COURSE REVIEW

Man O'War is one Waterworld that's no flop

By Chris Baldwin,
Senior Writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (May 9, 2005) - Some courses intimidate from the first tee. Man O'War intimidates from an altitude of 3,000 feet.

Visitors to Myrtle Beach often first see the Dan Maples' design from their airline seats. With its water stretching everywhere, Man O'War is unmistakable from the sky. Looking down on it from up high it appears like its fairways and greens are slim islands bobbing in a giant's bathtub.

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It's enough to take your swing, if not your breath, away.

"Coming in from the air, people can point out Man O'War more easily than almost any other course,'' said Wayne Welden, the course's director of golf. "With all the water, it's very distinctive."

Distinctive enough to bring the memories back later in wobbly knees. There is just something about water that intimidates like no other obstacle. People see Man O'War from the airplane or view its panoramic pictures and imagine the worst. They hear or read that 16 of its 18 holes have water and they tighten up.

How else do you explain an extremely solid player like Betty Poole of Brandon, Ontario meekly conceding, "That means I'll have to punt it up until I get to the edge'' when faced with an island green? How else do you explain one of the workers at the three course Maples complex admitting all the water on Man O'War makes him "a little squeamish"?

This is Man O'War's fear factor. This course might as well be a pit bull sleeping in the corner. It's possible this particular pit bull could be most gentle dog in the world, but just looking at him still makes you uneasy. Man O'War is like that. Every golfer remembers their own Jean Van de Velde water moment when a little plop transformed a dream round into a nightmare. Man O'War tends to bring those feelings rushing back.

Suddenly, you're either set on playing it or determined to stay away from it.

"The Man O'War is a course a lot of people love to play because of all the water,'' Welden said. "They're exhilarated if they conquer it and it is conquerable."

That's right, conquerable. It turns out Man O'War is a lot like a roller coaster with a reputation for producing screams. It is much scarier from afar than when you are actually on it. Up close, Man O'War offers these wide fairways, plenty of room to skirt around the water on all but a few holes. Sure, a wild shot is all but guaranteed to splash down, but the worst shots should carry a price. That is the mark of a good golf course, not a monster.

For all the water fixation, it turns out that Man O'War's greens are actually the sleeping beast that bites most golfers. These are perfect bent grass greens maintained by a neat freak/sadist. A tap is all it takes to send your putt charging ahead and it's easy to suddenly feel like you are in a car piloted by a teenage driver in training. You're never quite sure where you're going, but you know it is going to be a sudden jerky trip.

"These greens take some getting used to,'' John Shepherd, a golfer from Knoxville, Tenn., said. "If you're used to playing other surfaces and then you get out here to this bent grass, it's a lot quicker."

If the greens cause the damage, the water still grabs all the glamour. It is interesting seeing how the sight of blue makes people doubt their game. Take No. 14, a straightforward 382-yard, par-4. In normal circumstances, this would practically be a gimmie hole. Only the green's on an island and that changes everything. Suddenly, everyone's going short or long with their approach shots, overcompensating to avoid a splash down in either direction.

The water does not mess with your swing as much as it messes with your mind.

Maples' design uses this to full advantage. The Carolina family designer may be overrated in these parts (see Man O'War's sister course The Wizard), but maybe Maples is just a psychologist at heart. Putting in back-to-back island greens at Man O'War (No. 14 and No. 15) is a stroke of mind warfare Sun Tzu could appreciate.

There is no chance for a landlover to catch his breath after No. 14. Anyone already jittery becomes even more so when faced with the 173-yard, par-3, island-green 15th. Somehow through sheer psychology Maples transforms an 18-handicap-rated hole into an intimidator. In this foursome, everyone nervously landed in the deep sand bunker right in front of the island green.

Call it a case of the water yips.

Man O'War is all about overcoming your preconceived notions. The hardest hole on the course -- the No. 1 handicap, 593-yard, par-5 eighth -- is one in which water does not come into play. It is all in the eye of the beholder.

"We use this is as a warm-up course,'' Paul MacDonald, a frequent Myrtle Beach visitor from the Boston area, said dismissively. "The greens and fairways are in good shape, but it's really not that difficult at all if you don't get caught up in it."

Of course as MacDonald talked, his buddy Bob Leonard of Goffstown, NH stalked up to the 10th tee, visibly upset about what had transpired on No. 9. That would be the hole with the island fairway. The same hole that once cost Welden a shot at the course record (a bogey on nine, his closing hole, left the golf director one off the mark). The same hole that's built on the kind of intimidation factor MacDonald waved off.

"Just hit your shot,'' Leonard, glowered at MacDonald.

Just another day at Man O'War, the friendly island paradise.

The Verdict

Built on a 100-acre man-made lake, Man O'War is one Waterworld that doesn't deserve to be a box office bomb. It carries a gimmicky concept to be sure, but that is backed by a very playable course. At 6,967 yards from the back tees, it is not designed to infuriate as much as it is to entertain.

This isn't a course that has gone bunker crazy. Instead Maples makes good use of the bunkers he does put into play, matching them up with the water obstacles to create challenges that make you mull over club selection. Even the No. 9 island fairway that draws most of the complaints is large enough to allow for a decent margin for error.

The greens are in great shape and at a time of year when many Grand Strand courses are looking a little ragged making the transition from summer to fall seasons, Man O'War was sparkling green. With $39 p.m. weekday rate ($35 if you get one of the easy to find coupons), this is one water test worth taking.

Places to eat

Tanger Outlet mall and its food court is right down 501, minutes from the course. For something more substantial, the Blue Water Bistro & Bakery ((843) 692-2202) offers good seafood options and fresh-baked pastries for reasonable prices. The Crab Ravioli is a winner here. Avoid Rossi's ((843) 449-0481) and its overhyped (you'll see the billboards all over town) average Italian menu.

Places to stay

The Comfort Suites (through Carolina Golf Travel at 1-888-633-6102) provides very easy access to all three of the Dan Maples' courses. All its rooms include refrigerators and microwaves, making it a good choice for those who want the hotel feel and some cheaper supermarket dinning options. The Courtyard by Marriott Broadway at the Beach (through Carolina Golf Travel at 1-888-633-6102) might be the most centralized location of all, boasting of 92 golf courses within a 35-mile radius. Of course, the wet bars available in some suites might be more important to some party golfers.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.