NEWS

Founded in 1882, Aiken Polo Club (APC) is one of the oldest and most historic clubs in the United States. Situated in the charming southern town and equestrian oasis of Aiken, South Carolina, this celebrated club has fielded quality polo for over a century. Magnificent live oak framed streets and horse-friendly orange clay roads provide a truly idyllic backdrop to their four polo fields, located in the heart of downtown.

Polo in Aiken was established by the “winter colony,” a group of prominent and wealthy northeastern families who migrated south every year from November to April, in search of a warmer climate to pursue equestrian sports. According to the Aiken Polo Club website, “Captain Clarence Southerland Wallace, a New Yorker and executive of the Havemeyer Sugar Co., organized Aiken’s first game on Whitney Field. The Charleston News and Courier described the game as a gala affair attended by about 10,000 people.” Today, the featured 3pm Sunday match attracts up to 1,500 spectators to the historic Whitney Field, one of the oldest fields in the country, which boasts 134 years of consecutive play.

In 1899, Aiken Polo Club officially joined the USPA, and in the early 1900s polo in Aiken prospered, due in large part to the influence of the Hitchcock family. During this time, Aiken became the winter home to numerous polo legends, including 10-goalers Tommy Hitchcock, Harry Payne Whitney and Devereux Milburn. After World War II, however, polo suffered in the area, as it did in the entire country, and polo took a backseat until its resurgence in the 1970s. As the club reached its centennial celebration in 1982, it was undergoing a renaissance, backed by former USPA Chairman Tom Biddle, along with David Widener and Gene Kneece. Aiken took center stage in the 1990s when Owen Rinehart and Adam Snow, two Americans who achieved a 10-goal handicap, settled and bought property outside of the town. This investment in the region by prominent players increased the level of play in the area, while sparking national interest.

Aiken Polo Club has since become one of the best venues for quality polo in the spring and fall, with a calendar that caters to all levels ranging from 4- to12-goal tournaments. Well located, it is a convenient middle point for players and teams traveling to Florida for the winter and summer clubs in the Northeast, West and Midwest. “People who haven’t been here before, I think they are always surprised to see how cool downtown is and how the whole community is based around the horses and equestrian events—down to the unpaved roads, the horse park right across from the polo field in town, and of course Whitney field,” said club manager Kristen Galvan. Not just for the polo minded visitor, Aiken offers a very special horse community with an infrastructure that serves all equestrian disciplines. With more and more families buying property and settling in the area, Aiken is truly a family-oriented horse community.

Exemplifying these family values is former 7-goaler and Aiken native Tiger Kneece, who has started a youth polo program at APC in the spring and fall. He was inspired by his own experiences in youth polo. “I started playing at Aiken Polo Club with three or four other kids. The parents got us out there, and some of the guys went on to play polo. Just out of that program, Tommy Biddle materialized and myself,” said Kneece. When asked about the youth program he began, “We showed up on the very first Tuesday afternoon with only two kids…and one of them was my daughter, and then a friend of hers. But I said, you know what, I’m going to start it. You can’t wait until you have eight or ten kids, you just have to start it and then you will gain momentum and it will grow.” Two years later, the program offers polo to about 20 kids ages 8-13. One hundred percent volunteer, there is no charge to participate. “What’s really cool is that I have gotten some of the older kids involved, somebody gave them that opportunity and they are coming back out and helping,” expressed Kneece.

This program is making huge steps for the upcoming generation of young players. Thirteen-year-old Anna Hale, one of Kneece’s oldest students, began in the program and continues to play in it. Last fall, she had her first opportunity to play in a 4-goal tournament. “For me, that was off the charts, to be able to go watch a student go and play, as they progress and get better,” recounted Kneece. The program began in a coaching league style with a parent or experienced player on each team during practices. However, the group has progressed, and this past spring they invited a youth program from Raleigh, North Carolina for a game—and they won! “On Sundays, when we have the opportunity, we put a couple kids chukkers out there, just so they can experience a real game atmosphere and having people watch them. And people love it, it’s exciting to watch these kids grow and improve,” said Galvan. Admirably, Kneece is “recreating what someone provided to me, at the exact same age that I was, at the exact same club.”

The featured 3pm Sunday polo match at Aiken Polo Club is a tradition. The historic field is packed around the perimeter with cars and tailgating spectators, and their new pavilion offers a weekly featured restaurant with bar. The club just finished up their spring season last weekend with the Dogwood Cup 6-Goal and USPA Congressional Cup 8-Goal finals. In the fall, they will offer four USPA tournaments: the Governor’s Cup 6-Goal, Officers Cup 8-Goal, and Copper Cup 12-Goal, which was played in memory of Will Tankard last year. They also just added a USPA Women’s Challenge to the schedule October 12–16, which will offer two flights. An exciting addition, as Aiken has not had a women’s polo tournament in a few years.

The town of Aiken offers a quaint yet cosmopolitan atmosphere, and with about 40 fields in Aiken County alone, Aiken is the center of polo in the state of South Carolina. Building off their glamourous past, Aiken Polo Club has showcased talent and tradition for more than a century. For more information visit their website, follow them on Instagram andTwitter and “Like” them on Facebook for up-to-date schedules of tournaments and events.

Photos courtesy of: Polo Museum and Hall of Fame, Pam Gleason, Lawrence Johnson and Katherine Thomas.