Architect Tim Cate has toiled on all four courses at Ocean Ridge and has improved on every one Leopard s Chase named one of the best new courses in America in 2007 by GOLF Magazine might just launch him to a national audience This big cat stalks you with a daunting 140 slope due primarily to the enormous heaving speedy greens and a back nine that bares its fangs at the 11th and never lets up The front nine sports the prettiest hole the island green par 3 4th quickly followed by the intriguing par 4 5th its green completely encircled by sand it is the par 37 back nine that can shred your scorecard The 439 yard finishing hole has ponds bracketing the fairway a gigantic waste bunker up the right side a waterfall left of the green and a prevailing left to right breeze All that makes for one of the most memorable closers on the Grand Strand The Lion s Paw Course was built on rolling hills and features water hazards coming into play on several holes The front nine has Carolina pine trees lining its fairways and many elevation changes while the back nine is a links style design featuring wide open fairways and undulating greens The most memorable hole on the Lion s Paw Course is the 3rd a 204 yard par 3 which calls for a tee shot that carries over water and oyster shells that line the perimeter of the lake From ground level you d never know the fairway and green form the shape of a lion s paw The Panther s Run Course plays alongside a nature preserve that frequently comes into play The fairways are undulating and dotted with lakes brooks and waterfalls Don t be surprised to see deer barn owls and many types of waterfowl watching you stroll the fairways A demanding and picturesque hole on the Panther s Run Course is the 18th a 425 yard par 4 which requires two well struck shots to carry a lake that bisects the fairway The Tiger s Eye course has generous undulated fast paced greens which resemble warped plywood yield numerous pin placements that are obscured from view and guarded by water and or sand The mature long leaf pine groves also add to the Pinehurst look of Tiger s Eye but the mature dense hardwood forest that lines the fairways and encircles the greens remind golfers that they re in the Lowcountry