Building on the mapping of large-S spin chains onto the O(3) nonlinear sigma model with coupling constant 2/S, and on general properties of that model (asymptotic freedom, implying that perturbation theory is valid at high energy, and Elitzur's conjecture that rotationally invariant quantities are infrared finite in perturbation theory), we use the Holstein-Primakoff representation to derive analytic expressions for the equal-time and dynamical spin-spin correlations valid at distances smaller than S-1 exp(pi S) or at energies larger than JS(2) exp(-pi S), where J is the Heisenberg exchange coupling. This is supported by comparing the static correlations with quantum Monte Carlo simulations for S = 5/2.