Karen Ferree, Cary Corbitt set to formally join Lowcountry Golf Hall of Fame

Though Karen Ferree and Cary Corbitt can’t exactly be considered part of the first wave that established golf on Hilton Head Island, more than three decades of service certainly has woven them into the fabric of the community.

On Saturday night, they’ll combine to make up a pretty select second wave — formally taking their place in the Lowcountry Golf Hall of Fame alongside last year’s inaugural class.

“It is significant to think (it came) in the second round,” Ferree said shortly after being notified of her election in January. “That means you’ve done something significant to bring attention to Hilton Head. It’s just amazing how it’s grown.”

Ferree, who has left an impact as player, club professional and ambassador, and longtime Sea Pines executive Corbitt officially step into the Lowcountry Hall as part of evening ceremonies at Hampton Hall. They become the eighth and ninth members of the fledgling shrine.

Last year’s inaugural class featured Sea Pines founders Charles Fraser and Joseph Fraser Jr., golf writer Charles Price, decorated amateur Kevin King and three Lowcountry professionals — Mike Harmon, Tim Moss and Ferree’s husband, Jim.

“We’ve been involved in this community for many, many years,” Corbitt said. “I was fortunate to become part of the community as we were organizing ourselves in the very early days.”

Corbitt and Karen Ferree go back to the very early 1980s, when Ferree became the head professional at newly opened Long Cove Club and Corbitt was working his way up the Sea Pines hierarchy.

Along with Moss and others, they helped found the Hilton Head Junior Golf Association and the Lowcountry’s own chapter of the Carolinas PGA.

“It was just golf professionals trying to give back to the community,” Ferree recalled. “We started a real good program. We had tournaments, put on clinics. We’re real proud of that.”

Ferree, 65, has compiled a wide-ranging portfolio that includes her competitive record, her work as a PGA of America professional and dedication to junior golf and similar efforts.

Her tenure at Long Cove made her one of the few female head professionals at a major club. She stepped down after marrying Jim in 1987, regained amateur status six years later and picked up most of her hardware after that.

Ferree is a five-time Women’s South Carolina Golf Association senior champion, captured the Carolinas senior championship in 2003 and twice won the prestigious Ione D. Jones/Doherty Senior Amateur in Florida.

Corbitt began his Sea Pines career in 1977 as a staff professional, rising to become head professional at Sea Pines Plantation GC and later director of golf for the resort’s three courses. For the past 25 years, he has overseen Sea Pines’ sports and operations.

“I came here to get into the golf business,” Corbitt said. “It’s what I wanted to do all my life and I was fortunate to be given the opportunity with Sea Pines. It’s been a pretty awesome career.”

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 9:34 PM with the headline "Karen Ferree, Cary Corbitt set to formally join Lowcountry Golf Hall of Fame."