To add to Tony's comments from 10 years ago, I have played Riverside since I was a kid and sadly it…read morehasn't improved. While the clubhouse is nice, the burgers good, and the staff friendly, the course itself is at best a raggedy, neglected goat ranch. So it's a 'good value' only in the sense that you're not paying much for a crummy course.
Fairways are mainly low-cut weeds and crabgrass, while the greens are low-cut dead weeds and lumpy, hardpacked dirt and sand. The course is in the hood, and the sound of not-too-distant gunfire not uncommon. If you're intent on going, watch yourself and don't leave valuables in your car. If you have a carry permit, carry.
Riverside is bordered on the east by a noisy expressway, on the north by a gravel pit, and the water Tony mentions to the west is not the Mississippi River, but McKellar Lake - the smelly, highly polluted, garbage-filled Memphis industrial harbor. There are prehistoric remnants of cart paths between #1 and #2, between #4 and #5, and between #5 and #6.
The actual course layout, while short, makes a primitive but fun track with many deep ravines, hills, thick woods, overgrown areas, and OB to the right on 7 of the 9 holes. Most holes are par 4, with one par 3 and one par 5. Also, plenty (as in plenty) of snakes, so don't go poking around in the rough or down in the ravines - even though you see brand new golf balls down there. Insects of every description (mainly mosquitos, flies, gnats, ticks) are plentiful.
In short, this course and it's ancient layout could be a gem if the city spent some money on it, maintained it, and improved security.
Don't mean to be overly-critical, but out-of-towners and other neophytes need to know what they're getting into. If you're looking for a decent municipal course in Memphis, go to Overton Park GC on Poplar Ave or Galloway GC on Walnut Grove Rd. And watch yourself.
