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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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Photo submitted by u835220769 on 07/17/2026
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Photo submitted by u950416169 on 05/16/2026
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Photo submitted by u950416169 on 05/16/2026
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Photo submitted by u950416169 on 05/16/2026
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Photo submitted by logancriss on 04/13/2026
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Photo submitted by logancriss on 04/13/2026
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Photo submitted by logancriss on 04/13/2026
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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
Bunkers and bunkers
This was my first time playing lions paw. Great course and I will defiantly be back. The staff was amazing and friendly. I don’t pay I drove down and misjudged traffic giving myself way too much time before my round. Grabbed coffee in the restaurants. Then went to the range. I liked that they offered cigars in the proshop for the course.
The course was overall a 4 star. Would have to take a star away, the greens were in really rough shape. Dirt patches and algae build up on almost every green. The day I played they had pin positions in hole 2. So some greens you had to put through dirt patches. (Wish they would have moved the pin on these holes)
Other wise the fairways are wide open. I found every bunker possible but had a great time and will be back!
Thank you for the very nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate it. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses as well. Thanks again.
Play Somewhere Else
First of all, I do commend the staff; they were all friendly, helpful and accommodating. The course on the other hand is run down. There are numerous bare spots on many of the greens. Many of the bunkers lacked sand. Bare spots in the fairways. And, they aerated the back nine fairways, and did not notify us. All in all, not worth playing here. When you come to Myrtle Beach, you expect much more.
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. It is our intention to provide each and every guest with a fun and memorable golf experience and we are sorry we fell short on this visit. We deeply apologize you were not notified of the necessary aeration process we typically undergo this time of year. I will address this with our staff immediately. The extreme cold (Snow and ice) of the early spring, followed by an severe drought did take a toll on the greens, but the maintenance procedures we are doing will ensure they return to peak condition very soon and we expect them to be in good condition for the reminder of 2025 and beyond. We hope you will visit us again and see our continued progress. Thanks again.
Nice course and great staff
The course was in the midst of aeration and gave a better price when we showed up than GolfNow had. They even let me swap out a player for a ride along that I had booked, which was appreciated. Club rental on site was good for what one in our party needed. All in all, will be looking forward to getting another round in here or one of the other courses on property.
Thank you very much for the nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We apologize for the necessary aeration of the greens at the time of your visit, but we are happy to hear you enjoyed your round anyway. The course is improving daily and will be in very good condition for the summer of 2025 and beyond. We hope you will visit Lion's Paw or one of the other three Big Cats courses again soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again.
Thank you so much for the awesome Five Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate it. Be sure to check out the other three Big Cats courses a well. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the very nice 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.
Working on greens
Course was in good shape. The greens were being worked on.
Thank you for the nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate it. The greens are improving daily and we expect them to be in very good condition for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. We hope you will visit Lion's Paw or one of the other three Big Cats courses soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again!
Worst Greens Ever
Great layout, worst greens I have ever played. Pro in proshop had a terrible attitude.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw Golf Links. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We apologize for the unsatisfactory issues you described. The greens are improving quickly now that the weather has warmed up and we finally received some much needed rain, so that issue will be resolved very soon, but I am particularly concerned about the issue you had with one of our staff members. If you would email me with some further details on this matter, I would greatly appreciate it and I assure you we will address this matter immediately, to help improve our overall customer service standards. My email is blong@oceanridge.com. I would be happy to work with you to help resolve this matter to everyone's satisfaction. Thanks again and I hope to hear from you. Bill Long
Great Layout/Worst Greens ever played
Great layout, greens were the worst I ever played on. And I’m 60 years old. The attitude inside, I’m assuming the pro was very bad.. Extremely disappointed being my son from out of town was here for my 60th birthday.
Lions Paw Golf
Nice course at a great price. Green work repairs are in process to save them from last year's freeze.
Thank you for the very nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. The snow and ice did set some of the greens back a bit but they have improved rapidly now that the weather has warmed up and we have received some much needed rain. The course is improving daily and will be in very good condition for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. We hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again.
Thank you for the very nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again!
Always a great place to play
Played here 30 years ago when it was first started and always played here each time over the 30 years since.
Thank you so much for the nice Four Star review and for your continued support and patronage through all these years! We really appreciate it! We are working hard daily on all of The Big Cats courses and we strive to offer each of our guests a fun and memorable experience. We look forward to seeing you next time! Thanks again!
Nice course, but damage from winter and drought
Good fairway conditions and tee boxes not too bad, but several greens are in poor shape. Course management is working to get these in good shape again. Would play again.
Thank you for the very nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback! We are definitely working hard and committed to offering our guests a fun and memorable round of golf on any of The Big Cats courses. We hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again!
Beautiful Course
This was a great course, they are just struggling with their greens. You can tell they are working hard to fix it.
Thank you so much for the very nice Four Star review of Lion's Paw. We really appreciate it. We are definitely working hard and just need a little rain to bring the course back to more typical conditions. The extreme drought has hit our area hard, but relief appears to be in sight, according to the forecast. We hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again.
Fairways and greens lacking grass. Had not been watered and half the greens skety.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We apologize for the dry conditions you experienced. Our area has been in an extensive drought the past couple of months and we have had to manage our limited water supply very carefully. With a little rain, which is forecast for the coming days, the grass will green back up quickly and we will have enough water to irrigate fully again. We expect the course to be in excellent condition for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. Thanks again.
Roar of the Lion
This was my first time playing this course and I’ve played other Big Cats courses, Leopards Chase and Tigers Eye. This course was very fun and for the most part wide open and good for we high handicap players. The pro shop discounted my rate further and apologized for the greens conditions as they are not up to standard. The green on 10 and 11 were really bad with 11 being almost unplayable, it looked like some sort of black rot. Since they discounted my rate more I couldn’t complain it was the right thing for them to do. The staff were incredibly friendly and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. In comparison the conditions on Leopards chase the day before were ok, much better than Lions Paw but not as good as the other courses I played in the area.
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 extreme drought condition that have kept Lion's Paw from greening up as it normally would this time of year. We are glad to hear the discounted rate was appreciated, just as we appreciate you playing our course.With a little rain, things will be back to normal quickly and hopefully that rain is right around the corner. We hope you will visit us again and see Lion's Paw in its full glory! Thanks again.
This has happened all three times I’ve played on of the Big Cat courses. Online they are listed in the $85 range and all the reviews are great, then I get there and have gotten the same message, “the greens are slow to come in so we’re only going to charge you $45. I wish they would just list the rounds at $45 and be honest until/if the greens come around. But for just $45 it’s a decent round, so really I guess I can’t complain … was just looking forward to playing a nice course in good condition. Good layout.
Thank you for taking the time to review your visit to Lion's Paw. We apologize you did not catch us at our best. The course has been in very good condition over the past year or so, but the extreme drought conditions of recent weeks has delayed the course in greening up, as we have had to manage our limited water supply carefully during this drought period. With a little rain, Lion's Paw will quickly green back up and should remain in good condition as we move forward. We hope you will visit us again and see our continued progress and improvement.
Very poor conditions
Greens, tee boxes and fairways in poor shape. Cart attendant was pleasant. Pro shop acted indifferent at best.
Thank you so much for the awesome Five Star review of Lion's Paw. We truly appreciate it and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Thanks again!
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Thank you for the very nice Four Star review of Panther's Run. We truly appreciate your patronage and your feedback. We apologize the greens were not at their best on this visit. We had some issues with winterkill from the snowfall early in the year and then the rye to bermuda transition was disrupted by a significant drought. But we are past all of that now and the course is healing up nicely. With the good rainfall over the past couple of weeks, things have improved rapidly and we expect Lion's Paw and all of the Big Cats courses to be in very good condition for the remainder of 2025 and beyond. We hope you will visit us again soon and see our continued progress. Thanks again.