Traces Golf Club & Shankers Grille

Creekside at Traces Golf Club in Florence, South Carolina, is a Ron Garl design that opened in the late 1990s as part of the region's golf development during that era. Garl, a Florida-based architect known for working across the Southeast, typically emphasizes strategic variety and playability across different skill levels. The course takes its name from the waterways that thread through the property, a common feature in the South Carolina Lowcountry where natural drainage corridors and wetlands shape routing decisions. The layout occupies gently rolling terrain characteristic of the Pee Dee region, with stands of pine and hardwood framing fairways. Water comes into play on multiple holes, requiring golfers to manage risk around creeks and ponds that define landing areas and green approaches. Garl's design philosophy generally favors options off the tee and around greens, allowing players to choose aggressive or conservative lines based on their comfort level. Traces Golf Club operates as a public facility serving both local golfers and visitors to the Florence area, which sits along the Interstate 95 corridor in northeastern South Carolina. The attached Shankers Grille provides casual dining typical of accessible daily-fee operations. The course fits within the regional network of moderately priced layouts that cater to recreational play rather than tournament competition, offering a straightforward test shaped by natural site features and Garl's emphasis on playable, engaging golf.