Traces Golf Club & Shankers Grille

Traces Golf Club features two eighteen-hole layouts—Creekside and Woodlands—designed by Ron Garl and opened in the late 1990s in Florence, South Carolina. Garl, a Florida-based architect known for his work throughout the Southeast, routed both courses through the gently rolling Pee Dee region terrain, incorporating natural wetlands, mature pines, and hardwoods into the playing corridors. The facility operates as a semi-private club with a casual atmosphere centered around Shankers Grille, the on-site restaurant that serves both golfers and the local community. The Creekside course takes its name from the water features and drainage corridors that come into play on several holes, requiring golfers to navigate carries and lateral hazards. The Woodlands routing emphasizes tree-lined fairways and a more parkland character, with elevation changes modest but sufficient to create variety in lies and approach angles. Both layouts are designed to accommodate a range of skill levels, with multiple tee boxes allowing flexibility in yardage and challenge. Florence sits in the northeastern interior of South Carolina, roughly equidistant from Myrtle Beach and Columbia, and Traces serves both residents and visitors passing through the region. The club's dual-course setup and accessible pricing position it as a local daily-fee option rather than a destination facility, though the Garl design pedigree and maintained conditions attract golfers seeking variety beyond the coastal Grand Strand courses an hour to the east.