Stephen Behr, Sr. to be Inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame
Columbia, S.C. (August 28, 2026) – President of the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame, Frank Ford III, is honored to announce the induction of Stephen Craig Behr, Sr., one of South Carolina’s most respected golf professionals, players, instructors and mentors, into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame.
With more than 45 years of service to the game in South Carolina, Behr has made a lasting impact on golf through his accomplishments as a competitor and club professional, as well as through his dedication to developing golfers and fellow golf industry professionals throughout the state.
Born and raised in Holly Hill, South Carolina, Behr established himself as one of the state’s top junior golfers. He was a two-time South Carolina Junior PGA Champion in 1975 and 1977 and a two-time South Carolina High School Individual Champion in 1975 and 1978. In 1978, he was named a First-Team High School All-American and represented South Carolina in the SC vs. GA Junior Matches.
Behr continued his playing career at the College of Charleston, where he was a four-time MVP of the men’s golf team from 1978-1981 and earned NAIA District 6 All-Conference honors all four years. He also won the Chick Miler Invitational in 1977.
Following college, Behr began a professional career that would span more than four decades. He started at Kiawah Island Golf Resort from 1980-1982, first as a bag room attendant before becoming an assistant golf professional. During his time at Kiawah Island, he worked under South Carolina golf legend and Hall of Famer Tommy Cuthbert and was responsible for teaching clinics at the resort.
Behr then spent 14 years at Wild Dunes Golf Resort, where he served as an assistant golf professional before becoming head golf professional of the Links Course in 1987. He later served as head golf professional of the Harbor Course from 1994-1996.
In 1996, Behr began his nearly three-decade tenure as head golf professional at Florence Country Club, a position he held through 2025. Under his leadership, Florence Country Club was named South Carolina Golf Club of the Year by the South Carolina Golf Association on two occasions. The club also became a hub for competitive golf, hosting numerous SCGA and SCJGA events, including the Grant Bennett Junior Invitational, the South Carolina Amateur Championship, the South Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship and multiple USGA qualifiers. Behr also helped host PGA Tour Qualifying School events for more than a decade.
Throughout his career, Behr continued to excel competitively. He was a 16-time SCPGA Palmetto Cup Team member, a four-time SCPGA Pro-Pro Champion and a two-time Carolinas PGA Pro-Pro Champion. In 2006, he qualified for the Verizon Heritage PGA Tour event at Harbour Town Golf Links. He also qualified twice for PGA Tour Korn Ferry Tour events and twice for the National Club Professional Championship.
While his playing accomplishments are extensive, Behr's influence on South Carolina golf extends well beyond his own competitive career. Throughout his 45-plus years as a golf professional, he has devoted significant time to teaching, mentoring and developing others within the game.
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At Florence Country Club, Behr played an important role in developing numerous young golfers and golf professionals. His students and mentees include Baker Elmore, who went on to play golf at the University of South Carolina; McCuen Elmore, the 2006 SC Jay Haas Player of the Year and a Clemson University golfer; and Paul Woodbury, who went on to become one of the state's most respected golf instructors. Behr also mentored Keith Wood, who later became the head golf course superintendent at Quail Hollow Club.
Those who have known Behr throughout his career say his greatest impact may be measured not by the trophies he won, but by the people he helped along the way.
In his letter nominating his father for the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame, Stephen Behr Jr. described him in one word: “selfless.” He wrote that his father’s impact on the game has come through helping others improve as golfers, enjoy the game and develop their own careers in the golf industry.
“Whether it has been helping others get better at the game by being their golf instructor, helping others enjoy the game more by conducting excellent golf tournaments, or helping others in their golf professional careers by teaching them the wisdom he's gained on how to best serve a club, board or members, my dad's impact in the game of golf spans across the board,” Behr Jr. wrote.
Behr's influence has also extended to the professional side of the golf industry. He served as a former vice president of the South Carolina PGA and on the Tournament Committee and Oral Interview Committee of the Carolinas PGA. He taught more than a dozen PGA workshops on calligraphy and scoreboards and worked on the calligraphy scoreboard for more than 10 PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events, including two Tour Championships. He also wrote more than 25 golf instruction articles for the Florence Morning News.
That commitment to mentorship is reflected in the careers of many who worked alongside him. Keith Wood, who worked with Behr at Florence Country Club before becoming the head golf course superintendent at Quail Hollow Club, recalled the impact Behr had early in his career.
“Steve really took me under his wing and taught me how to work with the membership, how to work with the committee, how to talk to people, how to get in front of a group and speak to the membership at annual meetings, and he just helped guide me along the way,” Wood said.
Behr's mentorship has perhaps been most visible through his son, Stephen Behr Jr., who became a South Carolina Junior Champion, an All-American at Clemson University, winner of the Byron Nelson Award and one of the world's top-ranked mid-amateur golfers. Behr has served as his son's golf instructor throughout his career and has caddied for him in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, including during his run to the semifinals in 2024.
Behr's impact on the game has also been recognized by those who have watched his career from outside the golf course. Bob Gillespie, former senior writer and columnist for The State, wrote in support of Behr's nomination that he had watched Behr grow into “one of the finest club professionals” he had encountered. Gillespie also reflected on Behr's influence at Florence Country Club, particularly his ability to continue the club's tradition of developing young golfers.
“Florence CC is the home of another Hall of Famer, Grant Bennett, whose career was dedicated to developing young golf talent at the high school and junior level. There could not have been a more fitting successor to Grant than Steve Behr,” Gillespie wrote.
Behr's career represents the breadth of what it means to serve the game of golf. From his success as a junior, collegiate and professional player to his decades as a club professional, instructor and mentor, he has helped shape generations of golfers and golf professionals throughout South Carolina.
Stephen Craig Behr, Sr. will be officially inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame on January 16, 2027 at Forest Lake Club. At the ceremony, he will be presented with the traditional white Hall of Fame coat, gifted by BP Skinners Clothiers.
The South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame proudly honors Stephen Behr, Sr. for his more than four decades of service and dedication to golf in South Carolina. His accomplishments as a player, professional, instructor and mentor have left an enduring mark on the game, and his influence will continue through the many golfers and professionals he has helped develop throughout his career.
With more than 45 years of service to the game in South Carolina, Behr has made a lasting impact on golf through his accomplishments as a competitor and club professional, as well as through his dedication to developing golfers and fellow golf industry professionals throughout the state.
Born and raised in Holly Hill, South Carolina, Behr established himself as one of the state’s top junior golfers. He was a two-time South Carolina Junior PGA Champion in 1975 and 1977 and a two-time South Carolina High School Individual Champion in 1975 and 1978. In 1978, he was named a First-Team High School All-American and represented South Carolina in the SC vs. GA Junior Matches.
Behr continued his playing career at the College of Charleston, where he was a four-time MVP of the men’s golf team from 1978-1981 and earned NAIA District 6 All-Conference honors all four years. He also won the Chick Miler Invitational in 1977.
Following college, Behr began a professional career that would span more than four decades. He started at Kiawah Island Golf Resort from 1980-1982, first as a bag room attendant before becoming an assistant golf professional. During his time at Kiawah Island, he worked under South Carolina golf legend and Hall of Famer Tommy Cuthbert and was responsible for teaching clinics at the resort.
Behr then spent 14 years at Wild Dunes Golf Resort, where he served as an assistant golf professional before becoming head golf professional of the Links Course in 1987. He later served as head golf professional of the Harbor Course from 1994-1996.
In 1996, Behr began his nearly three-decade tenure as head golf professional at Florence Country Club, a position he held through 2025. Under his leadership, Florence Country Club was named South Carolina Golf Club of the Year by the South Carolina Golf Association on two occasions. The club also became a hub for competitive golf, hosting numerous SCGA and SCJGA events, including the Grant Bennett Junior Invitational, the South Carolina Amateur Championship, the South Carolina Mid-Amateur Championship and multiple USGA qualifiers. Behr also helped host PGA Tour Qualifying School events for more than a decade.
Throughout his career, Behr continued to excel competitively. He was a 16-time SCPGA Palmetto Cup Team member, a four-time SCPGA Pro-Pro Champion and a two-time Carolinas PGA Pro-Pro Champion. In 2006, he qualified for the Verizon Heritage PGA Tour event at Harbour Town Golf Links. He also qualified twice for PGA Tour Korn Ferry Tour events and twice for the National Club Professional Championship.
While his playing accomplishments are extensive, Behr's influence on South Carolina golf extends well beyond his own competitive career. Throughout his 45-plus years as a golf professional, he has devoted significant time to teaching, mentoring and developing others within the game.
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At Florence Country Club, Behr played an important role in developing numerous young golfers and golf professionals. His students and mentees include Baker Elmore, who went on to play golf at the University of South Carolina; McCuen Elmore, the 2006 SC Jay Haas Player of the Year and a Clemson University golfer; and Paul Woodbury, who went on to become one of the state's most respected golf instructors. Behr also mentored Keith Wood, who later became the head golf course superintendent at Quail Hollow Club.
Those who have known Behr throughout his career say his greatest impact may be measured not by the trophies he won, but by the people he helped along the way.
In his letter nominating his father for the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame, Stephen Behr Jr. described him in one word: “selfless.” He wrote that his father’s impact on the game has come through helping others improve as golfers, enjoy the game and develop their own careers in the golf industry.
“Whether it has been helping others get better at the game by being their golf instructor, helping others enjoy the game more by conducting excellent golf tournaments, or helping others in their golf professional careers by teaching them the wisdom he's gained on how to best serve a club, board or members, my dad's impact in the game of golf spans across the board,” Behr Jr. wrote.
Behr's influence has also extended to the professional side of the golf industry. He served as a former vice president of the South Carolina PGA and on the Tournament Committee and Oral Interview Committee of the Carolinas PGA. He taught more than a dozen PGA workshops on calligraphy and scoreboards and worked on the calligraphy scoreboard for more than 10 PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events, including two Tour Championships. He also wrote more than 25 golf instruction articles for the Florence Morning News.
That commitment to mentorship is reflected in the careers of many who worked alongside him. Keith Wood, who worked with Behr at Florence Country Club before becoming the head golf course superintendent at Quail Hollow Club, recalled the impact Behr had early in his career.
“Steve really took me under his wing and taught me how to work with the membership, how to work with the committee, how to talk to people, how to get in front of a group and speak to the membership at annual meetings, and he just helped guide me along the way,” Wood said.
Behr's mentorship has perhaps been most visible through his son, Stephen Behr Jr., who became a South Carolina Junior Champion, an All-American at Clemson University, winner of the Byron Nelson Award and one of the world's top-ranked mid-amateur golfers. Behr has served as his son's golf instructor throughout his career and has caddied for him in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, including during his run to the semifinals in 2024.
Behr's impact on the game has also been recognized by those who have watched his career from outside the golf course. Bob Gillespie, former senior writer and columnist for The State, wrote in support of Behr's nomination that he had watched Behr grow into “one of the finest club professionals” he had encountered. Gillespie also reflected on Behr's influence at Florence Country Club, particularly his ability to continue the club's tradition of developing young golfers.
“Florence CC is the home of another Hall of Famer, Grant Bennett, whose career was dedicated to developing young golf talent at the high school and junior level. There could not have been a more fitting successor to Grant than Steve Behr,” Gillespie wrote.
Behr's career represents the breadth of what it means to serve the game of golf. From his success as a junior, collegiate and professional player to his decades as a club professional, instructor and mentor, he has helped shape generations of golfers and golf professionals throughout South Carolina.
Stephen Craig Behr, Sr. will be officially inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame on January 16, 2027 at Forest Lake Club. At the ceremony, he will be presented with the traditional white Hall of Fame coat, gifted by BP Skinners Clothiers.
The South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame proudly honors Stephen Behr, Sr. for his more than four decades of service and dedication to golf in South Carolina. His accomplishments as a player, professional, instructor and mentor have left an enduring mark on the game, and his influence will continue through the many golfers and professionals he has helped develop throughout his career.
