Tom Jackson has built over 100 golf courses, about 45 of which are located in the Carolinas, and all of which are considered masterpieces of design. River Hills is one of seven Tom Jackson golf courses in the Grand Strand.
Hailing from Westchester, Pennsylvania, Tom Jackson has settled with his wife in upstate Greenville, South Carolina. Jackson studied at State University of New York and the University of Georgia, earning an architecture degree in 1965, with a solid grounding in land planning and site development. He realized that designing golf courses was the best way for him to indulge his love of the outdoors.
After sending out many applications, only Robert Trent Jones responded, hiring Jackson to build courses in Puerto Rico. Later, Jackson worked for George W. Cobb before striking out on his own in 1971, creating Tom Jackson Golf, based in Greenville.
Jackson soon began winning awards for his design work. He learned the wisdom of co-designing alongside a professional tour player, most notably World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd. For some time, he worked in partnership with his sons, who have since left the family company. (In 1992, Thomas R. Jackson, Jr., founded a golf course construction firm in Taylors, South Carolina, north of Greenville.)
Tom Jackson was named to the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. Now he keeps his hand in by taking on less frequent and smaller projects, including renovations of his own courses and those of other designers. And he enjoys playing golf on his own courses, where he always receives a special welcome.