Set along the river for which it is named May River s fairways twist and turn amid oak tress some of which are over 300 years old Stretching to 7,171 yards the strategic bunkering in the fairways forces players to weigh risk versus reward on the tee The tee areas and fairways are Paspalum a new eco friendly turf while the gently undulating green complexes are Bermuda Very little earth was moved to create the course instead the Nicklaus Design team tried to design a layout that gives the golfer a sense of being immersed in the Lowcountry environment The course generally plays firm and fast and in many cases the tightly mowed greens and banks are there to help golfers who know how to take advantage of them For instance when the hole is on the left side of the fifth green which is guarded by a bunker and water the ideal shot is to the right The ball will then feed down safely to the hole allowing smart players to avoid too much risk but still have a chance to score