Pawleys Island has been a retreat from the South Carolina heat since the 1700s, and the golf culture along this stretch of the Grand Strand runs just as deep. The Reserve Golf Club sits within a private residential community on the island's quieter, more understated southern end — a deliberate contrast to the commercial density of Myrtle Beach a half-hour up the coast. This is golf with marsh views, live oaks, and the kind of unhurried pace that defines life down here.
Tom Fazio designed the course, routing it through the lowcountry landscape with his characteristic attention to visual drama and playability. Tidal marshes and the Intracoastal Waterway frame numerous holes, giving the layout a genuine sense of place rather than a manufactured resort feel. The back nine in particular draws on the water's edge to sharpen decision-making without punishing unfairly.
Membership access keeps the course uncrowded and well-conditioned year-round. For those who can get on, it represents one of the more refined private golf experiences the South Carolina coast has to offer.
