“Every Shot Makes You Think”: Tom Jackson on Designing River Club

For all its abundant natural beauty, designing a golf course along the South Carolina coast presents one consistent challenge: flat terrain.

But that challenge brought out the creative best in architects like Tom Jackson, one of the Myrtle Beach area’s most prolific course designers. Jackson relished the opportunity to create a course that would provide a memorable test with out overwhelming players.

That wasn’t certainly the case at River Club, where he used water to create character and memorability for a layout that continues to delight more than 40 years after its opening.

Water factors into play on 15 of 18 holes but its presence was designed not to punish but to make players think on a design rewards precision as much as it does raw power.

“Every shot that you hit, you have to think about it and select the right club,” Jackson said of River Club. “The more you play it, the more familiar you become with it.”

That familiarity, he believes, is part of River Club’s charm, a course that reveals itself over time rather than all at once.

Jackson remembers River Club as a course that simply worked.

“I thought the layout worked really well. It drains well, plays well,” he said. “It’s got some interesting golf holes on it — really good par threes.”

The routing keeps golfers moving, with minimal distance between holes, and the variety of shots keeps rounds engaging for players of all skill levels. It’s challenging without being punishing, a balance Jackson always valued.

For many players, a round at River Club is defined by the par-5 18th, a hole that has met Jackson’s expectations.

“I always try to put emphasis on the last two holes,” he said. “And 18 just worked out perfectly.”

A large lake frames the hole and introduces risk off the tee. Aggressive players can bite off as much water as they dare, setting up the possibility of reaching the green in two. Others can play safely and treat it as a true three-shot par-5.

“That’s what we were trying to accomplish,” Jackson said. “Risk-reward.”

Yes, there is potential danger but it highlights a quality the architect strives to create in all his courses: No. 18 asks a clear question of every golfer and lets them answer it their own way.

Jackson never intended River Club to be a championship brute. Instead, he envisioned a course that could be enjoyed by a wide range of players, one that remained interesting without becoming exhausting.

“I think it’s an enjoyable golf course for pretty much anybody that wants to play it,” he says.

Even now, decades after it first opened, River Club remains a source of pride for its architect.

“I was proud of it then. Still am today,” Jackson said. “They’ve done a great job keeping the maintenance high.”

After designing more than 120 golf course projects, Jackson is confident River Club stands on its own.

“You’ll never find a hole from River Club on any other golf course that I ever did.”

That originality, paired with thoughtful design and lasting playability, is why River Club continues to reward golfers.

(Holes pictured from top to bottom: 18th, 14th, 11th & 8th)

Photos for this feature from MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account