This person’s promotion gives the Myrtle Beach golf market three women in charge

Now there are three.

With Samantha Smith’s promotion to general manager and head golf professional at River Hills Golf & Country Club in Little River, there are now three women in charge of golf facilities on the Grand Strand.

Two are employed by Founders Group International, which owns and operates 22 Strand courses.

Smith, formerly Samantha Swinehart, joins Christa Bodensteiner, who is FGI’s regional operations manager and general manager/head golf professional at Tradition Golf Club, and Roxanne Powell – golf operations and retail manager at the four-course Ocean Ridge Plantation in Sunset Beach, N.C., for the past 13 years.

“I’m excited for this opportunity and thankful for the trust that Founders Group International has put in me,” Smith said in a release. “It’s an honor to be a part of an organization that values women in leadership roles and is leading the charge to grow the game along the Grand Strand. I look forward to the challenge ahead of continuing to make sure we provide world-class golfing experiences for all of our guests.”

In three years with FGI, Smith has served as first assistant at River Hills and an assistant at the Grande Dunes Resort Course and TPC Myrtle Beach.

She also regularly plays in Carolinas PGA events and is a past All-American at the University of South Carolina. Smith has volunteered with the golf and youth development organization The First Tee Coastal Carolinas.