Member Profile: Jose Alvarez

They say you need to play a golf course a few times to really get to know it. Well, Jose Alvarez did just that, and then some, a few years ago at Cherokee Valley. The former Atlanta Braves pitcher logged 153 holes in one day while raising money for the Piedmont Women’s Center.

“We teed off at sunrise and the last putt dropped in the dark,” says Alvarez, he and his wife Michelle both longtime Greenville residents. “I might hold the unofficial record for the most holes played in one day at Cherokee Valley.”

For Braves fans and Cherokee Valley members, Alvarez is a familiar, smiling face. In addition to serving as FCA Golf’s TourLife Leader for the PGA Tour’s developmental Korn Ferry Tour, he also hosts a series of junior camps around the country. Cherokee Valley has been the proud host of its own FCA Golf Day Camp since 2019.

“After last year’s camp, Matt asked me about joining the club and it was a no-brainer,” says Alvarez. “The golf course is solid, and the practice facility is excellent, but for me it’s really more about the people. Matt, Lauren and the team genuinely care about people and give back to the community through the First Tee, FCA and so many other ways.”

Alvarez was introduced to the game by his uncle while growing up in Tampa, Fla. An avid golfer, his uncle would hit golf balls at Alvarez, who would field them with his glove and throw them back. He started playing regularly in 1978 after he was drafted by the Braves and had a “lot of time off” (as he says) as a pitcher.

These days, he plays as often as he can (oftentimes with Hall of Fame pitcher and former teammate John Smoltz) and currently holds a 1.4 handicap index. He and Michelle live near Mauldin, but with their three kids having left the fold, they’re looking to downsize and are actively exploring their next move.

“It’s so beautiful up near Cherokee Valley and with Greenville growing the way it is, we’re definitely thinking about moving closer to the club,” he says. “If you think about what you get for your money with a membership at Cherokee Valley, the value is incredible. It’s third of what you’d pay at private clubs in Greenville.”

Alvarez also has another close tie to Cherokee Valley – golf course architect P.B. Dye, who designed the layout in the early 90s. He and Dye met on a flight to the Dominican Republic, where Alvarez was attending a Korn Ferry Tour event. They hit it off, and the next thing Alvarez knew he was playing golf with P.B. at nearby Casa de Campo, home of Pete Dye’s famous Teeth of the Dog.

“P.B. told me a lot about his approach to golf course design and all the courses he worked on with his father,” says Alvarez. “He even worked on the famous TPC at Sawgrass [Stadium Course]. It made me really appreciate his work at Cherokee Valley.”

Asked about his favorite hole, Alvarez says it’s hard not to go with No. 8, with its stunning views of Glassy Mountain and 70-foot drop from tee to green. He loves the way No. 12 sets up for his game, with a right to left dogleg, and says No. 18 might have the biggest “cool” factor with its dramatic tumble downhill toward the lake.

“From a risk-reward standpoint, I love the waterfall hole, No. 16,” he says. “If I’m playing against a couple guys and I have a three shot lead I’ll try to drive the green to finish them off.”

Alvarez is looking forward to another fun and rewarding edition of the FCA Golf Day Camp at Cherokee Valley this summer, and also plans on starting a bible study for members, as well as program he calls “Changing the Conversation” in which playing partners get to know each other beyond superficial exchanges.

“I love the game and I enjoy the competition, but golf is really about getting outside and getting to know other people,” he says.

We all look forward to seeing more of Alvarez around Cherokee Valley this year.