MYRTLE BEACH FEATURE

The Best Par 3's of the South Strand in Myrtle Beach

PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. - When it comes to golf, they can be as forgiving as one hundred Hail Mary's, or as devastating as the wrath of you know who.

They are par-3's, and the South Strand of Myrtle Beach has some of the Grand's Strand's best one-shotters.

"There are some great par 3's on this end of the beach," says Robert Spangler, head professional at the Tradition Golf Club. "There isn't a course down here that doesn't have a couple good ones."

The making of a good par 3 is both an art and a science onto itself. Because they are so easy to picture in the mind's eye, players often have strong opinions about what makes or breaks a par 3.

"I like par 3's from 130 to 185 yards," says Spangler. "You should have a little bit of everything in the four that you have. Two with water, two without water, two under 180 yards, and maybe two over. I don't like the 210, 220 par 3's, because it's rare that a guy can get down in par. "Rarely will you have shots into par 4's that are over 210 yards, so why should you have one into a par 3? You should be able to hit a short iron or a middle iron and attack it, and you should have a fairly small green or the green should be protected."

As fate would have it, the No. 15 hole at Tradition is just such a hole. At 175 yards from the back of the bus, the fifteenth requires good players to pull a low to middle iron. Average players can take a shot at the pin from 157 yards, but water protects the peninsular green in the front, and a series of bunkers guard the left.

"You can miss the hole in a few ways, but not short because of the false front," Spangler says. "The front right pin placement makes the hole really difficult, because if you attack it, you might pay the price if the wind is in your face."

When you talk about par-3's and the South Strand, most head professionals and golfers agree that you have to mention the No.'s 13 and 17 holes at Pawleys Plantation.

Thirteen is the area's consummate knee knocking one shotter. The green complex sits on a bulkheaded peninsula that jets out to the left, and the tee box is but a sliver of turf just to the left of the cart path. The green is actually a double that serves as the putting surface for the sixteenth hole, as well.

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"Those are two great holes," says Mac Hood, head professional at Blackmoor. "The seventeenth is a little more forgiving because you can bail out behind it a little."

According to a number of local pros, Hood has a dandy of a par-3 on his hands at Blackmoor in the 160-yard 15th. A shot over the wetlands to a two-tiered green is required for a shot at par, and if the hole is cut in the back right, fifteen can play to nearly 180 yards.

Of course, 180 yards may seem like a treat after playing the 235-yard par 3 13th hole at the Heritage Club. Even average golfers don't catch much of a break, as the hole plays to 200 yards from the blues into a narrow green fronted by nothing but pure H2O.

"Yea, that is a beast," says Christa Bodensteiner, former head professional at Willbrook Plantation. "When the wind cranks up, forget it from the back tees."

When the coastal winds are blowing across the marsh, No. 13 becomes on of the toughest little holes in Myrtle Beach, even from the 115-yard blue tees. The 17th is No. 13's sister hole, a devious one shotter in its own right that plays to 201 yards from the tips and requires a tee shot over the marsh.

"Those are two great holes," says Mac Hood, head professional at Blackmoor. "The seventeenth is a little more forgiving because you can bail out behind it a little."

According to a number of local pros, Hood has a dandy of a par-3 on his hands at Blackmoor in the 160-yard 15th. A shot over the wetlands to a two-tiered green is required for a shot at par, and if the hole is cut in the back right, fifteen can play to nearly 180 yards.

Of course, 180 yards may seem like a treat after playing the 235-yard par 3 13th hole at the Heritage Club. Even average golfers don't catch much of a break, as the hole plays to 200 yards from the blues into a narrow green fronted by nothing but pure H2O.

"Yea, that is a beast," says Christa Bodensteiner, former head professional at Willbrook Plantation. "When the wind cranks up, forget it from the back tees." Some other must play par-3's of the South Strand include:

No. 16 at True Blue - A dastardly par 3 that plays 208-yards from the back of the bus, and requires a nicely drawn tee shot over water in a green that slopes front to back.

No. 12 at Willbrook - One of the area's finest, this hole plays 155 yards from the whites and 168 yards from the blues and requires a tee shot over a huge waste bunker to a horizontal green that is as shallow as a puddle and protected in the front with a pot bunker.

No. 11 at Caledonia - A picturesque one shotter that plays downhill with a creek running to the left of the hole and features a deep green that runs diagonally from front right to back left.

No. 8 at the River Club - This hole plays 170 from the back tees, and requires a tee shot over water to a shallow, wide green. When the pin is back right, it plays to nearly 195 yards.