A river runs through it: the 14th at Nicklaus' May River.
Formerly a wildlife preserve, the Jack Nicklaus-designed May River Golf Club occupies pristine low-country terrain at the convergence of tidal rivers, salt marshes and maritime forests. That alone doesn’t make it the best new off-island course to play on a Hilton Head golf vacation, but it sure helps.
That’s because its scenery is utterly breathtaking. Four holes look out onto the May River and the entire routing is an aesthetic masterpiece highlighting majestic, mature trees (the tee markers are named oak, cedar, hickory and magnolia), prolific wetlands and design elements such as pine needles in the rough, varied bunkering and crowned greens a la Donald Ross.
While some have likened holes here to Augusta National’s, we think the sense of being immersed in an untamed low-country wilderness contrasts completely with Augusta’s meticulous grooming and orchestrated blooms.
Ironically, Nicklaus created several “artificial” wetland areas on this course, but they merge with the natural vegetation so seamlessly that only a botanist would know the difference.
Nickalus credits his previous work at nearby Harbour Town Golf Links with teaching him to incorporate strategy in his designs, and he has applied those lessons superbly at May River.
On flat land, enormous, free-form bunkers, specimen trees with overhanging limbs and shallow greens fronted and flanked by a tidal creek demand that players plot their shots carefully.
Driving lanes are thankfully more accommodating than they look, but the approaches to the elevated and undulating greens are often guarded by deep, flash-faced bunkers, false fronts and hidden pot bunkers that sometimes lurk toward the back of the green complexes.
This is a course whose scenery and layout commands and demands your full attention.
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