// 2 min Read

Local Character: Chris Apple Director of Golf Club Operations

Written by Palmetto Bluff

Where are you from and how did you get here?
I saw the job posting through a golf recruiting service at 6am one morning. [laughs] I applied for it and here we are. My wife and I always said if we ever left Nashville, we’d move to the Lowcountry. We love living here. The scenery is amazing and seeing the water every day is pretty special.

Tell me about your first trip to Palmetto Bluff.
My wife and I came on a whim! It was New Year’s Day of 2021. We booked the night before. We showed up and fell in love—I just felt immediate stress relief. We didn’t want to leave! Then we came back that same year for our anniversary in November. It made us fall in love with the Lowcountry. Experiencing the community as a guest was extraordinary.

What goes through your mind as you drive into Palmetto Bluff?
Driving in is the best part. It allows me to relax, prepare for the day, and get my mind right. It’s a special drive. You don’t see a lot of homes, and the sun comes through the trees…it’s very peaceful. It’s a magical drive in. It takes you back in time.

What’s your most marked characteristic?
I’ve got a big personality, and I’m super extroverted. [laughs] I’ve never met a stranger and like to have fun, and that’s the club business! We want people to have fun. I want my team to have fun. I want our members and guests to have fun.

What is something that people don’t know about you?
I’m the life of the party at weddings—I never met a microphone I didn’t like. I don’t eat red meat. Also, before I wanted to be a golf pro, I wanted to be a news anchor. I was a radio DJ in a small town in eastern Kentucky. I joke that I was the number one live radio DJ in the market, but I was the only live radio DJ in the market!

What is your favorite spot at Palmetto Bluff?
Obviously, the May River Golf Course. But I’m still exploring the property! I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the sites of the future golf courses. I can’t wait to see those come to fruition.

What kind of changes do you hope to bring to the experience at the May River Golf Course?
We’re blessed with a great golf course. Of course we’re always looking at ways to improve the course, but the big thing we’re trying to do is create a great member and guest experience. We want this to be a high-touch environment, and we don’t want our staff members to be robots. It is so important to build relationships with the members, to know their families, so we really let our employee’s personalities shine. This should be an authentic experience. You can play a great golf course anywhere, but you can’t have a great experience anywhere.

 

Architecture & Design
Moreland Village: Laid Back Luxury

Palmetto Bluff’s Moreland Village feels a world away from the more traditional architecture of the iconi...

Jun 2025

Culture
2025 Inspiring the Arts Scholarship Recipients

We are thrilled to introduce the inaugural winners of the Inspiring the Arts Scholarship—three extraordinary young women pursuing their artistic dreams through higher education! Katherine Donahue has been named our first official scholarship recipient, wit...

Jun 2025

Culture
Summer Style in the Bluff: Discover What’s New in Retail

From handmade jewelry to performance wear, the latest arrivals at Palmetto Bluff’s retail spots capture the season in true Lowcountry style. This summer, the Bluff’s shops are full of fresh finds, carefully chosen by our trusted retailers—including FLOW Galler...

Jun 2025

Conservation
Citizen Science

Citizen Science is Thriving at Palmetto BluffDid you know that residents of Palmetto Bluff are playing a vital role in national and global conservation efforts—all from their backyard?Through the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy’s growing Citizen Science programs, c...

Jun 2025

Artist in Residence
Music Mosaic

In October 2024, Grammy Award-winning musician Clay Ross visited Palmetto Bluff as part of The Arts Initiative's Artist in Residence Program. Through storytelling and song, he explores identity, heritage, and the universal language of sound. By Barry Kaufman ...

Jun 2025

Food & Wine
Peach Perfect

Palmetto Bluff Club Executive Chef  Beth Cosgrove and Director of Culinary, Chef Rhy Waddington, Cook Up Four Peachy Recipes for a Summer in the South. Is there anything more iconic than a southern peach? A symbol of summer and Southern heritage, the peach car...

Jun 2025

Culture
Finding Fish

Following the tides and angling for redfish in Lowcountry creeks and estuaries with Captains Brian Vaughn and Will Stephens Story by Sandy Lang It is a sunny morning in October and the water is calm and glassy. The silence is punctuated by a gush of breath f...

Jun 2025
home upkeep checklist

Real Estate
Get Ahead of Spring Cleaning: How to Upkeep Your Luxury Lowcountry Home

7 Ways To Upkeep Your Palmetto Bluff Home As spring arrives in the Lowcountry, the change in season brings more than blooming marshlands and sun-drenched afternoons; it’s also a perfect time to refresh and care for your Palmetto Bluff home. Coastal living mea...

May 2025

Discover the Next Great Chapter in Golf Course Design, Only at Palmetto Bluff

When the land speaks, you listen. And at Palmetto Bluff, it spoke to two of golf’s most legendary course designers—Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. We invite you to watch our newest video, shot this past winter and featuring Bill and Ben, along with South Street P...

May 2025
home renovations 2025

Architecture & Design
Renovations That Will Increase Your Home’s Value in 2025

5 Renovations to Increase the Value of Your Lowcountry Home Whether Palmetto Bluff is your full-time residence or a cherished retreat, deciding to sell is never a quick or casual choice. However, when the time does come, you want your home to be as market-rea...

May 2025

CURIOUS ABOUT LIFE AT THE BLUFF?

Sign up for our newsletter

LIVE
Community Villages
Experience
Palmetto Bluff Club
On The Water
The Arts Initiative
Events
Conserve
About Us