Founders Club at Pawleys Island

Located just off U.S. 17, the Founders Club golf course is nestled between Myrtle Beach and Georgetown in Pawleys Island, S.C. Unlike any other course on the Grand Strand, the Founders Club recently received an overall rating of 8.0 from reviewers at Myrtle Beach Golf Insider. The course received even higher marks when it came to its pro shop and staff. The course has also been recognized as a top-30 course from the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel. Laid atop what had been the Sea Gull Golf Club, the Founders Club opened in 2008 to much anticipation and even more approval. The Tom Walker re-design incorporated some of Gene Hamm’s original architecture while also putting to use a natural environment that included native Lowcountry grasses, Carolina Pines and, of course, plenty of sand. Aside from all that sand – which is put to use on about 85 percent of the cart paths, expansive waster bunkers and even a solid chunk of the roughs – the Founders Club design makes sure you know you’re at a different course right off the bat. The 20,000 square-foot putting green just outside the clubhouse also doubles as the tee box for the No. 1 hole. So every player teeing off on the front nine is hitting off a pristine Emerald Bermuda on the first shot. Rated as the 15th hardest hole on the course, however, can trick players into thinking the entire round is going to be that easy. The last four holes on the front include the first-, third- and fifth-handicaps. The par-4, 396-yard No. 7 has a definitive Walker feel to it. Elevation differences affect the distance between all seven tee boxes and a fairway landing area on the other side of a small pond. Manage that potential dagger, and there’s still a double-guarded green.