTube, but it is, it is really a substantially beautiful course.
Speaker B:It is the creek.
Speaker A:I, I like the footage of the creek.
Speaker A:It's, it's, it's, it's really, really pretty.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:And, and, you know, that adds so much to it.
Speaker B:And it's, and when Timmy took over the club, like I said, years ago, he did a lot of work out there, cleared a lot of trees out.
Speaker B:And as you can see, you can look through there and see 15, 16, and most of 17.
Speaker B:And, you know, beforehand, you couldn't.
Speaker B:All that was, was trees.
Speaker B:And so I think he really opened up the course, added a lot of character to the course.
Speaker B:And so it's, it's, it is, it's a very, very scenic golf course that, you know, if you've never been here before and you, and you, you know, you come and play, I think you'll be, you'll come away very, very happy.
Speaker A:There is, there's nothing about the distance to here or the drive that should prevent anyone from coming out and visiting.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker B:We had a gentleman here that was here last week, lived over in Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach.
Speaker B:He'd never been here before.
Speaker B:He joined with some of his friends that were from Florence, and he said, I am so glad I made the drive from Myrtle beach over here.
Speaker B:He said it wasn't that far.
Speaker B:He said, had a wonderful time.
Speaker B:And he said, I plan on coming back.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What's some of the feedback that you get from other members or just visitors?
Speaker B:Well, 99.9% of the time, it's positive that, you know, I really enjoy your course.
Speaker B:It gave me, you know, just enough challenge for what I needed.
Speaker B:You know, we have a good group of members that are faithful and play, as I say, some of them play eight days a week, you know, out here at the golf course.
Speaker B:And, and so they're the kind of the, the, the lifeblood of the club, I guess you would say.
Speaker B:Yeah, the men and women that come out here and play all the time.
Speaker B:And so, but it's, to me, it's, it's really rewarding when you get a group of people, whether they come in from West Virginia or Tennessee or Alabama, and if they're on a golf trip, they'll come in and Play and not really knowing a whole lot about the country club they play, and they, they come in the golf shop or in the restaurant or the bar afterwards and they go, man, I had no idea that this course was like this.
Speaker B:And so I think that that is, you know, makes you, makes you proud that people are enjoying what you have to offer.
Speaker B:And yet I also think that the best is yet to come.
Speaker B:I really, I really believe that, that, you know, we've kind of just scratched the surface.
Speaker B:And like I said, it's, and as you mentioned, Barrett, it's, it's, it's, it's a slow process to get a club turned around.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But I think this, this, this club is definitely heading in the right direction.
Speaker A:That.01 negative feedback.
Speaker A:How much fun do you have with the negative feedback?
Speaker B:Oh, I do.
Speaker B:You know, I always try to, to counter any type of negativity with humor.
Speaker B:Sometimes.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm the same.
Speaker B:You know, somebody might say, well, you know, my golf cart, you know, didn't go as fast as I wanted to.
Speaker B:I said, well, if you wanted to go fast, you gone down to the racetrack or something like.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You know, or something like that.
Speaker B:There's not a whole lot of times where they, where they aren't satisfied with something.
Speaker B:And, and even if there is that one little time, obviously, in my mind, they are always right.
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:The patron is always right.
Speaker B:And so you just try to make sure that whatever, maybe something that didn't go exactly how they wanted it to, you try to correct it and make sure that, that they feel good about it once they, they've brought that to your attention.
Speaker A:And I think that's winds up being the most important part, is taking that negative feedback and turning it into a potential that, that makes it another click.
Speaker A:That makes it the, the, the, the, the course better or the club better.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Obviously, you know, the feedback that you receive from members, the Facebook page is almost all gleaming.
Speaker A:So I, I assume that no one's ever gone in there and deleted comments.
Speaker B:No, I don't think so.
Speaker B:I, I, I think, you know, obviously we get, it's interesting, you know, the thing that in Broad street does such a great job.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Their staff is second to none.
Speaker B:But it's interesting to see the comments that we get on certain posts, particularly when it involves members or personalities at the club, whether it be a hole in one or someone, you know, having a special experience here or reuniting with someone or that type of thing.
Speaker B:It's very, very, you know, refreshing to know.
Speaker B:In fact, here recently we had a young, young boy about 3 years old.
Speaker B:His favorite NASCAR driver is Ross Chastain.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And when Ross Chastain wins a race, his family are watermelon farmers from Florida.
Speaker B:And so when he wins a race, he gets a watermelon and smashes the watermelon in victory lane.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker B:So he won the Coca Cola 600 here.
Speaker B:Recently we had a little boy named Daniel Hannaford, and his dad sent me a video the next day of his little three year old getting up on top of his little car and smashing a watermelon.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so I sent that to the folks at Broad street and we got a lot of great, a lot of great response off of that.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker B:You know, it's, it's, it's sometimes it's the human nature or human interest aspects that you get that people really like to, to engage with.
Speaker A:And the owners are obviously very accessible.
Speaker B:They are, they are very accessible.
Speaker B:They're born and raised in Darlington.
Speaker B:I mean, they absolutely love Darlington.
Speaker B:Both of them grew up in Darlington.
Speaker B:And, you know, this is very, very important place for them.
Speaker B:And so for them to, you know, take that leap of faith and, you know, take on this country club, I think, is a big commitment and, and something that, you know, they're very, very invested in.
Speaker A:Yeah, they're also.
Speaker A:I read a lot online about some of the community outreach that the club does.
Speaker A:I see that they're sponsors or they're involved in a lot of what goes on as far as, like, celebrations.
Speaker A:I assume that that's going to continue.
Speaker B:Absolutely, it's going to continue.
Speaker B:In fact, we are in the process currently of establishing a nonprofit entity for our Southern 500 Golf Invitational.
Speaker B:And our plan is to transition that to be Friends of the Southern 500 Junior Golf.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And so we want to, to be able to provide and give things back, give scholarships back to young people in this, in this community that can help further their golf careers.
Speaker B:And, you know, some people don't have the opportunity or the, or the wherewithal maybe to, to play golf.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, there's a cost involved when you play.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker B:You know, and so we want to be able to do that.
Speaker B:And our owner, Timmy, has already been doing that on his own over the last several years.
Speaker B:But we're going to make this Southern 500 a nonprofit, a 501C3, where people who contribute and sponsor, whether it be the Southern 500 Golf Invitational or other events that we have here, that, that will funnel into the Friends of the Southern 500 Junior Golf and will be, you know, tax exempt funds and.
Speaker B:And be able to go help build scholarships for.
Speaker B:For young people.
Speaker A:Greatest cost of golf for me was pride.
Speaker B:Yeah, I understand.
Speaker C:What.
Speaker A:Are there any specific celebrations that will be happening as far as the hundredth.
Speaker A:The centennial celebration?
Speaker A:I mean, do you have.
Speaker A:Do you have events planned around that?
Speaker B:We do.
Speaker B:We've already been having centennial planning committee meetings.
Speaker B:In fact, we have our next one next week.
Speaker B:But probably our biggest event that we have on the Horizon, Barrett, is December 31st of this year.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Is going to be our centennial gala ball here at the country club.
Speaker B:It will be a, you know, very formal event for our members.
Speaker A:Bow ties.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, bow ties, tuxes, you know, shorts.
Speaker B:Whatever you think.
Speaker B:But no, it'll be a very nice event that we'll have here at the club.
Speaker B:We have lined up the band, the Band of Oz, which is a very, very popular band here in the Carolinas.
Speaker B:They've been around many, many years, and they're going to come entertain us that night, and it's going to be a special evening that will, I think, you know, serve as kind of the kickoff for our centennial.
Speaker B: And then the entire: Speaker B:Of events and milestones that we'll celebrate for our centennial.
Speaker A:So as someone who led the Darlington Raceway and now you lead this club.
Speaker B:Well, I don't lead this club.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Let's say.
Speaker B:Let's say I'm an ambassador.
Speaker A:You're an ambassador for the club.
Speaker B:Yes, sir.
Speaker A:I want you to brag on yourself a little bit.
Speaker A:What do you feel you contribute to this club?
Speaker B:Well, I think, you know, from my standpoint, I've been blessed with the ability to communicate.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I've been blessed with the ability to build relationships.
Speaker B:And, you know, I think that's important to build relationships when you're.
Speaker B:When you're working with people, you know, I enjoy that.
Speaker B:Just like when I worked in sports and worked in nascar, people always said, man, you must really love cars.
Speaker B:I said, not really.
Speaker B:I just love being around people and, you know, and the relationships that I was able to develop in college sports and in NASCAR and now here at the country club, to me, that's my.
Speaker B:If I can.
Speaker B:If I can do one thing, and that is just cultivate relationships that help this club get bigger, better, and a better place for people to enjoy themselves.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:Obviously, this isn't just a retirement job, though.
Speaker A:I mean, it's.
Speaker A:But it's got to be one of the greatest retirement jobs.
Speaker B:Well, I tell you I don't really even feel like I've been retired.
Speaker B:There was about a month in there where, you know, I was at the house before I started working out here, maybe about six, six or seven weeks.
Speaker B:But, you know, I enjoy this.
Speaker B:Like I said, it's.
Speaker B:I'll be honest with you, Barrett.
Speaker B:I've never really had a job I didn't like.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:And this is obviously, you know, along those lines, this is.
Speaker B:This is a job that I enjoy, and, you know, I enjoy getting up in the morning and coming over here and being a part of the.
Speaker B:Of the.
Speaker B:Of the team and, you know, making sure that everyone is enjoying themselves.
Speaker B:And whether it be a tournament or just a night at the.
Speaker B:At the restaurant or any kind of the events that we're having, I like being a part of that.
Speaker B:And so, you know, when you.
Speaker B:When you're.
Speaker B:When you're able to do something like that, you feel blessed, and I certainly feel blessed.
Speaker A:What would you consider a bad day here at the club when it rains?
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker A:Just the rain?
Speaker B:Yeah, rains.
Speaker B:I mean, you know, obviously when it rains, you can't play golf, you can't swim, and you can't play tennis, and you can't play pickleball.
Speaker B:So, you know, we don't have a whole lot of rain here.
Speaker B:Now, some days we need rain for that golf course to grow and flourish, but really, that would be the only time I would say that.
Speaker B:And it's not a bad day.
Speaker B:It's just that, you know, it puts a little damper on it, but it.
Speaker A:Allows you to clean.
Speaker A:Do some office work.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Do some office work, you know, being there and, you know, do some things inside, etc.
Speaker B:But that would be the only time that I would say is, you know, maybe not someday you want to do cartwheels or something.
Speaker A:If.
Speaker A:If someone were looking for you and they couldn't find you here at the clubhouse or they couldn't find you in your office, where would they most likely find Or.
Speaker A:You don't have to tell us if you don't want to.
Speaker A:If you don't want them to find you.
Speaker A:But what's.
Speaker A:What's the most likely place here on the course they'd find you?
Speaker B:I just out here on the course on my golf cart.
Speaker B:So whether it be taking pictures, you know, our owner came.
Speaker B:Came to me back in April and said, you know, those Isaiahs down there around 10 and 11 are gorgeous.
Speaker B:And so they.
Speaker B:I mean, they really were.
Speaker B:This was the week of the Masters, okay.
Speaker B:And so I went down there and got some photos and sent them over to the good people at Broad street.
Speaker B:And, you know, something like, you know, hey, if you think you're Augusta, blink twice, but you're really at Darlington Country Club, you know, So I go out on the course a lot just to kind of see how things are going.
Speaker B:I like going out and.
Speaker B:And, you know, interacting with the members as they play.
Speaker B:Particularly like being out here on this putting green with a.
Speaker B:When a group comes in and, you know, I start giving them a hard time about, hey, I heard you lost 10 bucks last week and maybe, you know, you need to go take some more lessons or things like that.
Speaker B:But I just enjoy, you know, the putting green.
Speaker B:I'm out here a good bit, and sometimes in the afternoon when things a little slow, I might go hit a few balls or something, but.
Speaker B:Or even putt around here a little bit.
Speaker B:But I enjoy just kind of hanging out here in the putting green.
Speaker A:Any fishing to be done on the black?
Speaker B:There is some fishing to be done well there.
Speaker B:We've got a couple little small ponds out there.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And I'm not a big fisherman, but I have seen a lot of young people out there fish, and I've seen some fish caught out of there.
Speaker B:And, you know, I'm not sure about the Black Creek.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's fish in there too.
Speaker B:But we do have two or three ponds out here, I think, that have some fish in them.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's an amazing facility.
Speaker A:I absolutely look forward to at least doing two or three holes with you one day.
Speaker B:I'd love for you to come out and play and bring the group from Broad street and, you know, we'll have lunch and it would be.
Speaker B:It would be my pleasure for you all to do that.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:As far as.
Speaker A:As far as.
Speaker A:One of the things that everybody talks about with the masters is the fact that they have their.
Speaker A:Their pimento cheese sandwiches, their egg salad sandwiches.
Speaker A:Is there a signature dish that you can think of that.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That people ought to.
Speaker A:First thing they ought to order?
Speaker B:Well, I can tell you that off of our lunch menu, there's two or three really go to's.
Speaker B:We have a fantastic chicken quesadilla.
Speaker B:Like, as I mentioned earlier in our talk here, we have a Reuben sandwich.
Speaker B:It's best Reuben sandwich I've ever had.
Speaker B:Chicken salad is.
Speaker B:This is pretty spectacular.
Speaker B:And then we have something called a hole in one burger.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Which is really, really good too.
Speaker B:So, you know, if you come Sunday for our lunch buffet, you get some of the best fried chicken you'd ever had, too.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And I tell our guy back there, Big John, his nickname is Heavy.
Speaker B:I say, john, I said, listen, I said, that fried chicken that you make is right up there with my mom's.
Speaker B:And so anytime I think that I can tell one of our people in the kitchen that what they're cooking is as good as my mom's is the ultimate compliment.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:Well, very excited for the 100th anniversary centennial celebration.
Speaker A:I know December 31, the gala that's going to be members only, though, right?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:But a lot of celebration to come.
Speaker A:Southern 500 is coming up in August.
Speaker A:It's a week before the Darlington Feedback.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:August 22nd, 23rd, 24th.
Speaker B:And we're going to get on our website where you can enter, you know, sign up for it or even sign up for a sponsorship.
Speaker B:And so we'll have that up on our website here in the next couple of days.
Speaker B:But that's a, that's a fun tournament for people in this area to play in, and we look forward to that.
Speaker B:And we've got a couple other big tournaments coming up.
Speaker B:We've got a tournament June 30th here that is a Champions of Charity Golf tournament.
Speaker B:The Dexter Davis, who's former Clemson and NFL standout from Sumter, is kind of being a part of.
Speaker B:And so we expect around 18 or 20 former college and NFL greats to be here, and they're organizing teams to play with that group.
Speaker B:So that's on June 30th.
Speaker B:I think that'll be a lot of fun for people to come and hang out with some of those celebrities.
Speaker A:If there's one last closing thing that you could potentially say about the Darlington Country Club that maybe we haven't said yet.
Speaker A:What is, what is that?
Speaker A:What is that one thing that underlies just the club itself?
Speaker B:Well, I would tell people, if you haven't been here, come check us out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it's a, it's an opportunity to, you know, join a smaller community of folks from around this area.
Speaker B:It's a great place to come and socialize, fellowship and, and, you know, so many opportunities for you to come and do things that you might not have that opportunity.
Speaker B:So I would tell people that, you know, sometimes country clubs have a kind of a bad stigma, too.
Speaker B:You know, it's nothing but a bunch of stuffy people that, you know, that type of thing.
Speaker B:But this country club is, I think, full of good people that have great values and are family oriented.
Speaker B:So I would encourage people to come give us a look and, and we'd love to have you become part of our family.
Speaker A:Well, you had the hobos out here earlier, so, I mean, we did.
Speaker A:And I think I saw one of them on the golf cart coming through just a little while ago.
Speaker A:His, his gray was his beard or his beard was as gray as mine.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Last question I wanted to ask you about the, the course.
Speaker A:What is, what is some of the most.
Speaker A:I, I cannot imagine that this is easy to maintain.
Speaker A:You have to have a great staff.
Speaker B:We have a fantastic staff.
Speaker B:And you know, Jim Vernon is our general manager and director of golf and Jim has been in the business for well over three decades.
Speaker B:Does a fantastic job.
Speaker B:David Strickland is our course superintendent and I would tell you I think he's one of the best in the area.
Speaker B:Does a great job, has a great staff.
Speaker B:As I mentioned already, Charles Lyon is our executive chef and he has a good, good group of people with him in the kitchen.
Speaker B:And then Val Vance is our events coordinator and we hired her back in January and she's got great experience from the state of Florida and a lot of nonprofits.
Speaker B:And so, you know, and then we have a group of young people that work in the pro shop or, you know, work in the restaurant and that type of thing.
Speaker B:So it's a good group, a very hard working group, a very talented group and a group that, you know, our main goal is just to make this country club great.
Speaker B:But yeah, it's about a 365 day a year task to keep this place maintained.
Speaker B:And so when they like to say no rest for the weary.
Speaker A:When do the sprinklers turn on?
Speaker B:The sprinklers are turned on right after we're done with this podcast.
Speaker B:But actually our course superintendent, David can do, do everything from his phone.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so all I would have to do is call him right now and say, hey, I want to get Barrett and the folks from Broad street wet.
Speaker B:And probably within a matter of minutes we'd be drenched.
Speaker A:Oh, I imagine so.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's just the joke you hear about golf courses.
Speaker A:The ninth at nine or whatever.
Speaker A:So I wasn't sure if there was a schedule as to when you wanted.
Speaker B:To get the newbies.
Speaker B:He has it, but I don't think we're to going, going to get wet anytime soon.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:Well, Kerry, I want to thank you for having us out here.
Speaker B:Thank you for being here.
Speaker B:I appreciate the opportunity and appreciate all my friends from Broad street being here.
Speaker B:And you know, again, I'm Going to take this opportunity.
Speaker B:Give me 15 seconds.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, please do.
Speaker B:Just to comment on them and the great work that they do for us.
Speaker B:And, you know, when you.
Speaker B:When you.
Speaker B:When you work with people like them, you consider them family.
Speaker B:And I had the opportunity to go here a few weeks ago.
Speaker B:They opened up a new office there in Camden.
Speaker B:It's a wonderful office.
Speaker B:Tom and his team are just terrific.
Speaker B:They do such a good job for us, and, you know, we're blessed to have them.
Speaker B:But I appreciate you all coming out.
Speaker B:And, you know, I miss Zach.
Speaker B:Tell Zach he's probably on diaper duty or something today, right.
Speaker A:He celebrated a birthday on May 18, so if you want to, you could tell him a happy birthday.
Speaker A:It was recent.
Speaker B:Hey, zach.
Speaker B:Happy birthday.
Speaker B:May 18th.
Speaker B:You only beat me by five days.
Speaker B:Mine was on the 23rd.
Speaker B:Great people born in the month of May, but I imagine I'm a little older than you.
Speaker B:But I hope, Zach, you can come back next time.
Speaker B:And, you know, we'll.
Speaker B:We'll.
Speaker B:We'll take real good care of you.
Speaker A:Well, please thank the owners for us also.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Timmy and Nancy Huntley are great owners and they appreciate everything thing that you all do as well.
Speaker A:They were very friendly and of course, thanks to the broad street.net team, because if not for them, we wouldn't have had this opportunity.
Speaker A:And truly appreciate it.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Carrie, really great to see you, Barry.
Speaker A:It was very good to see you.
Speaker B:I want you to come back now.
Speaker B:I mean, I mean that now.
Speaker B:As I like to tell people, mi casa es su casa.
Speaker A:Well, this is a beautiful house.
Speaker B:That means my house is your house.
Speaker A:Yeah, this is a beautiful house, too.
Speaker A:So everybody please make sure to come out and visit Darlington Country Club.
Speaker A:You can check their website for hours, rates and things like that.
Speaker A:To become.
Speaker A:Be able to come out and play is do you have to bring your own golf court?
Speaker A:Cart?
Speaker B:Don't bring your own golf cart.
Speaker B:We've got 50 golf carts in there.
Speaker B:So I bring mine because it's convenient and, you know, I like riding around on it.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's lovely.
Speaker A:Well, absolutely, we will definitely come out.
Speaker A:I will bring the kids.
Speaker A:We'll do some pool time or something.
Speaker B:Love for you guys to come out.
Speaker B:Love for you guys to come out.
Speaker A:So thank you again for being on the show.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:We're going to turn it back over to the studio.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker C:Welcome back to the studio again.
Speaker C:Just a big thanks to Kerry Tharp and everybody at the Darlington Country Club.
Speaker C:The owners as well as the staff absolutely had a wonderful time there.
Speaker C:Thank you to broadstreet.net for the opportunity to go out and do this with them.
Speaker C:It's going to be a huge celebration.
Speaker C:I hope that everyone partakes in visiting the Darlington Country Club in Darlington, South Carolina.
Speaker C:While it's going on.
Speaker C:There are going to be plenty of tournaments.
Speaker C:Go ahead and follow on their Facebook as well as their social media of all sorts and their webpage.
Speaker C:So there will be links in the show notes.
Speaker C:You can go check those out.
Speaker C:Thank you again to the Darlington Country Club and Carrie Tharp had a absolutely fantastic time.
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