Mr. Stan Smith

Hilton Head Island has always attracted its fair share of celebrities and professional athletes over the years with the likes of Michael Jordan, hockey star Mark Messier, Muhammed Ali and many more. Hilton Head has also bred some incredible athletes, baseball stars Dan Driessen and Gerald Perry, football standouts Wayne Simmons and Poona Ford and numerous other extraordinarily successful college athletes.

Some come for weekend jaunts, and some make the semi-tropical island their home. One man who has stood the test of time, and has called the Lowcountry his home for more than 50 years, is none other than tennis star, Mr. Stan Smith.

Some may know the name Stan Smith because of his highly iconic Adidas tennis shoes, while others know him as former #1 in the tennis world having won the US Open as well as the Wimbledon championships in ‘71-72. No matter how you know his household name, the Lowcountry is his home, and the saltwater air flows through his body.

Not too long ago I had a chance to speak with Mr. Stan over the phone, but I first met him nearly 20 years ago. I have spent my life in the tennis industry and worked for him at the Sea Pines Racket Club in 2006-08. Although it is not the easiest thing to track his cell phone number down, he was incredibly aggregable to answer some of my questions and talk through how he first got to Hilton Head Island.

When Charles Fraser had his dream to develop the Island’s south end, he knew that golf and tennis were on the up and up, and his Sea Pines Resort needed a “name” to go with the racket program. Stan Smith had just won the US Open and was ranked #1 in the world.

“In 1971 my agent at the time had been contacted by Charles Fraser and let me know that they were looking for a big name to be the face of Sea Pines tennis as the “touring pro,” said Smith, “I had been to the island for a few tournaments, and I knew it would be a fantastic location to use as my home base when I was not traveling. Charles let me stay in one of the condominiums near Harbor Town and I really have been here ever since. There were eight courts when I arrived, and Charles knew that expansion was going to come quickly.”

I did not want to make this talk with Mr. Stan about tennis or his shoes, as he has done tens of thousands of interviews like that. I wanted to ask him a few questions about what the island was like when he arrived and what drew him to this area.

“I was traveling a lot. I was in and out of England and Europe quite frequently and I was also up and down the east coast, especially New York. Savannah was such a quick drive for me and was a prime location to fly out of.” he shared.

“The island at that time was incredibly quiet, and there was not a whole lot here. The Quarter Deck was being built and when we went out to eat, there was not a whole lot to choose from. I remember that we would go down to a place called the Captains Table some nights. Other nights we would just sit on the porch listening to Greg Russell, memorizing his complete set list from night to night, week to week. 278 was just a two-lane road and the former draw bridge was still being used to get from the mainland to the Island.”

“Charles Fraser was my friend, and he would stop by my condominium at times in the evenings to run his latest ideas by me. He was a dreamer and always had his hand in something and his vision at work. He was good at selling dreams. When he began selling lots, the going rate was around $5,000 an acre. He had a lot of land he needed to unload.”

I asked Stan about any memories that he remembered in his early days on the island, and one came right to his mind.

“I had a buddy of mine that I played junior tennis with growing up named Johnny Miller. He was a very highly ranked junior player but ended up completely changing careers and went pro in golf instead of tennis.”
Smith continues “One year at the Heritage tournament, Johnny was playing, and I decided to follow him for support. He was tied for the lead with Tom Watson going into the final holes to win the tournament. Unfortunately, Watson pulled away on the last hole, but it was still so fun to see someone so talented that I grew up playing tennis with, come so close to winning a professional golf event!”

I did not want to keep Stan on the phone long, as I knew that he would be leaving for the Australian Open soon on his yearly visit down under. I asked him one final question and got an answer remarkably similar to what most of us would say.

“You could live anywhere in this world, you have made a fabulous life for your family, why do you continue to live in the same house you have lived in for nearly 40 years on Hilton Head?

“Paul, there is something special that I feel when I first cross that bridge. The smell in the air, the beauty of the surroundings. I can’t truly put it into words, but I love it here, and it’s a place that I feel completely comfortable and at ease. I love the diversity of the Island, its home for me. “

Well said, Mr. Stan, well said.

Paul Tollefson is the Director of Tennis at the Hampton Hall Club in Bluffton. He found his love for the Lowcountry in early 2002 after graduating high school and unsure of what career path he was destined towards. After moving from Hilton Head to Bluffton he became enthralled with the history of the town and the people and cultures that called it home for many generations. He has found a passion in writing and enjoys being able to share the stories and pictures of long-time locals. He is the co-creator of the Facebook page “Bluffton Then and Now.”