For Tom Jackson, River Hills Golf Club wasn’t just another golf course in his growing Myrtle Beach portfolio in the late 1980s. Jackson was tasked with master planning the surrounding residential community and designing a memorable golf course.
While the venerable architect recalled permitting and water retention issues while designing River Hills, the Little River layout has met and even exceeded expectations since its 1988 opening.
The mandate for Jackson was clear from the beginning: maximize golf course and water frontage for homes without sacrificing the integrity of the player experience.
The native South Carolinian delivered.
Despite the presence of housing at different points during the round, the layout never feels claustrophobic as the course plays along a piece of land with uncommon elevation change.
“Oh, Lord, yeah,” Jackson laughed when asked if the land had more movement than the average Myrtle Beach golf course. “It had more topography. It had more (natural) water features on the site to begin with.”
That movement gives River Hills its character — elevated tees, strategic landing areas, risk-reward approaches – and helps make it one of Myrtle Beach’s hidden games.
Ask Jackson about specific memories and he doesn’t hesitate.
“Seventeen (pictured left) stands out as a really good, solid golf hole,” he said of the memorable par 5. “You’ve got to hit a good drive. You’ve got to hit a good second shot. You can get on that green in two, but you’ve got to take it left off the tee and stay out of the water. It’s a fine line.”
The par 4 13th (pictured top right) requires precision off the tee before a demanding approach over water. The 18th (top photo) brings your round to a close with a blind second shot to an elevated green that punishes indecision.
“If you’re short, you’re definitely going to have a chipping problem,” Jackson says.
The front nine also has ample personality. The stretch from seven through nine is particularly memorable from Jackson’s perspective. The par-5 seventh is a risk-reward challenge, the sweeping dogleg-left eighth rewards shot-making, and the ninth is highlighted by creative mounding around the green complex.
Jackson has worked on more than 120 golf projects, but he was never at a loss for creativity.
“You’ll never find a hole from River Hills on any other golf course I did,” he says. “That’s the creativity part of it, taking the property, the slopes, the water, whatever it is, and creating something I’ve never done before.”
A 2023-24 renovation project that saw the overhaul of the course’s greens and bunkers have further bolstered River Hills’ standing in the game’s most competitive
market. Modernized putting surfaces provided consistency and speed, while refreshed bunkering restored visual definition.
As part of that project, Jackson visited the property for targeted adjustments. On the 18th, trees were selectively removed to open sightlines and clarify strategy, while bunkers were reshaped to better frame the dogleg right and challenge players tempted to cut the corner. Tee adjustments on holes like 15 refined angles and improved shot values.
“They’re very attentive to keeping that as a good quality facility,” Jackson said of Founders Group International, River Hills’ parent company. “And I appreciate that … All in all, River Hills is something to be proud of.” (16th pictured right)
Photos for this feature from MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account
