Back
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
-
Golf Advisor: Top 25 Most Improved U.S. Golf Courses (2021 #16)
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
-
Photo submitted by u950416169 on 05/16/2026
-
Photo submitted by u950416169 on 05/16/2026
-
Photo submitted by u950416169 on 05/16/2026
-
Photo submitted by logancriss on 04/13/2026
-
Photo submitted by logancriss on 04/13/2026
-
Photo submitted by logancriss on 04/13/2026
-
72 year-old with good swing form! Photo submitted by PKStamm2418 on 01/18/2026
-
Carlos was a great welcoming committee Photo submitted by james9852821 on 10/14/2025
-
Photo submitted by u000007843074 on 06/13/2025
-
Photo submitted by u000007843074 on 06/13/2025
-
Photo submitted by u000007843074 on 06/13/2025
-
Photo submitted by Richard1399167 on 05/16/2021
Beautiful
Beautiful course. The greens were about a week from being awesome. Staff there have always been super friendly, helpful and funny. One of my all time favorite places to play.
I do not recommend this course at all at this time. It needs to be shut down..
The conditions of the greens of all the greens were horrible. Evergreen on the course has sections that are burnt out. Looks like it has track marks where somebody had used the cart and kill the grass and if you found a section that had any type of grass it was entirely too long. It was like putting on carpet.. I can’t believe they are still taking people‘s money to play this course the photos I attached were just some of the good greens. There was a lot more that was worse than these.
Best bang for your buck
This is my second time playing this course.
I'm a rookie and shot low 100's. Depending on beer count.
Course offered challenge with beautiful scenery. So holes were easy to give me enough confidence while keeping me humble! Staff is amazing, friendly and helpful. Can't wait until I move here permanently and make this my go to course!
Thank you for the awesome Five Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and feedback. Our staff is truly amazing and work hard daily to provide a fun and memorable golf experience. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cat courses. Thanks again!
Mother's day
Everything was great with staff and course layout, as always. The reason for a 3 rating is because the greens were absolutely horrible. If the grass wasn't 2-3X longer than it should be, the hard pan circular patterns on all of them might not have been too bad. You had to almost chip a ball from one side of the green to the other because you couldn't putt it hard enough, unless of course you hit a patch of hard pan then it would take off. If they were working on the greens it would have been nice to know before heading out. But no one said a word. There was no one on the course for some reason on a beautiful sunday afternoon, but we were assuming the greens issue was probably it.
Too many options
Every green on course was unputtable. No one mentioned this when checking in. Tee boxes and fairways haven't been watered in a month.
Never tee off when registered because they more worried about when they're leaving so they juggle tee times to fit their schedule and not golfers. Would have been nice to make a few 8ft. birdie putts if greens were decent. Add to list of never play again.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We deeply apologize for the unsatisfactory conditions you described. Our area has been under extreme drought conditions for the past two and a half months and our course has a very limited water supply to work with. Our only source of water is from the ponds on the course and they are only filled by rain. There is no underground source of supplemental water available on this property. (We have tried to find some, believe me) We also experienced a very unfortunate mechanical issue that impacted several greens on Lion's Paw and the healing of these areas has been hampered greatly by the extreme drought conditions. It has been our policy for the last several weeks to inform all players of this issue when booking and to offer them various options, including switching to one of the other Big Cats courses, which are in much better condition right now. Any guest that chooses to play Lion's Paw at that point has been offered a discounted rate to play. If this was not the case with your group, I sincerely apologize and ask that you reach out to me directly at blong@oceanridge.com and I will work with anyway I can to help make amends for that oversight. We apologize again and hope to hear from you, if your group was not offered these options. Thanks again.
Greens are a mess
The greens are in terrible shape.. Each green had rut marks it looked like some one did donuts on the greens. Absolute worse greens I have ever putted on in my entite life. Absolutely awful!
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback and we sincerely apologize for the conditions you described in your review. Our area has been under the effects of an extreme drought for the past two and a half months and, unfortunately, our course has a very limited water supply to work with. Our only source of water is from the ponds on the course and they are only filled by rain. There is no underground source of water available on this property. We also experienced a very unfortunate mechanical issue that impacted several greens on Lion's Paw and the healing of these areas has been hampered greatly by the extreme drought conditions. It has been our policy for the last several weeks to inform all players of this issue when booking and to offer them various options, including switching to one of the other Big Cats courses, which are in much better condition right now. Any guest that chooses to play Lion's Paw at that point has been offered a discounted rate to play. If this was not the case with your group, I sincerely apologize and ask that you reach out to me directly at blong@oceanridge.com and I will work with anyway I can to help make amends for that oversight. We apologize again and hope to hear from you, if your group was not offered these options. Thanks again.
Course needs TLC
Almost all of the courses in this area need water. Greens were dry and bumpy
Thank you for taking the time to review Lion's Paw. We do appreciate both your patronage and feedback. The current drought is affecting a lot of local courses in the area. We feel a good rain will improve conditions dramatically and we hope you visit again soon. Thanks again
Lions Paw has seen better days
Greens were in horrible shape. Seems like they are not reinvesting in this big cat course.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. The extreme drought conditions of the last couple of months have been very challenging to navigate, as we have an extremely limited supply of water on this property. Many courses have supplement sources of water (Underground springs, well, etc) but there is no underground source of water on this property. We have tried for years to find some. With that being said, we manage the water we have as efficiently as possible and that can cause browning of the grass in certain areas during times of extreme drought such as this. The hearty Bermuda grass in the fairways and other areas will bounce back very quickly once we get some significant rainfall. We have had two brief showers this week (The first measurable rainfall in almost 2 months) and that should help jump start the recovery. It looks like more rain is on the way this weekend and that should allow us to get back to more normal irrigation practices and get the course greened back up, as it typically would be in the warmer seasons. We apologize you did not catch us at our best on this visit, but we are working hard to provide each of our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience, and, with a little help from Mother Nature, we should be looking great again very soon. Thanks again.
Thank you for taking the time to review Lion's Paw, We appreciate your patronage and feedback. The current drought is certainly affecting this Big Cat Course. We are hoping for a good rain, which should improve conditions dramatically.
Thanks again!
Greens in bad shape
The greens had bumps and dead spots and were not cut close. It was a 2-putt at worst rule all day since nearly every putt rolled off-line. The fairways were firm and there were plenty of hard pan areas. Not expected for such a nice facility as Ocean Ridge.
Weather causing burnt grass and back 9 damaged greens
It’s a nice layout but pretty dry hard fairways from no rain and no watering. Greens on Back nine diseased and damaged by hydronic oil. I just woul recommend playing at this time.
Thank you for taking the time to review Lion's Paw, We appreciate your patronage and feedback. The current drought is certainly affecting this Big Cat Courses. We are hoping for a good rain, which should come this week, to improve conditions dramatically. Thanks again!
The greens were horrible
Course is very nice but the greens weren’t in good condition
Thank you for taking the time to review Lion's Paw, We appreciate your patronage and feedback. The current drought is certainly affecting all the Big Cat Courses. We are hoping for a good rain, which should come this week, to improve conditions dramatically. Thanks again!
Gone downhill
Played this course back in the 90’s and it was a jewel. What a disappointment yesterday was. Although the staff were all great someone needs to be fired to let this course sink to the condition it has come to. Greens look like the mower was leaking hydraulic fluid and left 6” wide dead strips circling around all of them which left behind black mold. A couple of them looked like they had sprayed them with green dye. The greens really need to be aerated as they were hard at a rock.
Needless to say I won’t be coming back here.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We apologize for the temporary drought related conditions you experienced on this visit. Our area is currently under an extreme drought advisory and, as we have very limited access to water on this property, we have to mange our water supply carefully. We have had only two brief showers (A total of less than 2/10ths of an inch of precipitation) in the past two months. Fortunately it looks like there is a chance for some significant rainfall this weekend and that will quickly jumpstart the rejuvenation process on the hearty Bermuda grass. We actually have aerified the greens several times this spring, using Viper Tines, but with no rainfall to help soften things up or to fill our struggling ponds, the greens have remained very firm. An unfortunate maintenance error also led to some issues in certain spots that we will require good growing conditions to overcome. We apologize again that you did not catch us at our best, but we are definitely working hard daily to try to offer our guests the best possible golfing experience under the conditions and we are looking forward to moving past this temporary situation and returning to more normal irrigation practices and much greener grass! We hope you will visit us again and see our continued progress. Thanks again.
Thank you for the nice Four Star of your visit to Lion's Paw, a Big Cat course. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cat courses as well.
Nice layout not the greatest shape
Nice layout not the greatest shape, staff was awesome pace of play was great
Thank you so much for the Four star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and feedback. We agree we have an awesome staff. They work vey hard to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cat courses. Thanks again!
Drought conditions
Good course but very dry due to draught conditions. Recommend waiting until area gets some rainfall.
Thank you for taking the time to review Lion's Paw. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. We are working hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience.
Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well.
Pretty Day, Greens in Rough Shape
Was a great weather day, and the layout was fun. Fairways and tee boxes were nice. Rough Greens, black/brown areas on most greens. Nice folks though, and cheaper than most courses in the area in April of 2026.
Thank you for taking the time to review Lion's Paw. We do appreciate your patronage and feedback. We are working hard daily to provide our guests with a fun and memorable golf experience. The current drought is taking a toll on all our courses and we are patiently waiting for rain. We do hope you visit again soon. Thanks again!
Good course
Pace of play wasn’t too bad we were a twosome so expected to wait a little, about 4 1/2 hours, some of the greens looked like they had a bit of fungus on them but rolled ok, rest of the course was good.
Thank you for the Four Star review. We appreciate your patronage and feedback. We hope you visit again soon. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cat Courses. Thanks again!
A little frustrating
I booked a tee time through GolfNow, and when I arrived at the facility, someone else had jumped into my spot that I had already paid for. Not sure how that happens. Anyway, I had to wait for about an hour for them to put me with another group. During that time, I decided to get a breakfast sandwich in the grill. I just wanted something simple, bacon and egg. It came out bacon, egg, and cheese. 🙄 I reluctantly ate it anyway. Regarding the course: beautiful shape & great layout. Unfortunately, it took five hours to play the round.
Thank you so much for the Four 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
Greens
Greens looked to have been the victims of a hydraulics problem. Large burnt swirls on quite a few of the greens.
Layout was nice.
Thank you so much for the Four 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
Thank you so much for the Four 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
Talamore Golf Resort Stay & Play Package
Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club Stay & Play Package
Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club Stay & Play Package
Charleston Golf Experience Stay & Play Package
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the unsatisfactory conditions you described. Our area has been in the grip of a severe drought for the past few months and our course has a very limited water supply that we have had to manage very carefully. We also had an unfortunate mechanical issue on some of the Lion's Paw greens a while back and their recovery has been severely impacted by the extreme drought conditions. It has been our policy for the last several weeks to make all guests aware of the current issue with the Lion's Paw greens and to offer them other options or, if they still choose to play Lion's Paw, to play at a discounted rate. If these options were not offered to you when you made your tee time or checked in, I deeply apologize and ask that you please reach out to me at blong@oceanridge.com and I will work with you any way possible to make amends for this oversight. Thank you again and we hope you will visit us again soon and play one of the other Big Cats courses or try Lion's Paw when the greens are completely healed up, which will be soon if we get some decent rainfall.