Polo in Aiken

Front: Polo was first played in the U.S. in 1876. In 1882, the first polo match in S.C. took place in Aiken. The sport’s introduction here was credited to Clarence S. Wallace of N.Y. He and other “Winter Colonists” soon after established Aiken as a national polo destination. Among those who lived and trained here was Tommy Hitchcock Jr. (1900-1944), considered one of the best American players ever. Aiken had at least fourteen polo fields by 1930, most located south and east of downtown. Reverse: Whitney Field is the oldest polo field in Aiken still in regular use. Play here began by the 1890s when the race track and field were laid out by Thomas Hitchcock Sr. In 1899, he conveyed the surrounding 32-ac. tract to William C. Whitney who in 1901 deeded the property to the Whitney Trust, formed to promote “sports and pastime” in Aiken. The field is still used by the Aiken Polo Club, which joined the U.S. Polo Association in 1899 and was officially chartered in 1919.