History of Columbia Country Club

Club History

Columbia Country Club traces its roots back to the 1890’s, when a group of troops from Rhode Island who were training for the Spanish American War wintered near Fort Fornance.  The troops fashioned a few makeshift golf holes near Monticello Road, in the Eau Claire area.  When the troops left, a riding club was formed to use that property.

E. W. Robinson and P. I. Wells of the Columbia Street Railway System bought the riding club as well as some adjoining land, and began construction of a nine-hole course, The Ridgewood Country Club.  They attracted 250 members, who each paid annual dues of $5.00.

In 1915, the clubhouse was destroyed by fire.  It was rebuilt using monies from a Member bond issue plus the proceeds from the insurance settlement.  Just before World War I, the course was expanded to 18 holes, and the new clubhouse was opened.

In 1919, the Club hired Charlie Reynolds as its first golf professional.  By then, there were 630 members contributing annual dues of $10.00.  In 1930, sand greens were replaced with grass, and the course maintenance mule was replaced with a truck.  The Great Depression forced several tough decisions, including additional debt, the termination of the golf pro, and a reduction in annual dues to $3.30.

As World War II ended, the Club began a recovery program.  A new pro was hired, a swimming pool was completed, and dues were increased.  The Club reorganized in September 1945 as the Columbia Country Club, with 99 stockholders and T. K. Knight as the first president.

In 1960, the old Ridgewood site was transferred to the State of South Carolina, in exchange for the current property of approximately 300 acres.  Ellis Maples, a protégé of the legendary course designer Donald Ross, was hired to design a 27-hole course for the rolling, wooded site.  The new course opened on December 16, 1962, with a new clubhouse and kitchen facility.

Over the past 40 years, a number of improvements have been made.  A new golf cart storage building was constructed after fire destroyed the original cart storage facility. Various changes and improvements have been made to the facilities, including upgraded locker rooms for men and women, a complete fitness facility, a fully stocked golf shop, and more.  In 2000, the Club began a complete rebuilding of the greens and bunkers on all 27 holes.  That project upgraded the course to one of the premiere venues in our state.  As a result of the multi-million dollar renovation, Columbia Country Club has maintained a ranking among the top 50 courses in South Carolina, a remarkable ranking considering the exceptional golf courses along the entire coast of the state from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head.  The Club was proud to host the 2004 South Carolina State Amateur tournament, where its reputation as a tough but fair course was reinforced as only one contestant was able to complete the tournament with a sub-par score.


Charlie Prentice, PGA Professional and CCC Legend

No history of Columbia Country Club would be complete without including the story of long time pro Charlie Prentice.  Prentice was the professional at Columbia Country Club for 32 years, from 1955 to 1987.  His remarkably long tenure was a tribute to his dedication to the game and the Club, and his abilities to teach the men, women and junior Members.

But Prentice did not restrict his golf activities to simply being a great club pro.  From 1955 through 1975, he also participated in the professional golf circuit at the national level.  Charlie qualified for and played in 5 United States Open Championships, including tournaments at San Francisco’s Olympic Club in 1955, the 1957 tourney at Toledo’s Inverness Club, Oakmont in 1962, the 1964 at Congressional, and the 1975 at Medinah.

Even with these stellar courses on his golf resume, perhaps his biggest golf accomplishment came at the 1956 United States PGA Tournament.  At that time the PGA was a match play event, with golfers flighted by national ranking.  The 1956 tourney favorite was Master’s champion Jackie Burke, followed by Sam Snead.  The third ranked favorite was Tommy Bolt.  But Charlie Prentice, the club pro from Columbia Country Club, defeated Bolt in what was described as a “thrilling” match, winning the final two holes to beat Terrible Tommy one-up.  Newspaper accounts of the match said that the rail-thin Prentice looked like “a human one-iron, with a hickory heart” as he battled back from a three-down deficit at the turn, and one-down after 16, to defeat the temperamental Bolt.  True to form, Bolt threw a tantrum after his defeat, blaming fans and the weather for his loss.  But golf fans of this area knew that the real reason was Charlie Prentice, and his skillful, competitive nature.

Prentice taught and influenced a generation of South Carolina golfers, including Columbia Country Club Member and SC State Amateur champ and SC Golf Hall of Fame member David DuPre.  Perhaps his best pupil was his sister, Jo Ann Prentice, who became a LGPA professional and won 6 times on the Ladies tour.

Charlie Prentice was elected to the SC Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.