Belle Terre Golf Course
Offers Unique Blend of
Links and Traditional Styles

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - In French, Belle Terre means "beautiful earth", but in the language of golf it might as well mean best of both worlds. In a town of endless contrasts, Belle Terre offers golfers both the links style of Scotland and Ireland as well as the more traditional park style feeling of America's more traditional courses.

Just how does Belle Terre pull off this enviable feat? A combination of creative links style mounding, coupled with spacious fairways and three car garage sized greens is this Rees Jones designed course's forte.

But don't let the generous amount of turf at Belle Terre fool you - according to Head Professional Todd Houser, Belle Terre plays as tough as any course on the strand.

"This is a very tough course," says Houser. "The greens are very well guarded with bunkers and there are a number of dog legs. Because of the links style, there are lots of hills, and lots of tough lies."

Links style is great. Traditional is great. But the one thing that golfers may appreciate most about Belle Terre is the conspicuous lack of housing lining the fairways and circling the greens. Instead, errant tee shots and shanked approaches will find nothing but Mother Nature.

And if the 19th hole should find you all square on your match, Belle Terre has the rare distinction of sporting a "Skins Course", a la Augusta - a par-58 executive course.

"The Skins Course is a great little layout," says Houser. "There are fourteen par-3's and four par-4's."

And rest assured, more bets are settled on the Skins Course than in the pub, no matter how inviting. If you are looking to draw a parallel, Pinehurst No. 2 is a good place to start.

While Belle Terre is not as tight, and the greens are not crowned like small mountains, Jones' design incorporates flavors of Donald Ross' classic design.

This week we'll take a closer look at Belle Terre, starting with the par-3, 14th - the course's signature hole.

For more information on Belle Terre and tee times, call the pro shop at 1-800-957-9787.