FEATURE STORY

MyrtleBeachGolf.com's
Spring Golf Guide:
Breaking Down the
Grand Strand Golf Scene

Everything you need to know about the packages, the courses, and all things Grand Strand

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

Part Two in an ongoing series

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – If you are having issues encapsulating all the golf courses of the Grand Strand, you are not alone. A loose geographic definition has the region spanning a 60-mile stretch of coastline, from Georgetown, S.C. to Caswell Beach, N.C.

Many visitors simply refer to the area as “Myrtle Beach” – an oversimplification that leads to some serious confusion. Pawleys Island, Surfside Beach, Garden City Beach, Atlantic Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Little River and Calabash are all unique enclaves of the region, and each has its own flavor.

Pawleys Island, with its Live Oaks and southern charm, could be mistaken for the outskirts of Charleston. Atlantic Beach, with its video game arcades and neon lights, feels like it could be in the heart of Atlantic City.

• Reader Forums • South Carolina Course Guide • Part One: Spring Golf Guide • Past reviews by Shane Sharp

Twenty years ago, golfers used to criss cross the region in search of affordable, quality golf courses. With the beach’s meteoric growth over the past ten years, traffic congestion, the low density nature of the region, and the limited daylight of early spring, playing 36 holes of golf in two entirely different parts of the Strand has become nearly impossible.

No worries: A number of golf packagers offer vacations that center on one or two subareas of the Grand Strand, and replays are often based on co-location of golf courses.

But with 120 courses overall, even some of the subareas contain ten to 20 courses, with offerings ranging from high end daily fee courses to bottom rung bargains. No need to panic. Peruse our subarea capsules, arm yourself with the knowledge you need, and then pull the trigger on a golf vacation that will have you spending more time on the course, and less time stuck in traffic.

South Strand

Includes: Georgetown, Pawleys Island, Litchfield, Garden City Beach, and Murrells Inlet.

Flavor: The South Strand might be the most scenic subarea of the beach. Live Oaks, rice plantations turned golf courses, and mom and pop seafood restaurants are the norm. Pawleys Island even has some semblance of consistent, architectural form, and the sleepy neighborhood streets of Murrells Inlet border on charming.

Best Courses You Can Play: Caledonia Golf and Fish Club (pictured) – Mike Strantz designed course that is the most highly decorated in the Grand Strand and boasts some of the best landscaping of any course in the state. TPC of Myrtle Beach -- Stronger golf course than Caledonia, the Tom Fazio design is magnificent, and the service is among the best.

Best of the Rest: Pawleys Plantation, Heritage Club, Tradition Golf Club, the River Club, Blackmoor, Willbrook Plantation and Wachesaw Plantation East.

Also Playing International Club, Sea Gull, Litchfield Plantation, Winyah Bay.

Best Eats: Seafood – Litchfield Fish House and Divines, Steak – Marshall and Chubs, Burger – River City Café, Pizza – California Pizza Kitchen.

501 Corridor

Includes:East Conway, west Myrtle Beach.

Flavor:Congested, visually shocking traffic artery that feeds into Myrtle Beach. Mega golf complexes, outlet malls, and fast food joints mixed with strip clubs and golf stores.

Best Courses You Can Play: Wild Wing’s Avocet Course – Funky Jeff Brauer, Larry Nelson track with lots of mounding, water, elevated tees and massive greens. King’s North – Ed Seay remodel in 1996 made this one of the corridor’s best courses, if you can get by the quirky “Gambler” hole. International World Tour – Strand’s only replica facility is a little on the expensive side, but features 27 of the world’s most famous holes. Legends Parkland Course – Clandestinely designed by Mike Strantz, and one of the area’s unsung heroes.

Best of the Rest: Wild Wing Falcon, Hummingbird, and Wood Stork, Arrowhead, the Witch, the Wizard, Legends Moorland and Heathland, MBN South Creek and Belle Terre.

Also Playing: River Oaks, Burning Ridge, Quail Creek, and MBN West.

Best Eats: Seafood – Mrs. Fish in Myrtle Beach, Hamburger – Recovery Room in Medical Plaza next to Burning Ridge, Steak – Liberty Steakhouse at Broadway at the Beach.

Central Strand

Includes: Surfside Beach, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Little River.

Flavor:Classic small beach town in Surfside, complete with circus pier atmosphere and plenty of great beach bars. Myrtle and North Myrtle Beaches lean towards gaudy, high-rise condo filled blocks and plenty of tourist traps.

Best Courses You Can Play: The Dunes Golf and Beach Club – Classic Robert Trent Jones course has hosted the Senior Tour Championship and is one of the beach’s oldest, most respected courses. Prestwick – Designed by the Dye’s and considered one of the toughest tests in town. Grande Dunes – Best new golf course in the Strand is also one of the area’s most ambitious real estate projects. Barefoot Resort (pictured) – Fazio, Love, Norman and Dye courses, all in great condition. Tidewater – Historically, one of the Strand’s best courses with a slew of holes that play out along the Intracoastal.

Best of the Rest: Surf Club, Pine Lakes, Waterway Hills, Myrtlewood, Glen Dornoch, Heather Glenn.

Also Playing: Whispering Pines, Arcadian Shores, Robbers Roost, Possum Trot, Beachwood, Bay Tree, Aberdeen, Colonial Charters, Eagle Nest, River Hills.

Best Eats: Seafood – restaurant row in North Myrtle Beach and Crab Catchers in Little River, Hamburger – the original Shucker’s in Myrtle Beach, Italian – Angelo’s in Myrtle Beach.

North Strand

Includes: Brunswick County beaches, Calabash, and Shallotte.

Flavor:Rural, bucolic, and generally, a breath of fresh air. Condos give way to beach houses, chain restaurants give way to home grown seafood restaurants, and a four hour rounds are still obtainable.

Best Courses You Can Play: Rivers Edge – Palmer designed course with a back nine that plays along the Shallotte River. Tigers Eye – Tim Cate jewel at Ocean Ridge that is often referred to as the Caledonia of the north. The Thistle – Linksy Tim Cate course that just added a new nine. Marsh Harbor and Oyster Bay – Dan Maples designs two of the most scenic in the Grand Strand. The Players Club at St. James Plantation – its way up there, but worth the drive.

Best of the Rest: Carolina National, Calabash Golf Links, Farmstead Golf Links, Crow Creek, Sea Trail Courses, Pearl Courses, Angles Trace, Members Club and Gauntlet at St. James Plantation, Magnolia Greens Plantation, Brunswick Plantation, Sandpiper Bay, Panthers Run, and Lockwood Folley.

Also Playing: Meadowlands Golf Club, Brick Landing, Ocean Isle, Lion’s Paw and Brierwood.

Best Eats: Seafood – Calabash … any restaurant, Hamburger – Broncos on Ocean Isle Beach, Italian – Grapevine in Calabash.