River Oaks:
Golf Course Condos, Charming Cottages,
and a Corridor In Full Transformation.
38 years of golf are giving way to nearly 600 new homes. River Oaks Drive is being widened to four lanes. And two distinct communities — one of resort condos, one of affordable cottages — sit right in the middle of it all.
There are communities that stay the same for decades, and there are communities that are actively being reinvented while you’re reading about them. River Oaks is firmly in the second category. The 27-hole golf course that defined this corridor for 38 years closed permanently on November 30, 2025. The 800 acres it sat on are being converted to nearly 600 single-family homesites. River Oaks Drive — long a congested two-lane road — is funded and slated for a four-lane expansion under Horry County’s RIDE IV sales tax program. And the communities that grew up alongside the golf course? They’re watching all of it play out from their screened porches and wooded lots.
This guide covers two distinct communities that share the River Oaks name and the River Oaks Drive corridor: the River Oaks condo and townhome resort community — one of the Grand Strand’s most accessible entry points into real estate ownership — and River Oaks Cottages, the small, charming single-family neighborhood tucked into Carolina Forest’s western edge. They are different in character, price point, and buyer profile. Understanding which one fits your situation requires knowing what each actually is — and what’s coming to the neighborhood around them.
to River Oaks Golf
being developed
Ocean
widening budget
Same Name.
Very Different Story.
Before diving in, it’s worth being clear: “River Oaks” refers to multiple things in this market. Here’s what you’re actually choosing between.
River Oaks Condos & Resort
- What it is: A large resort-style condo complex built around the former 27-hole golf course. Low-rise buildings, 1–3 bedroom units, multiple sub-communities including The Fairways at River Oaks and River Oaks II
- Built: Primarily mid-2000s, some earlier phases
- Size: 600–1,000+ sq ft per unit
- Price range: $149,000–$230,000 (CCAR MLS, 2025)
- Who buys: Investors, vacation home buyers, first-time owners, retirees, CCU parents, income-seekers
- Rentals: Both short-term and long-term allowed
River Oaks Cottages
- What it is: A small, quiet single-family and semi-detached neighborhood within Carolina Forest’s master plan. Approximately 70 homes with wooded privacy lots
- Built: Mid-2000s to 2010s
- Size: 3-bedroom homes, typically 1,500–2,200 sq ft
- Price range: $250,000–$320,000 (CCAR MLS, 2025)
- Who buys: Families, primary residence buyers, second-home buyers seeking space over amenities
- Location: Off River Oaks Drive, adjacent to Inverness and Plantation Lakes
Most buyers searching “River Oaks Myrtle Beach” end up conflating these two communities — or discovering only one of them. They serve genuinely different needs and attract different buyer profiles. What they share is location, access, and a front-row seat to one of the most significant infrastructure and development changes happening in Horry County right now.
The Lowest Entry Point to
Grand Strand Ownership.
Two-bedroom, two-bath condos with golf course views, resort amenities, and short-term rental flexibility — starting around $150,000. In this market, that combination is unusual.
River Oaks Resort grew up alongside the golf course — literally. The condo buildings are positioned throughout the property, many with direct fairway and pond views from screened balconies. The 27-hole course opened in 1988, designed by Gene Hamm and Tom Jackson, carved from 800 acres that were once a nature preserve along the Intracoastal Waterway. For nearly four decades, residents watched golfers from their porches. That view is changing — but the community remains.
What made River Oaks condos consistently popular wasn’t just the golf views. It was the combination of price accessibility, rental flexibility, resort amenities, and location that you genuinely cannot replicate anywhere else in this price bracket on the Grand Strand. There is no comparable product — resort pools, tennis, putting green, 10 minutes to the beach, Carolina Forest school district, walkable to restaurants — at this price point.
Multiple Pools & Hot Tubs
Three outdoor pools, an indoor pool, and hot tubs throughout the community. Pool access is a year-round amenity — not just summer — which matters for primary residents and long-term rental income.
Tennis & Pickleball Courts
On-site courts with no extra fees. Pickleball has been added to the mix — one of the fastest-growing amenities driving demand among the 55+ buyer demographic that represents a significant portion of River Oaks buyers.
Putting Green & Golf Access
A community putting green was part of the resort from the beginning. World Tour Golf Links and other championship courses are minutes away — the area remains one of the Grand Strand’s most golf-dense corridors.
Grilling & Picnic Areas
Dedicated outdoor cooking and gathering areas — particularly relevant for short-term rental guests and vacation home owners who use the property seasonally. Makes the community feel residential, not purely transactional.
What the HOA covers: Most River Oaks condo regimes include water, sewer, trash, basic cable, and building insurance in monthly dues — a significant portion of what would otherwise be separate monthly bills. Quarterly regime fees run approximately $320, according to data from CCAR MLS listings. The all-in cost of ownership is more manageable than the sticker price of annual dues suggests when you break down what’s actually covered.
The investment case: River Oaks allows both short-term and long-term rentals — no HOA prohibition, which is increasingly rare in newer communities that restrict STRs. Fully furnished units are common and actively marketed as turnkey income properties on Vrbo, Airbnb, and direct vacation rental platforms. For buyers looking for their first income-producing coastal property, the combination of entry price and rental flexibility is one of the better-positioned options in the CCAR MLS right now.
According to Redfin data for the River Oaks Golf Plantation neighborhood, the median listing price for condos runs approximately $167,000–$190,000 depending on unit size and condition — with renovated units regularly selling in the mid-$200s. The average square footage is around 871 sq ft, making these among the most efficiently sized and priced coastal condos in the CCAR MLS.
“Resort pools, tennis, 10 minutes to the beach, Carolina Forest schools, short-term rentals allowed — for under $200,000. That combination genuinely doesn’t exist anywhere else on the Grand Strand at this price.”
Quiet, Wooded, Affordable.
Hidden in Plain Sight.
About 70 homes. Single-family and semi-detached. Most backing to wooded preserves. Within the Carolina Forest master plan. And almost always underpriced relative to comparable communities nearby.
River Oaks Cottages is the quieter of the two River Oaks communities — and the one most buyers overlook because it doesn’t have the resort profile or the golf course association. What it does have is real value. Roughly 70 three-bedroom homes, a mix of single-family and semi-detached layouts, situated off River Oaks Drive within Carolina Forest’s master-planned boundaries — meaning the same top-rated school district, the same access corridors, the same proximity to everything, at a price point that sits meaningfully below comparable square footage in Berkshire Forest, Avalon, or Clear Pond.
Most of the homes back to wooded conservation areas — one of the better features of the community that rarely gets mentioned in listing descriptions. That tree buffer creates a level of backyard privacy unusual in a community at this price point. Fenced yards, screened porches, two-car garages — these are the details that separate River Oaks Cottages from the condo lifestyle next door, and why the community attracts a different buyer entirely: families, pet owners, people who need space.
River Oaks Cottages sits adjacent to Inverness and within a short drive of Plantation Lakes — two of Carolina Forest’s most established and desirable single-family communities. The location is strong. The price differential between River Oaks Cottages and its neighbors is consistently noticeable — which is exactly what value buyers look for in a maturing community.
Who buys here: The buyer profile skews toward primary residence families, often relocating from the Northeast, who want a detached home with a real yard in the Carolina Forest school zone without stretching to the $350K–$500K range that most of the surrounding communities now command. It’s also a quiet second-home option — less maintenance than a larger home, more privacy than a condo.
- 3-bedroom single-family and semi-detached homes — attached garages, private yards, no shared walls in the true single-family units
- Most lots back to wooded preserves — uncommon privacy for the price range
- Carolina Forest school district — Ocean Bay Elementary, Ocean Bay Middle, Carolina Forest High, and AAST all within the attendance zone
- Seconds from Highway 501 — direct access east to Myrtle Beach and west to Conway; minutes to Coastal Grand Mall, Market Common, and the beach
- Adjacent to Inverness and near Plantation Lakes — strong neighboring community comps support long-term value
- Pet-friendly environment — fenced yards and wooded buffers make this one of the more practical communities for families with dogs
38 Years of Golf.
600 New Homes. A Four-Lane Road.
The River Oaks corridor is undergoing its most significant transformation since the golf course opened in 1988. Anyone buying here needs to understand exactly what’s coming.
River Oaks Golf Club closed November 30, 2025, after 38 years of operation. Developer Chris Manning of Chris Manning Communities purchased the Bear nine in 2021 and the remaining Fox and Otter nines in February 2024. The full 800 acres — spread across two separate parcels — will yield approximately 600 homesites when fully developed.
The Numbers Behind the Transformation
former Bear nine (underway)
Fox & Otter nines (planned)
RIDE IV approved 2024
Sources: On The Green Magazine (Dec. 2025), WMBF News (Jan. 2025), Horry County RIDE IV documentation. Fox and Otter parcels zoned SF-10 — minimum 10,000 sq ft lots. No zoning change requested by developer.
The road situation is the most immediate practical consideration for anyone buying in or near River Oaks. River Oaks Drive currently runs as a two-lane road with some turn lanes from Highway 501 west to International Drive — and it already backs up significantly during peak periods. The approved RIDE IV project designates a $142 million widening to four lanes with turn lanes and multimodal facilities along the entire length, with Horry County Council member Dennis Disabato projecting possible completion by 2029.
What this means in practice: Between now and approximately 2029, the River Oaks corridor will be an active construction zone — new homes going up on the former golf course, road widening underway, and ongoing traffic pressure on a two-lane road absorbing additional daily trips. This is not speculation; it’s documented in RIDE IV project filings and developer permits already issued by Horry County Planning and Zoning.
There are two ways to read this. The first is that construction creates disruption — noise, traffic, reduced views — that anyone living or investing here needs to price into their decision. That’s honest and it matters. The second is that the transformation is bullish for long-term values: more residents means more infrastructure investment, road widening increases corridor capacity and accessibility, and the conversion of golf course land to residential use at SF-10 density (minimum 10,000 sq ft lots) means the new community will be genuinely upscale, not cookie-cutter dense development.
Developer Chris Manning put it directly: “River Oaks is great land. We have Intracoastal Waterway access on the Fox and Otter and it’s in Carolina Forest. It’s an A-plus location. I think it will be a very successful community out there.” That’s a developer talking about their own project — but the underlying observation about the land is accurate and not disputed by anyone watching this market.
The Right Buyer. The Right
Community. The Right Moment.
River Oaks and River Oaks Cottages serve genuinely different buyers. Here’s the honest breakdown of who fits where — and what you should go in knowing.
River Oaks condos are a strong fit if:
- You want the lowest entry price into Myrtle Beach ownership — $150K–$200K for a furnished, amenity-rich property in the Carolina Forest school zone is a compelling case
- You want STR flexibility — few communities in this price range allow both short and long-term rentals without HOA restriction
- You’re buying for income — turnkey furnished units with active rental history make underwriting straightforward
- You’re a CCU parent, retiree, or seasonal user — the price point, the no-maintenance lifestyle, and the central location are a natural fit
- You understand the construction timeline — views and traffic will change over the next 3–5 years; price accordingly
River Oaks Cottages is a strong fit if:
- You need a detached home with a real yard — the semi-detached and single-family options with fenced lots and wooded backs are hard to find at this price point in Carolina Forest
- School district is the priority — you get the full Carolina Forest K–12 pipeline at a price below most comparable single-family communities in the zone
- You value privacy and quiet — 70 homes surrounded by preserved wooded areas is a different lifestyle than a condo resort complex
- You’re relocating from the Northeast — the community profile, the school zone, and the price vs. what your budget bought back home aligns perfectly
Before buying anywhere on River Oaks Drive right now, know this:
- Construction will be significant and ongoing — 600 new homes plus road widening means 3–5 years of disruption. Factor this into your timeline and your price negotiation
- Golf course views from existing condo units will change — some will be replaced by construction, others by new homes. Clarify exactly what your specific unit will look at when development is complete
- Traffic on River Oaks Drive is already challenged — it will get worse before the four-lane widening is complete. If daily commuting on this road is central to your lifestyle, account for that honestly
- The upside is also real — SF-10 zoning on the new development, road infrastructure investment, and the A-plus location fundamentals all support long-term appreciation for existing owners who can hold through the construction period
“The buyers who will do best here are the ones who buy with full knowledge of what’s coming — and price it in. Not the ones who discover it after closing.”
Thinking About River Oaks?
Let’s Have the Honest
Conversation First.
The condo numbers, the cottage options, the construction timeline, the road widening, what your specific unit will look like in three years — these are conversations worth having before you make an offer, not after. We know this corridor well. Let’s talk through what fits your situation.
Evangeline Raiskaya Ramos
Relocation Specialist · Keller Williams Innovate South
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