Rivers Edge Golf Club, an Arnold Palmer design in Shallotte, N.C., that was recently sold, has been named the 2023 Golf Course of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association (MBAGCOA).
The course is managed by East Coast Golf Management.
The 6,900-yard Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1999 is one of the area’s more scenic courses with numerous holes along marsh, the Shallotte River and Copas Lake, requiring long stretches over wooden cart bridges.
It was purchased in September by Sandesh Sharda, who has big plans for the property. He plans to heavily invest in the course and upscale amenities, which will include valet parking and a new fleet of golf carts with GPS service.
Rivers Edge has been ranked among the top 100 public courses in the U.S. by Golf Digest – as high as No. 62 in 2007 – and has been named one of the top 10 public courses in North Carolina by Golfweek.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be named Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association Course of the Year,” East Coast Golf Management vice president of operations Chris Hendrick said in a release. “This award is a testament to the hard work of general manager Jason Monahan and the entire staff at Rivers Edge. They have worked tirelessly to provide the customer service and course conditions that are the equal of the scenery at Rivers Edge.”
Seven of the course’s holes play along the marshy waters of the river, including the signature par-5 ninth, which has a narrow peninsula green that can be viewed behind a large clubhouse.
A multi-stage renovation project has been undertaken at the course in recent years. It includes the overhauling of the clubhouse, building of a new patio, renovating of nearly every bunker, and a tree removal effort that has opened up the layout and helped improve conditioning, according to the release.
The MBAGCOA evaluates course of the year nominees on four criteria: exceptional quality of the golf course, exceptional quality of the ownership and management, outstanding contribution to the community, and significant contribution to the game.
Rivers Edge is now a candidate for state and possibly national honors.
Tidewater was the 2022 MBAGCOA Course of the Year. The National Golf Course Owners Association created the award in 1996 and the MBAGCOA has since nominated courses from the area.
Past recipients include TPC Myrtle Beach (2019), Meadowlands Golf Club (2018), Man O’ War Golf Club (2017), Litchfield Country Club (2016), River Oaks (2015), Moorland Course at Legends Resort (2014), The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort (2013), The Dunes Golf & Beach Club (2012), Founders Club at Pawleys Island (2011), Sandpiper Bay (2010) Shaftesbury Glen (2009), Grande Dunes Resort Course (2008), Wachesaw Plantation East (2007), Burning Ridge (2006), TPC Myrtle Beach (2005), Indian Wells Golf Club (2004), World Tour Golf Links (2003), Wild Wing Plantation (2002), Blackmoor (2001), Tradition Golf Club (2000), Bay Tree Golf Plantation (1999), Arrowhead Country Club (1998) and King’s North at Myrtle Beach National (1996).
Tidewater Burning Ridge, TPC Myrtle Beach, Wild Wing, Tradition, Arrowhead and King’s North also earned the state award, and World Tour was named the national golf course of the year.
