Rivers Edge Golf Club to reopen to public Sunday

Rivers Edge Golf Club will have a soft reopening for members and special guests Friday, and will reopen to the public on Sunday.

The 6,909-yard Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1999 has been closed since June 25 for renovations that include a changing of the greens from SeaDwarf Paspalum grass to Sunday ultradwarf Bermudagrass.

Rivers Edge, which is managed by East Coast Golf Management, will be the first course on the Grand Strand to feature Sunday Bermuda greens.

“I have never seen that much grass on these greens,” said East Coast president Mike Buccerone of the grow-in. “I think people are going to get really excited about coming here to play. We’re very confident the grass we chose is the correct one for Rivers Edge. I believe it’s going to exceed the expectations for what people are looking for.”

Buccerone said the new grass is allowing the greens to be cut lower than the Paspalum allowed, creating faster speeds. Rivers Edge is one of the more scenic courses in the area with several holes along marsh and the Shallotte River.

“I think the greens will take it to another level,” Buccerone said. “We have greens that match the views of the Shallotte River. We definitely have a product more people will want to play more often.”

It is reopening in time to host at least one round of the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship.

In addition to the greens transition, 135 trees were removed predominantly around greens to add sunlight and improve grass growth, and native plants were added around several holes including 4, 6 and 15 and tee boxes on holes 10, 12 and 13.

The size of the greens on holes 3, 4, 5, 14 and 15 were reduced and areas around them were sodded to be kept as closely-mown areas that will offer playing options. A bunker behind the par-3 fifth green is now more pronounced and vegetation has been added to the area, and drainage has been improved in front of a handful of greens to avoid saturation.

This story was originally published August 24, 2015 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Rivers Edge Golf Club to reopen to public Sunday."