Three Best Holes at River Hills

River Hills Golf Club is tucked away off Highway 17, an outstanding course located on of the area’s primary arteries that manages to keep a low profile.

Located in Little River, River Hills opened in 1988 and offers a tremendous combination of quality and value. We asked Harris D’Antignac, the course’s long-time head pro and a Myrtle Beach golf veteran, to provide us tips on how to play the three best holes at River Hills.

The amiable D’Antignac was happy to oblige.

— The fifth hole, the course’s longest par 4 at 448 yards, is a dogleg left with plenty of teeth. Put your drive in the middle of the fairway to setup a demanding approach to a small green flanked by grass bunkers.

“Hitting the green is the hardest thing,” D’Antignac said. “After you hit the green, two-putting shouldn’t be a problem.”

— The 180-yard par 3 sixth hole is almost all carry with water running from tee to green up the left side. There is some room on the right to bailout but a bunker means that strategy isn’t without peril. 

“It might leave you a long putt, but you don’t have a penalty shot involved,” D’Antignac said of a decision to play your tee shot to the right.

— The signature hole at River Hills is the par 5 17th. a 526-yard, double dogleg. Golfers are required to carry water twice, once off the tee and again on their second shot.

The length of the carry on the second shot depends on how aggressive you are off the tee. Players that want to challenge the water and cut the dogleg left off the tee can potentially reach the green in two, but the risks are self-explanatory. Playing to the right side of the fairway is the safe shot, but it then becomes a true three-shot hole.

There is nothing complicated about the 17th, but water has a way of messing with the mind, which helps make it the prettiest and hardest hole on the course.

“It’s pretty straight forward,” D’Antignac said. “Play it like it’s laid out. I think where people get in trouble is they try bite off to much on the hole.”