Triple Tree Aerodrome, the Seven-Thousand-Foot Grass Runway in Woodruff, South Carolina, Manicured Like a Golf Green, Where the Whole World Comes to Land on the Prettiest Turf in Aviation

Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina is a 7,000-foot-long, 100-foot-wide grass runway maintained to putting-green standards on 400 acres of upstate countryside southeast of Greenville. Built by aviator and businessman Pat Hartness beginning in the 1990s, it was conceived not as the biggest or busiest airfield, but as the finest and most beautiful grass strip in the world. It remains a private field, open primarily through its events, membership, and invitations.

What Makes Triple Tree’s Runway So Special

The runway is Bermuda grass, cut like a golf green and mowed in diagonal stripes. Across its full 7,000 feet, there are no divots, no bald spots, and no weeds. It is graded dead level and rolled flat.

That length is notable on its own: at 7,000 feet, this turf strip is longer than the paved runways at many regional airports. You can land almost anything here, and pilots have - from large radial warbirds to formation arrivals and full squadrons of antique aircraft dropping in one after another.

Landing on grass this good feels remarkably soft. The surface is forgiving of both wheel landings and three-pointers, but it demands respect. It is a living, carefully tended surface, and pilots are expected to protect it.

Who Was Pat Hartness?

Pat Hartness was a businessman who ran his family’s machine tool company, but his passion was aviation - and radio-controlled model aircraft in particular, which he flew at the highest levels. His dream was to build the finest grass airfield in the world.

Starting in the 1990s, Hartness shaped the land himself: moving earth, grading it level, and nurturing the Bermuda grass season after season until it came in thick and perfect. He built ponds, lined the property with trees, and opened the gates to fellow aviators.

Pat Hartness has since passed away, but the field stands as his legacy. He believed that if you build something beautiful and share it generously, people will rise to meet it, care for it, and pass it on.

What’s on the Property Besides the Runway

Triple Tree is more than a single strip. The property includes:

A clubhouse styled like a Southern lodge, with wide porches and rocking chairs
A lake
Grass taxiways that wind through the trees
A dedicated model airplane flying site with its own strip - a nod to Hartness’s roots in radio-controlled aviation

Taxi off the main runway, shut down the engine, and the quiet takes over: birds, wind in the pines, and the occasional distant burble of a radial engine on the pattern.

The Triple Tree Fly-In

Every fall - usually in September - Triple Tree hosts its signature Fly-In, drawing pilots from across the country to camp directly on the field. The event is famous for its individually mowed campsites laid out along the runway, so pilots can park an airplane, pitch a tent beside it, and sleep under the wing beneath a sky full of stars.

At its peak, hundreds of aircraft line the grass: Cubs, Champs, Bonanzas, Wacos, warbirds, homebuilts, and antiques. Mornings bring dew-soaked grass, mist over the lake, and engines coughing to life one by one.

You don’t have to fly in to attend. People also drive in to camp, walk the flightline, and watch the arrivals from the clubhouse porch.

Who Keeps Triple Tree Running

Triple Tree operates almost entirely on volunteers - an army of them. They take vacation days to mow, marshal aircraft, cook, park cars, and staff the tower to keep everyone safe on the turf. They do it out of love for what Hartness built and a sense of duty to protect it.

It is also a genuinely family-friendly place. Kids can walk right up to a Stearman and ask the pilot how it flies - the kind of open, hands-on access that helps grow the next generation of aviators.

How to Visit Triple Tree Aerodrome

Triple Tree is a private field, not a casual fly-in destination for a random weekday lunch. Access is tied to its events, membership, and invitations.

The recommended approach is to watch for the annual Fly-In and other scheduled gatherings, sign up in advance, and plan your trip. Do your homework on their requirements before pointing the nose toward Woodruff.

If you do fly in, follow the etiquette that keeps the grass pristine: come in on speed and coordinated, avoid locked-up brakes, and don’t do run-ups that tear the turf. Treat the surface like a friend’s prized possession - because that is exactly what it is.

Key Takeaways

Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, South Carolina features a 7,000-foot by 100-foot Bermuda-grass runway maintained to golf-green standards across 400 acres.
The field was built by aviator Pat Hartness starting in the 1990s with the goal of creating the world’s finest grass airfield.
Its annual Fly-In, held in the fall (usually September), offers mowed campsites along the runway where pilots camp under the wing.
Triple Tree is a private field - access comes through its events, membership, and invitations, so plan ahead.
The airfield runs on volunteers and welcomes families, making it both a flying destination and a community landmark.