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Lion's Paw at Ocean Ridge Plantation
Rating Snapshot
About
Lion's Paw Golf Links is an open, hilly course that treats the golfer to spectacular views of a beautiful creek valley and its adjoining wetlands. A wild and untamed layout, Lion's Paw features deep sugar white sand bunkers and MiniVerde greens.
A stunning 23,000 square foot clubhouse serves both Lion's Paw and Panther's Run golf courses and offers residents and visitors the perfect place to ready themselves for the upcoming challenge on the links. Designed with a safari theme, the clubhouse includes a full-service pro shop, a snack bar and Tamers Restaurant and Lounge, an elegant dining room serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Lion's Paw has been described as Willard Byrd's finest work. Part wild, part rustic and quiet, this magnificent course presents a lion's share of adventure and breathtaking scenery.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 72 | 7003 yards | 74.0 | 132 |
| White | 72 | 6457 yards | 71.3 | 128 |
| Gold | 72 | 5872 yards | 67.5 | 118 |
| Gold (W) | 72 | 5872 yards | 71.0 | 126 |
| Red (W) | 72 | 5363 yards | 69.0 | 121 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue M: 73.5/137 | 417 | 517 | 204 | 428 | 415 | 228 | 402 | 520 | 386 | 3517 | 400 | 202 | 383 | 527 | 418 | 445 | 384 | 185 | 542 | 3486 | 7003 |
| White M: 71.0/131 | 387 | 477 | 178 | 385 | 399 | 175 | 364 | 495 | 352 | 3212 | 375 | 188 | 372 | 493 | 396 | 408 | 353 | 154 | 506 | 3245 | 6457 |
| White/Gold M: 69.2/126 | 351 | 477 | 128 | 385 | 366 | 136 | 364 | 495 | 352 | 3054 | 375 | 172 | 322 | 493 | 393 | 382 | 353 | 131 | 506 | 3127 | 6181 |
| Gold M: 67.3/115 W: 72.7/133 | 351 | 433 | 128 | 361 | 366 | 136 | 332 | 478 | 336 | 2921 | 349 | 172 | 322 | 431 | 393 | 382 | 319 | 131 | 457 | 2956 | 5877 |
| Red M: 64.2/108 W: 68.8/124 | 335 | 416 | 108 | 326 | 353 | 125 | 303 | 455 | 305 | 2726 | 307 | 110 | 300 | 413 | 321 | 366 | 286 | 121 | 406 | 2630 | 5356 |
| Handicap | 1 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 18 | 12 | |||
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 1 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 6 | 14 |
Hot Deals at Lions Paw
1-4
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, Grill, RestaurantAccolades
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Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2021 #16)
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
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72 year-old with good swing form! Photo submitted by PKStamm2418 on 01/18/2026
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Carlos was a great welcoming committee Photo submitted by james9852821 on 10/14/2025
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Photo submitted by u000007843074 on 06/13/2025
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Photo submitted by u000007843074 on 06/13/2025
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Photo submitted by u000007843074 on 06/13/2025
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Photo submitted by Richard1399167 on 05/16/2021
Wrong course
This is the second time I’ve done a tee time for lions paw and was forced to play panthers run. I will not go back to play at this location.
Nice round on Ocean Isle, SC
Played in the sunshine after a frost delay of 1 hour, yet still finished as a foursome in 4:15 - just before sunset at 5:15 pm. Not bad for January 17th! Very nice layout, but LOTS of watery graves, typical for any SC Coastal course. We will be back!
Cold frost morning
The course was in really good shape. The staff was super friendly over all very nice course will return and play again. I was suppose to have a 7:27 tee time but because of the frost this morning so all the tee times were pushed. I was the first group out with another single and as a newer golfer it lead to a lot of extra pressure as they just started letting everyone go. That is my only complaint. I will return to play this one again as well as the other big cat courses.
Nice layout. Course in rather good shape, greens rolled true, just need help in the sand traps with the rain.
Met a nice member to play with.
Thank you so much for the Four Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We work hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. We hope you visit again soon. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the Four Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We work hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. We hope you visit again soon. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the Five Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
The Paw has made a nice recovery
The course condition was very good after a brutal summer of rain and heat. The course was playable, greens were medium fast, and the pace of play was excellent. Would play here again.
Thank you so much for the Four Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We work hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. We hope you visit again soon. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the Five Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Couldn’t lick the Lion’s Paw
Friendly and efficient staff. Played in the afternoon and course was virtually empty. Got paired with a couple and they preferred I play ahead.
Course was maybe a bit ragged round the edges in places but eminently enjoyable. Fairways and greens were good and what else really matters.
Playing on your own with iffy eyesight has its challenges so lay a few balls I thought I would find.
Course is recommended especially for the price.
Thank you so much for the Four Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We work hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. We hope you visit again soon. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Thank you for the very nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate it and we hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
I apologize, Lion's Paw. My mistake. Thank you again!
Thank you so much for the Five Star review of Leopard's Chase! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the Awesome Five Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
Course was ok, but with all the water that fell in the area in the past few weeks the fairways and greens should have been more greener
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We really appreciate it. We apologize for the weather related conditions you described. The immense overabundance of rain actually causes grass roots to "drown" and turn yellow or brown in some areas, and the hot damp conditions are a breeding ground for turf diseases that can turn the grass off color. IF we can get a more normal weather pattern for just a few days, conditions, particularly color will improve rapidly. We hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress.
Conditions
The layout was fun with water outlining almost every hole. The tee boxes were not well maintained, there were many weeds along with really long tee boxes. Around the greens there were many patches of weeds that made short game really difficult. After 17in of rain it is understandable for the bunkers to be washed out. However it should have been raked or marked as GUR.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We apologize you did not catch us at our best on this visit. The unprecedented and relentless rainfall we have experienced in the preceding weeks has made maintenance on the four Big Cats courses very difficult for our crew. We need dry enough conditions to get the big mowers out without doing damage to the turf. The rain and heat also resulted in an explosion of unexpected weeds that must be eradicated carefully, as to not damage the bermuda turf in the process. With all that being said, we have made great progress in recent days and all four Big Cats course are getting better daily (Despite continued rain!) We hope you will visit us again and see our continued progress. Thanks again.
Needs some TLC
Fairways are basically all crabgrass. Bunkers full of water. Greens patchy with bare spots. Distance markers were scarce.
Thank you for the nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We really appreciate it. We hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again!
Lion's Paw
Good course. Challenging. Small greens and lots of traps. The traps were not well maintained. Seemed more like hard pan. We finally just pulled the ball out and hit from the grass behind it for the rest of the round. The staff was nice. We were first on the course and played in about 3.5 hrs. Will definitely play there again.
Thank you so much for the awesome Five Star review of Lion's Paw Golf Links. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!
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Thank you so much for the Five Star review of Lion's Paw! We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again!