River Club

River Club, opened in 1985 and designed by Tom Jackson, is one of the gems of the Southern Grand Strand and a member of the illustrious Waccamaw Golf Trail. At just over 6,600 yards from the back Blue tees, the course offers a perfect blend of challenge and playability that appeals to all levels of player. And with natural freshwater lakes dotting the property, closeness to nature is a key part of the experience of playing a round at River Club.

One of those lakes comes into play on every shot at River Club’s finishing hole, a reachable par five that is a gambler’s delight. Your experience over the course of the first 17 holes will determine if you will attempt to reach the green in two shots. Water runs up the entire left side of the hole and protects the large green in front while bunkers surround the back. If you decide to negotiate the water with the tee shot, a small peninsula landing area awaits, leaving about 170 yards to reach this green and have a putt for eagle. Taking the more conservative route turns the hole into a three-shotter. A tee shot down the middle will allow you to use a mid iron or hybrid-to lay up, leaving a wedge to the green.

River Club boasts some of the area’s best Champion Bermuda greens, freshly installed in the last two years. Golf Digest gives the course 4.5 Stars on its annual “Places to Play” list.