COURSE REVIEWS

The Surf Club Can Still
Hang with the Best of Them

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

Chip Shot: In the second part of the Venerable Venues Series, Senior Writer Shane Sharp takes a look at one of the Grand Strand’s oldest and most well known courses - the Surf Golf and Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach.

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - It is the third oldest course in Myrtle Beach, and let’s just say it can shoot its age and hang with any of the new comers. “It” is the Surf Golf and Beach Club, and two key renovations and one of the best head pros in all the Grand Strand has kept this challenging old dog on the top shelf of Myrtle Beach golf.

“The course was first renovated by John Lafoy in 1990,” says head professional Bill Campbell. “John changed all of the greens and bunkers.”

They laser leveled all the tee boxes using a machine that sets a two percent slope. To the naked eye they are absolutely flat, but they have the grade so they can drain.”

The Surf Club, as it is commonly referred to, was originally designed by George Cobb and opened in 1960 when you could still count the cars on U.S. Highway 17 on two hands.

Much of Cobb’s original design is still in effect today. According to Campbell, Lafoy’s charge was to reinvent the greens and the bunkers, and to leave the traditionally styled fairways alone.

“Lafoy changed the square footage on the greens,” says Campbell. “They had gotten smaller over the years as we kept mowing them.

He added some contours in some places, some small mounds in others, and built some background to the greens to provide green depth. The bunkers changed quite a bit too. They now have sod faces instead of lips. They have grass coming all the way down to the sand.”

But the most significant change at the Surf Club may have come in 1996 when the course closed to convert the greens to G2 bentgrass. It was a pivotal point in the Surf Club’s history, as the decision was made to remain competitive with new upscale daily fee courses that were opening faster than Kurt Warner’s wide receivers.

While the greens may only roll 8-9 on the stimpmeter, the new contours created by Lafoy provide two and even three tiered complexes that will challenge the best wielders of the flat blade to get down in two.

Beyond the greens, it should come as no surprise that the Surf Club is a traditional layout in every aspect of the word. With its parkland layout, the fairways are wide and fairway bunkers are minimal, with most of the trouble coming around the green. And while water is present on fourteen of the eighteen holes, it is almost entirely cosmetic in purpose.

Home to a number of memorable holes, the Surf Club is perhaps best known for its par-3’s, which many golfers consider to be the best on the Grand Strand. The par-3, No. 18 may be the best known of these holes, as it made the Sun News’ “Dream 18” list in 1997.

“It is our signature hole with a carry over a sizable lake to a small green,” says Campbell about one of his favorite holes. “The putting surface is also well sloped from back to front, and if you hit it behind the stick you have to put back down the hill.

But No. 3 is the best par-3 on the golf course in my opinion. It plays 192 yards from the tips with a cypress swamp on the left. To me it is more of a penal hole than the eighteenth.”

At 6,842 yards from the blue tees, the Surf Club offers up more than just par-3’s. Campbell’s favorite stretch of par-4’s consists of holes two, seven and eight.

“I like No. 7 because you have to fly the ball on the green because of a severe upslope,” says Campbell. “But it takes a big hit to even reach the green as it plays 442 yards from the back tees, and even from the whites it plays 408 yards. It is a big hole for every one.”

We also have some short par-4’s that are just great. No. 12 has a two-tiered green. Its only 340 yards from the whites, but the green is so severe that if you are on the wrong tier it is almost impossible to two putt.”

When it comes to the Surf Club’s par-5’s, Campbell has some mixed emotions. The par-5, No. 10 hole was also featured in the Sun News’ “Dream 18”, but Campbell has his own take on the hole.

“I think the hole is one of the worst on the course, architecturally speaking. Big hitters can clear both lakes on the hole, and it just gives long hitters too much of an advantage and does not penalize them for poor accuracy. Shorter hitters have to hit three perfect shots to get on in regulation.”

But Campbell is really just splitting hairs with his assessment of No. 10, as the Surf Club is as much a part of Campbell as he is of the Surf Club after all these years.

“I am in my 15th year here, and I still think this is one of the best pieces of land in the entire area,” says Campbell, “and with all the renovations we have a great one. If anyone tells you they have better greens than us, I would beg to differ.”

The Deal

Directions: To get to Surf Club from Myrtle Beach take Highway 17 North and take a right on 11th Ave. North. Turn left on Springland Drive (look for sign). The course is about a quarter of a mile on the left.

Pro Shop (local number): 249-1524; toll-free: 800-765-7873.

Green fees: Range from mid-$50s to $90 with cart.