A great alternative to Grand Strand hotspots

River Club, Pawley's Island, SC

Blue and green are the colors that make the River Club stand out as a favorite among Myrtle Beach-area golf courses. Blue as in water and green as in, well, the putting surfaces.

Sure, many of the Grand Strand layouts have an abundance of water hazards that beautify and toughen the golf course and others have greens that will leave you raving (not always in a good way) but very few, if any, can match the River Club in both regards. Not for my money, at least.

The River Club greens are – especially in the spring and fall when the temperature doesn’t get into the sweltering range – among the best in the state, never mind Myrtle Beach. And it’s the greens that keep the River Club on the list of courses for our annual week-long golf trip.

Unlike most public access courses in Myrtle Beach, the River Club greens are made of A-1 bentgrass, not any of the hardier (for the climate) Bermuda strains. That fact alone makes the River Club, which made the conversion to bentgrass when most were going with Bermuda turf on their putting surfaces, stand out from all but some of the most highly-touted South Strand courses – which will all cost you more of your hard-earned dollars.

In the spring, when our golf group generally visits the River Club, the greens have been average speed for bentgrass, but in the fall they have been lightning quick. Compared to the slower Bermuda greens at Long Bay or nearby Willbrook Plantation, two of the courses that fall under the Myrtle Beach National domain and additional regular stops on our tour, it’s like night and day.

Combined with the water around the River Club – plenty of ponds but, surprising given the name, no river – the greens make this Tom Jackson-designed layout a course our group really enjoys playing. It’s not necessarily at the top of our list every year but the River Club’s course, which plays to a length of 6,240 yards and a slope of 121 from the white tees but is 6,677 yards from the tips, is one we try to hit often. Oh, did I mention the water at the River Club?

It comes into play – really into play, so much so that if you’re not very accurate, you’re going to lose a bunch of balls – on at least half the holes and is almost never out of sight, no matter where you are on the course. Many times the blue stuff lurks around the green, ready to act as a magnet for your spiffy new ball and send your score soaring. Check out the 14th hole, complete with the mandatory (for the Grand Strand it seems) island green. Sure, it’s only 149 yards from the whites but for someone who doesn’t see many island greens during his play in the summer months, it can still be intimidating … and fun. The 15th is a pretty tough little number too. It’s only 384 yards from the whites but water is everywhere – put it left of the fairway with a draw that, ahem, draws too much or come up short or long of the green and you’re in the drink.

Or, if you’re a gambler who wants something with a little more pucker factor, there’s the par-5 18th hole. Play it right and you’ll be home in two. But if you don’t, you could put a couple balls into the pond that guards the entire left side of the fairway and be looking at a snowman. It’s a great finishing hole, the true epitome of risk-reward golf and as good a reason as any to pop into the clubhouse for a cold one.

As you might expect with all that water, there’s plenty of beach to accompany it. Jackson sprinkled more than 100 sand traps around River Club, most around the greens or in landing areas for stray shots. Some of them are massive. The waste bunker on 12 will leave you cursing if you try to cut off the dogleg and come up short. And strong wedge or short iron play will help conquer the sand, which forces you to play in the air rather than along the ground.

River Club isn’t the most scenic of the Myrtle Beach golf courses – I’m more partial to Tidewater, King’s North or Long Bay – but it’s a well-designed track that has a bit of a traditional feel thanks to the more forgiving landing areas and doglegged, tree-lined fairways.

It’s got all the amenities you need, including good service in the pro shop and on the course, and the conditions are generally very good in the spring but it’s a little south of the action in Myrtle Beach proper – the drive down Highway 17 isn’t too bad, really – and that may keep some golfers away, even though it is among the top 35 courses in the golf-rich area. Much of River Club’s business, though, comes from repeat customers so it is obviously doing something right.

Packages that include accommodation and golf, with carts included, are available from a number of sources and tend to reduce the actual cost to a fraction of what you’d pay booking on your own (more than $100 for a morning round on the weekend).