Resort Style South Strand Public
River Club Golf Course
Tom Jackson laid out River Club in 1985 on Pawleys Island, a plantation style par 72 of 6,677 yards. It fits groups who want a fair, playable South Strand round rather than a survival test.
Designed by Thomas Jackson
- Par
- 72
- Yards
- 6,677
- Slope
- 135
- Holes
- 18
- Opened
- 1976
- Greens
- Champions Bermuda
Why groups book it
What you are paying for at River Club Golf Course
The pedigree
Thomas Jackson
A Resort Style layout that opened in 1976 and plays to a par of 72 over 6,677 yards.
The test
Slope 135
6,677 yards and a slope of 135. Enough teeth to be worth the tee time, fair enough that the whole group finishes with a card worth signing.
The greens
Champions Bermuda
Putting surfaces are Champions Bermuda. The practice ground carries a chipping green, a driving range, a practice bunker and a putting green, so the speed is no surprise on the first green.
The verdict
4.1 out of 5
Across 463 reviews left by golfers who booked through us, 79% scored River Club Golf Course four stars or better. None of it is edited and none of it is paid for.
Live tee times
Play River Club Golf Course.
Checking the tee sheet…
Live rates per golfer, cart included. Booking opens in our tee sheet with your day and group size already set.
The course
The golf at River Club Golf Course
River Club dates to 1985 and carries a medium difficulty rating, which sets it apart from most of its Pawleys Island neighbours. Par is 72 and the card tops out at 6,677 yards with a slope of 135. The greens are Champions Bermuda. Practice options are full, including a driving range, putting green, chipping green and practice bunker, at 1 Club Cir on the South Strand.
With 484 reviews and a 4.13 average, this is one of the more consistently well received courses in the area. The split is telling: 204 four star ratings actually outnumber the 181 five star ones, which reads as a course that reliably delivers a good day without often producing a spectacular one. Only 13 reviewers total gave one or two stars. Conditioning and staff dominate the review language. Players repeatedly describe the course as being in excellent condition and the staff and clubhouse restaurant team as friendly, with one reviewer calling River Club the nicest of the three courses played on their trip.
The layout draws the most divided opinion. Several reviewers single it out for praise even while noting flaws elsewhere, one saying they loved the layout despite greens that were slow and unpredictable that day. One player was blunt in the other direction and said they hated the design while conceding the course was in good condition. Slow greens surface more than once. The most substantive complaint on record concerns aeration across tees, greens and fairways, which one visitor called unacceptable, so confirming the maintenance calendar before booking is sensible. The most recent review dates to July 2026. Overall the evidence describes a course that is challenging without being punishing, well kept most of the time, and staffed by people who make an impression. One regular sums up the tone of the review file simply by saying they always enjoy playing here, and the very low count of one and two star ratings across nearly 500 reviews supports that. For a package buyer the practical read is a course with a high floor: few disaster rounds on record, and a slope of 135 that still asks enough to keep good players interested.
The look
River Club Golf Course in pictures
Getting there
1 Club Cir, Pawleys Island, SC 29585
Course reviews
What golfers said about River Club Golf Course
Every one of these was left by a golfer who booked through us and played the course. Nothing is edited and nothing is paid for.
- 5 star 38%
- 4 star 42%
- 3 star 18%
- 2 star 1%
- 1 star 1%
Challenging course in excellent condition. Friendly staff.
Nicest of the 3 courses played.
Very playable ..folks in the restaurant clubhouse were awesome
Good course. Greens were a bit slow and unpredictable but loved the layout of the course.
Read all 38 recent reviews Show fewer reviews
Always enjoy playing this course.
River club was in great shape, and the greens are hard and fast, creating great challenge for the group. It didn't quite live up to the hype of other pawley's island courses though (Caledonia, Heritage).
Great course and very friendly staff.
Fairways were a little patchy
I really enjoyed playing the river club. Looking forward to playing this course again.
Decent track and okay layout, the amenities and practice area were rather weak.
Can I say Tin Cup moment
Great finishing course but no range. Staff here is incredible!
Not courses fault but it was very wet and sloppy due to heavy rains the weekend prior to playing. Greens collars and approaches were very inconsistent
Nice course. Would play again
Nice course but got paired with a guy who told me how to play golf the entire round. That does not make for a nice day. Would probably have rated it one grade better otherwise.
Course was OK. Couple of greens had some bare spots.
Really good value for price
easily the best course
Cart path only the day we played.. like to play it on a nicer day
Very nice course and friendly staff, great experience.
Very well run and they are first class establishment
Course in great shape. Greens fast . Again we were split tees. After inquiring the starter told me since our tee times were after 9:00 they had to split to get all groups through before afternoon tee times. Staff very friendly.
Also, nice course in good condition.
nice course. 5.5 hour round. started on 10 even though we made tee times 359 days in advance
Always a pleasure to come back!
As the starter told us… it’s not the water, it’s the trees….
Enjoyed the course
Greens were in great shape, Fairways were in great shape and pace of play was fantastic!
Probably the fastest greens we played on our trip. Great course and difficult due to weather conditions the day we played.
Love the course and love the area
Nice course nice shape and good employees.
Did not play course as left day early.
We played match play here, loved the course for that
All courses were in good shape
Everything was outstanding and we had one of the best accommodations we have ever had for a golf outing.
Too hard for my handicap
Aeration every where. Tees, greens ,fairways, unacceptable
Also has a great layout & greens! I would also play it again
2.8 miles away
Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort
The closest stay we book to River Club Golf Course, about 2.8 miles by road, with bar/lounge on site.
- Bar/Lounge
- Community Outdoor Pool
- Complimentary Shuttle Bus Service (Seasonal)
19 miles away
Crown Reef Beach Resort
About 19 miles from the course, worth it if the group wants to be in Myrtle Beach.
- Bar/Lounge
- Elevator
- FREE Wi-Fi
19 miles away
Ocean Blue Resort
About 19 miles from the course, worth it if the group wants to be in Myrtle Beach.
- Covered Parking
- FREE Parking
- FREE Wi-Fi
Same part of the Strand
Pair it with
Build the trip
Put River Club Golf Course in a package
Tell us the dates and who is coming. We quote the golf, the lodging and the tee times as one price, and a $100 deposit per golfer holds it.