Litchfield Resort - The River Club

Guest (cart included), played on Tuesday, November 2017 at 8:42 AM

River Club is a Tom Jackson creation that has been delighting %u2013 and frustrating %u2013 golfers in the Myrtle Beach area since it opened in 1985. Over the years, it has received numerous accolades, including 4.5 Stars from Golf Digest%u2019s %u201CPlaces to Play%u201D, and having two holes named to the Myrtle Beach Sun News%u2019 100 Greatest Golf Holes Along the Grand Strand; the 14th and 18th. More on those two holes later.

River Club is located on Pawleys Island, about 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach and exemplifies everything for which Lowcountry golf is known. Built on the site of a former rice plantation, golfers will encounter pristine wetlands, maritime forests, Spanish moss-draped trees, abundant wildlife, over 100 sand traps and bunkers and lots of water, both natural and manmade. In fact, water comes into play on at least 14 holes. While the course is aesthetically pleasing, it can present a challenge to just about any caliber of golfer.

From the Black Tees, River Club plays 6,677 yards with a course rating of 72.3 and a slope of 134. The White Tees (6,240/70.2/127) provide a great challenge with some allowance to exit the facility with a little bit of dignity. Seniors can choose to play from the Gold Tees (5,807/68.4/120) and Ladies will be tested from the Red Tees (5,084/68.8/122). Pick the tees that best suit your game and you%u2019re likely to really enjoy yourself.

My Favorite: Number 6, Par 5, 477 yards. If you can reach the dogleg off the tee on this par 5 hole, you%u2019ll set up yet another risk/reward opportunity. It will require a drive of at least 255 yards from the White Tees and set up a manageable 223-yard approach over water to a slightly elevated green. Should you choose the three-shot route, beware of the fairway bunkers that dot the left side of the fairway and protect the back of the green.

Members%u2019 Favorite: Number 14, Par 3, 149 yards (White Tees). I%u2019m not surprised the members chose a par 3 as their favorite hole, for some reason a lot of golfers seem to think that par 3 holes are the easiest holes on the course. Number 14 is anything but; it features an island green fronted by four sand traps that catch anything hit short. The green holds the ball quite well, although a back-left pin position can prove to be very trying. There%u2019s no way to get on the green without hitting over the water at some point. Number 14 will test both accuracy and distance control. Par is a good score here.

Staff%u2019s Favorite: Number 18, Par 5, 493 yards (White Tees). As I mentioned earlier 18th hole was one of two holes named as one of the Grand Strand%u2019s 100 most memorable holes by the Sun News. I spoke with several members of the staff who all gave number 18 the nod as their favorite hole, now I understand why. It%u2019s a par 5 that plays 493 yards from the White Tees and is considered one of the harder holes on the inward nine. My guess is that the water that makes up the entire left side of the fairway has something to do with that. If you can manage to find the thin peninsula of fairway that sticks out just past the fairway bunker, you%u2019ll leave yourself a little over 200 yards to the green; a manageable distance, or at least worth the effort. The way the hole is shaped and the green is set up, you%u2019re most likely going to have to go over the water at some point or another, so it%u2019s well worth the risk. Find the trap off the tee, and your chances of getting on in two diminish greatly, as I found out. The green is set at an odd angle and, if you%u2019re playing Number 18 as a three-shot hole, it%u2019s much wider than it is deep. In any event, par is always a good way to end the round.

Last Word: Because land is at a premium in this area, there is no formal driving range; pre-round warmup is limited to hitting into nets. However, there is a very large chipping and practice putting green, so no driving range is not a valid excuse for a bad first couple of holes.

The majority of golf holes out here have ample room off the tee, giving you the opportunity to keep it in the fairway. River Club is more about second shots, whether it%u2019s sticking it close to the pin on some of the shorter par 4s or setting up your approach shot on the par 5s. What you see is what you get; there are no hidden surprises such as water hazards, pot bunkers or unexpected rough in an otherwise inviting landing area. Execute your second shot on each hole and you%u2019ll be well rewarded. The greens are receptive and conducive to making putts, but you have to put the ball in the right spot.

With water infringing on so many holes, accuracy and proper club selection is essential to shooting a favorable score as is the ability to hit a variety of shots. If that%u2019s not enough, there%u2019s more than 100 traps to contend with. As a matter of fact, if you can make your way around River Club with the ball you started with and never having to hit out of the sand, you%u2019ve accomplished something %u2013 hopefully a low score.

River Club is a proud member of the Waccamaw Golf Trail.

$41 (cart included), played on Wednesday, September 2011 at noon

Fairly priced. I always come around Labor Day, and the greens were burned up in 2011. The 18th hole is very good. The staff is great. Overall, the style of the course wasn't for me. Too much hidden stuff. Worth the price and has charm of an old course. No range, but not really a big deal. You just need to swing smooth. Distance not really a must. Makes you think, which was nice.

Guest (cart included), played on Thursday, October 2011 at noon

Overall a good experience. Course is enjoyable and the greens were in excellent shape. Bag drop staff were "disinterested" both on arrival and on completion of round. Did not offer to clean clubs.

$76 (cart included), played on Monday, April 2006 at 8am

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 does not get into the sweltering range – among the best in the state, never mind Myrtle Beach. And it is 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, 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 is not necessarily at the top of our list every year but the River Club 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 are not very accurate, you are 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 is only 149 yards from the whites but for someone who does not 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 is 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 are in the drink.

Or, if you are a gambler who wants something with a little more pucker factor, there is the par-5 18th hole. Play it right and you will be home in two. But if you do not, 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 is a great finishing hole, the true epitome of risk-reward golf.

As you might expect with all that water, there is plenty of beach to accompany it. Jackson sprinkled more than 100 sand bunkers 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 is not the most scenic of the Myrtle Beach golf courses – I am more partial to Tidewater, King-s North or Long Bay – but it is 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 has 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 is a little south of the action in Myrtle Beach proper – the drive down Highway 17 is not 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 the River Club 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 if you just walk up).

$76 (cart included), played on Sunday, May 2008 at 6am

The course is well maintained. The greens were a little firm, but overall the course was in excellent condition. Cart Path only due to overnight rain, but was well worth the money. We enjoy this course each year on vacation.