River Club

River Club is a gated golf community in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, built around an acclaimed 18-hole Tom Jackson-designed championship golf course that opened in 1985 on a former rice plantation. Developed between 1986 and 2019, the community consists of 272 homes ranging from low-maintenance attached villas to custom single-family homes, with floor plans generally between 1,200 and 2,900 square feet. Distinct sub-sections include The Pointe at River Club (a custom home enclave) and villa neighborhoods such as Emerald Green, many of which back directly onto the golf course or overlook ponds and wooded Lowcountry terrain draped with Spanish moss. Life here revolves around two distinct but connected experiences: the golf campus on the Waccamaw River side and the oceanfront campus at Litchfield by the Sea. The River Club golf course itself is semi-private, part of the Hammock Coast Golf Trail and Prime Time Signature grouping, and has earned 4.5 stars from Golf Digest for its "Places to Play" list. Water comes into play on 14 to 15 of 18 holes, with over 100 bunkers, bent-grass greens, a memorable island-green par-3 14th, and a dramatic risk-reward par-5 18th that some reviewers compare to Pebble Beach. The on-site clubhouse houses a golf pro shop and Jackson's View Neighborhood Grill, a full-service restaurant and bar that serves as the community's social hub. Outside of golf, residents have access to an outdoor resort-style pool with a spacious patio, tennis courts, walking and biking paths through the community, and fishing/crabbing spots along the Waccamaw River. The 24-hour manned gate and a reputation for being peaceful, walkable, and well-maintained make it especially popular with retirees, though unlike many Grand Strand active-adult communities this is not a deed-restricted 55+ neighborhood — residents include full-time retirees, second-home owners, and families. What truly sets River Club apart is its inclusion within the broader Litchfield by the Sea master association. Homeowners receive full access to the LBTS oceanfront complex: a private beach club with parking, cabanas, restrooms, decking, boardwalks, and freshwater ponds — amenities that would otherwise be limited to Atlantic-front neighborhoods. That combination of a Tom Jackson golf setting on the river side and deeded private beach access on the ocean side is rare on the Grand Strand, and it's the primary reason River Club commands a premium relative to nearby inland golf communities. Socially, the resident-run River Club Community Organization (RCCO) charges nominal annual dues and organizes happy hours, holiday parties, ladies' luncheons, golf leagues, card games, and seasonal events. The community sits 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach, 40 minutes from Myrtle Beach International Airport, and roughly 90 minutes north of historic Charleston, with daily conveniences — Publix, Fresh Market, Food Lion, CVS, restaurants along Ocean Highway — all within a short drive just outside the gates.