The Reserve

The Reserve is a gated golf and marina community in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, built in 1998 around the Greg Norman-designed Reserve Golf Club. Homeowners have private beach access through Litchfield by the Sea, boat access via the Harbor Club Marina on the Waccamaw River, and optional membership at The Reserve Golf Club. It's one of the most sought-after gated neighborhoods on the Waccamaw Neck / South Strand, known for large custom homes, mature live oaks, and low-country wetland views.

Ask anyone on the South Strand which gated community sets the bar for the Waccamaw Neck, and The Reserve comes up first. This roughly 700-acre master-planned community was established in 1998 around the Greg Norman-designed Reserve Golf Club — a 350-acre course with 160 acres of protected wetlands woven through it — and it shows in everything from the winding streets to the way the homes sit tucked among the oaks instead of crowding the fairways.

The Reserve Golf Club itself is consistently ranked among the top courses on the Grand Strand, and it's a private club under McConnell Golf, so membership is optional for residents — not a requirement to live here. That's part of what makes The Reserve work for so many different buyers: you can be an everyday golfer, an occasional golfer, or someone who never picks up a club and still get full value out of the community.

What really sets The Reserve apart is the layered amenity package. Residents get:

Private beach access at Litchfield by the Sea, including the oceanfront clubhouse, tennis courts, walking trails, and fishing docks
Boat access through the Harbor Club Marina, tucked in a protected cove off the Intracoastal Waterway, with a full-time dockmaster, wet and dry storage, and a marina pool
Optional membership at The Reserve Golf Club, the Greg Norman course that put this neighborhood on the map
A gated, guard-attended entrance, mature landscaping, and quiet streets built around ponds and preserved wetlands

That combination — golf, marina, and beach, all in one gated address — is genuinely rare on this part of the coast, and it's a big reason homes here tend to hold their value well.

Neighborhoods within The Reserve: Preservation Point (custom estate homes on generous lots), Island Estates (the most exclusive section, with larger private lots), Huntington Lake Villas (low-maintenance one-level villas with a private pool and clubhouse), Harbor Club Villas (townhome-style villas near the marina), Huntington Mews (carriage and craftsman-style homes), and The Cottages (a lower-maintenance entry point into the community).

Location: The Reserve sits on the northern end of Pawleys Island, minutes from the shops and restaurants of Pawleys Island proper and close to Litchfield Beach, Murrells Inlet, and Huntington Beach State Park.

Homes: Architecture leans classic Lowcountry — brick and cedar shake, deep porches, metal roofs — alongside more updated coastal-contemporary builds. Lot sizes run larger than most neighborhoods in the area, with many homes backing up to the golf course, a pond, or preserved wetlands.

Work with the specialists:

Mariah Johnson and Hampton Roberts are the mother-son team behind Coastal Real Estate Legacy, and The Reserve has long been one of the brand's core areas of specialty. Clients get the depth of a multi-generational local career paired with the reach of a fully modern marketing approach — plus the personal attention of a small, intentional team rather than a large production roster. From the first conversation to well after closing, every detail is handled. Coastal Real Estate Legacy tracks every listing, sale, and market shift in The Reserve closely — from Preservation Point to Huntington Lake Villas.

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