Golf Courses > Golf Courses in SC > Golf Courses in Pawleys Island

The Founders Club At Pawleys Island

Course Details

The Founders Club At Pawleys Island

Founders

7829 Ocean Hwy
Pawleys Island, SC 29585-8483

(843) 237-2299

Regulation

Daily Fee Facility

Just Golf

18

1967

Rick Taylor

Gene Hamm/(R)Thomas Walker

$120 weekend
$120 weekday
- twilight

Not Available

7007

72

Bermuda

Bermuda

Reviews
  Clubhouse / Facilities Avg. Rating:
  Quality of Course Avg. Rating:
  Value for the Money Avg. Rating:
  Overall Rating Avg. Rating:
Overall Rating 4 out of 5 based on 93 user reviews
Review Date Member Overall Rating
01/29/23
Greens were quick fun course to play
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/04/22
X
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/28/22
Excellent experience
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/10/22
nice
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/11/22
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/03/22
Nice course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/14/22
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/12/22
Nice course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/31/22
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/30/22
Ok
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/27/22
Good course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/10/22
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/05/22
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/15/21
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/12/21
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/12/21
Nice greens . Some very interesting holes. Plays pretty long.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/07/21
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/26/21
Greens were excellent on this day
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/19/21
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/17/21
Great time
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/10/21
Lots of sand waist bunkers
Review Date Member Overall Rating
02/04/21
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/21/20
Nice course - would play again
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/16/20
Nice course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
02/24/20
Review Date Member Overall Rating
01/30/20
Great layout with best price and greens were rolling perfect.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
01/20/20
I will be back.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/06/19
Great Course and friendly staff!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/24/19
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/21/19
Great course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/11/19
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/10/19
Great Course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/16/19
Good value. Nice track
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/23/18
Great course at a great value!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/03/18
Great layout.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/08/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/16/18
Summer greens suck some parts of the green are burned out so they have sand covering it.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/14/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/24/18
Ok
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/22/18
Great
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/17/18
Ba
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/05/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/19/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/06/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
02/11/18
Excellent ny unique layut. Difficult but fair
Review Date Member Overall Rating
02/01/18
Great if you like sand!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
01/13/18
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/12/17
The Founders Club in Pawleys Island, about 20 minutes south of Myrtle Beach on Highway 17, opened for play in 2008 and attracts golfers because of its unique appeal: sand instead of long, unforgiving rough. The course was designed by Thomas Walker, former lead designer for Gary Player Design, on what used to be the Sea Gull Golf Club, a Gene Hamm design that dates back to 1966. Like much of the surrounding area, the original course was relatively flat. Walker changed the look and feel of the course by moving around over a quarter million cubic yards of dirt. The $7 million renovation project included a new Lowcountry-style clubhouse, overlooking the 18th green.

Since Walker’s redo in 2008, Founders Club has received numerous accolades including one of the 30 Best Courses You Can Play in South Carolina by the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel in 2009 and again in 2011. Founders Club was also named Myrtle Beach Golf Course of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association in 2011.

As a result of all the renovation work, Founders Club features sloping fairways, bunkers, elevation changes, and mounding, lots of mounding. Overgrown rough has been replaced with waste areas filled with native beach sand, pine straw and grasses. Also sprinkled throughout the course are Lowcountry wetlands, towering live oak and pine trees and azaleas which, when in bloom, add to the beauty of the layout. You won’t find many traditional cart paths out here, instead what you have are waste areas that are in play. Another feature that sets Founders Club apart from other courses in the area are the Emerald Bermuda greens. This unique strain of grass withstands the summer heat and requires less water than other grasses; it also has less grain.

Five sets of tees allow players to choose their level of difficulty. From the Black Tees, Founders Club plays 7,007 yards with a course rating of 74.2 and a slope of 142. Big numbers from the Back tees. Mere mortal golfers will find that the White tees (6,394 yards/71.2 course rating/133 slope) will give them all the golf they can handle and allow them to leave with a little dignity. Seniors move up to just over 5500 yards while the Ladies will enjoy a length of 4,805 yards. Since you know your game better than anyone, picking the right set of tees will maximize your enjoyment.

With such a premium on land in the area, there is no formal driving range. Instead there is a hitting net which can accommodate 6 players at a time and a practice putting green where you can also hit some chip shots.

Memorable Holes

Number 2: Par 4, 390 yards (White Tees). Standing on the tee, this long par 4 looks intimidating, with water all down the right side and trees and a waste bunker down the left. The landing area is generous, so take advantage of it. Favoring the left side of the fairway will take the water out of play and give the best angle for approach into a large green with a long, narrow bunker on the right and a small deep bunker about half way back on the left. Keep it on play to the green and you could end up with a low score.

Number 3: Par 3, 166 yards (White Tees). Because of the shallow depth of the green, distance off the tee is crucial. It’s all carry over water to an oval green set on an angle. A deep bunker in front guards the right side. If the bunkers behind the green come into play, you weren’t listening when I talked about distance control. The green slopes gently back towards the water.

Number 9: Par 5, 493 yards (White Tees). For most, Number 9 is the first hole you see when you enter the property; it’s the one right along the road. Most golfers will comment on the way the sand slopes down into the pond, making it a great looking hole. That being said, if you want to post a low score on this hole, it’s best to avoid the pretty sand and water! This hole can best be described as a narrow strip of grass surrounded by sand – and water. You’ll need to carry your tee shot over a large waste bunker and on to one of these narrow strips of grass – aka fairway. The landing area opens up, however two bunkers on the right and infringing water on the left come into play if you hit it too far. The fairway bottlenecks and then opens back up in the landing area with the right-side waste bunker creeping in and the water on the left. Success so far will leave a short iron into a large green protected front right and in the back by large penalizing bunkers. Par is a good score here.

Number 12: Par 5, 491 yards (White Tees). Number 12 looks like a hole straight out of the yardage book of a Scottish golf course with a row of pot bunkers down the middle of the fairway. Most of the time, you want to hit the ball off the tee as far as you can down the middle of the fairway; on this hole it’s not advised! Most players will come up short of the bunkers and have to deal with them on their layup shot. Unless you’re a long ball hitter, you’ll want to hit your layup shot short of the pond and then play your approach shot about 120 yards to a large, receptive green with a deep bunker front left. The fairway is framed on either side by a waste bunker. A challenging but doable hole.

Number 16: Par 3, 135 yards (White Tees). What makes this hole interesting is the deep pot bunker in the front middle of the green. You’ll play your tee shot over a small waste area on to the green. There’s really no bailout area here and you’re going to need to fly it on, so be sure to take enough club off the tee.

Last Word: Founders Club is a difficult but fair golf course. The waste bunkers and pine straw that have replaced the rough are a welcomed change; it’s easier to find your ball and hit out of a waste bunker than some gnarly rough. In fact, every hole has a sand challenge of some sort. There are only a couple of holes that require a forced carry, even for the ladies.

Founders Club appeals to just about any type of golfer, whether you like to grip-it-and-rip-it or play it conservatively. Hit the ball as far as you can every time or layup and lay back and play it more strategically. You can play it differently each time.

Some players feel that Founders Club plays tough. If you feel the same way after a few holes, consider playing one tee forward from where you normally play at another golf course. If all else fails, the PGA professionals at Founders Club are always happy to give you lessons and help improve your game. Start by hitting some balls into the net to get warmed up and then head out for some real-time on-course learning.

Whether you’re coming down in the spring as part of a larger group or renting a home in the area during the summer months and just want to get away for a few hours, Founders Club welcomes you as a guest. And, if it’s been raining for a few days – as it’s known to do during the summer – odds are that the course is open and playable; it’s one of the best draining courses in the area. If you play a variety of courses in the area, you’ll find that Founders Club is one of the more unique, challenging and fun courses in the area.

The Founders Club at Pawleys Island is a proud member of the Waccamaw Golf Trail.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/01/17
Challenging layout!
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/30/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/18/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/02/17
Lots of sand, but plays fair. A couple par 4's are tough to reach in 2. Nice challenge overall. Play speed was excellent.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/23/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/23/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/22/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/01/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/23/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/11/17
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/25/17
tough course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/14/16
Ok
Review Date Member Overall Rating
10/13/16
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/27/16
Very interesting course. This is a unique golf experience.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/18/16
Good course for the money.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/07/16
Beautiful
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/02/16
Nice course - shabby setting
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/28/16
Zzz
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/27/16
Nice course.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/26/16
Review Date Member Overall Rating
03/13/16
links style - cart path waste bunker tee to green
Review Date Member Overall Rating
11/12/15
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/07/15
Really loved this course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/07/15
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/24/15
Ok course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/02/15
Good course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/02/15
Good
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/29/14
Price a little high for value compared to surrounding courses, nice club house.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/20/14
Great layout.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/19/14
Greens had fungus and were awful. Additionally they would not hold chip shots. The fairways were sloped to penalize any shot not directly down the center
Review Date Member Overall Rating
12/14/13
Great course.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/15/13
Nice course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/21/13
Great layout with large natural hazard areas. Beautiful vistas, friendly staff superb course. Highly recommend.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
06/12/13
Great course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/04/13
Poor conditions
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/21/13
Great greens tough course
Review Date Member Overall Rating
04/20/13
Made good time on the 18 holes.
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/15/12
Great course layout
Greens smooth and quick but nice
Will def go back soon
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/10/12
Was expecting more from this place
Review Date Member Overall Rating
09/03/12
Very nice update
Review Date Member Overall Rating
08/26/12
Review Date Member Overall Rating
07/02/12
Great layout..greens in bad shape
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/30/12
Review Date Member Overall Rating
05/09/12
Greens were hard
Review Date Member Overall Rating
12/18/11
.
Recent Scores
MEMBER SCORE RT/SL PLAYED
Mdbrine50 90 67/120 03/17/23
BillHeiser 99 67.4/120 03/10/23
Jimk0714 104 67.4/120 03/09/23
Tim164 90 71.2/133 02/20/23
cigarjoe 98 72.4/133 01/28/23
Greenfinder0609 81 71.2/133 12/28/22
Mdbrine50 91 67/118 12/04/22
hokie01 98 71.2/133 11/12/22
Cutt 80 70/127 11/08/22
greencutter 86 67.4/120 11/06/22
ChasL 84 67.4/120 11/06/22
BobBarker 91 71.2/133 11/06/22
Cutt 80 70/127 11/03/22
ReggieB68 90 70/127 10/30/22
IggyGene 83 72/136 10/29/22
Acetwo 94 72/136 10/17/22
Acetwo 90 72/136 10/15/22
hokie01 97 71.2/133 10/01/22
devilbear27 92 71.2/133 09/21/22
moravekk 78 68.1/114 09/11/22
mbtutton 98 71.2/133 09/11/22
mbtutton 46 37.2/142 09/10/22
RGV 91 67.2/118 09/08/22
collinasmith 81 71.2/133 09/07/22
collinasmith 86 71.2/133 09/03/22
Scorecard
Tee Gender Rating Slope
Black M 74.2 142
Black Tees M 74.1 140
Blue M 73.1 138
Blue Tees M 72.9 136
Gold M 67.4 120
Gold Tees M 67.2 118
White M 71.2 133
White Tees M 71.1 130
Back - White W 77.2 148
Forward - Red W 68.1 114
Middle - Gold W 72.4 133
Map
Course Photos
Be the first to tag a photo of The Founders Club At Pawleys Island here.
Weather
More Details
USGA Copyright Information
Back to the top of The Founders Club At Pawleys Island