 FEATURE STORY
Grand Strand North:
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NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Nov. 15, 2006) - The Grand Strand is grand not only in terms of the quantity of its golf courses but in its length as well: 50 miles of unbroken beach, from the southern tip of North Carolina down to Georgetown, S.C.
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With stays averaging about five days, few golfers can do more than scratch the surface of the Strand's 100-plus playing possibilities. Sensible visitors confine their stay to either the north, central or south Strand and play the best courses in that area.
The northern and southern tips are relatively peaceful places, suited to older golfers looking for some serenity with their tee times. The central Strand tends to draw younger crowds with its active nightlife.
For each portion, there's a perfect itinerary. Here's our suggestion for five days on the North Strand.
Monday
Dive right in with both feet at Barefoot Resort's Love and Dye courses
Invariably ranked among Myrtle Beach's top 10 courses - often at the top - the Love course is a traditionally designed, visually striking track (Nos. 3-7 incorporate the re-created ruins of an old plantation home), endowed with a low-country feel by native son Davis Love III.
Pete Dye's contribution, recommended by a hair over Barefoot's Tom Fazio course, borders the natural white sands of the Carolina Bays. At once beautiful and treacherous in the Dye fashion, it runs more than 7,300 yards from the back tees, with a whopping 149 slope rating. Consider the Love course, with its wide, generous landing areas, a warm-up for Dye's particular brand of evil.
Tuesday
The Grand Strand is home to so many excellent tracks that only a few truly stand out. Tidewater Golf Club is one of them.
Laid out along the Intracoastal Waterway a little north of North Myrtle Beach, Tidewater will dazzle you with scenery and shots. It's a gorgeous course, with overhanging oaks, marsh everywhere and high bluffs looking down on the sailboats and fishermen on the sun-sparkled waterway. The conditioning is top-notch, even in autumn when many other Strand courses are suffering.
Wednesday
Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links is one of the four Scottish-themed courses in the Glens Golf Group, and it's generally considered the best. In fact, there are those who say it can hold its own among the top courses on the Strand, and they probably don't get much argument.
Like Tidewater, this Clyde Johnston design just below the North Carolina border plays hard by the Intracoastal Waterway, opening on to views of the marshes. You can stand on the greens and fairways, watching the casino boats and shrimpers heading out to sea, and almost forget about the golf.
The conditioning is superb, and the locals say it stays that way year-round. Even when many Grand Strand greens are suffering from overplay and a hot, dry summer and overplay, Glen Dornoch's look like something fresh from the oven.
Thursday
Folks in Sunset Beach's Ocean Ridge Plantation development call Tiger's Eye Golf Links the "jewel" of the three on-site courses, and Tim Cate's design is recognized as a gem up and down the Strand.
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"Cate's cleverly yet traditionally designed golf links were patched together through an amazing piece of coastal property that contains over 60 feet in elevation change," Shane Sharp wrote in a 2002 TravelGolf.com review.
Water is in play on 13 holes and most of the hazards are to the right, to the bane of the right-handed slicer. Still, most of the difficulty here is in the greens, which Cate described as being like wet, warped plywood. There's not a flat putt or a gimme on the course.
Friday
With so many riches on offer, consider closing with another 36-hole day, starting at River's Edge Golf Club, a beautifully laid-out stunner along the banks of the Shallotte River and the surrounding marshes.
It's advertised as an Arnold Palmer design, located as it is along Arnold Palmer Drive, but the driving force here was Palmer's assistant, Erik Larsen. Larsen did his homework, taking an exceptional piece of low-country terrain and subtly routing the course through and around it, following the natural curves and, yes, elevation.
"It's the best natural piece of land, I would say, since Pebble Beach," Head Professional Bart Romano said. "We moved no dirt to build the place - it's all natural land, rolling hills and fairways."
The Pebble Beach comparison may be a stretch, but there is no doubt about the authenticity of the scenery, particularly if you're a fan of marsh views, which seem to change color with the seasons.
You don't want your last play of the trip to be a stresser. At Thistle Golf Club on the northern tip of the Strand they start you 12 minutes apart - an eternity in golf time.
"We lose money on it, but it keeps people coming back," Head Professional Shawn Hicken said.
There are better courses along the Strand, certainly more challenging ones, but none more relaxed. Nobody pushing you from behind, nobody holding you up in front. That's one reason some long-time Strand golfers swear by Thistle. Another is the conditioning, which is usually immaculate.
Thistle is reminiscent of the gentle Scottish countryside, with its mounds, heather and wildflowers. There aren't any pot bunkers or windswept ocean rollers, but it's clear designer Cate was going for a links feel. Take your time and take a good look around. You're in no hurry to head home.
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.
