COURSE REVIEWS

The Thistle's 9th Hole
on the West Nine lives up to
"Ferocious yet Fair" Mantra

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

SUNSET BEACH, N.C. - When asked about the special quality of the 9th hole of the West Nine at Thistle Golf Club, Director of Golf Dan Oschmann simply had this to say:

"The 9th hole has eaten more good rounds than any of us can remember. During the Sunbelt Seniors tournament, a player came into the 9th with a good score, and walked away with an eight."

• Course Review: The Thistle Golf Club • Past Myrtle Beach course reviews and features

The Hole: The 9th hole on the West Nine at the Thistle Golf Club - plays 558 yards from the tips, 530 yards from the blues, 500 yards from the whites, and 400 yards from the forward tees.

Architect: Tim Cate

The Layout: The 9th hole is a sweeping dogleg left, with water down the left side of the fairway and wildflowers and wild grass along the right side. The hole is capped by a two-tiered green that can sport hole cuts on either tier, allowing the 9th to play as virtually two different holes.

The Strategy: "The lay-up shot is the hard shot," says Oschmann. "If you want to hit a short iron into the green, you have to flirt with the bunker on the left hand side and carry it. There is a huge bunker next to the green - it (the green) is two tiered and it is giant."

The Average Golfer: According to Oschmann, the strategy for the average golfer all depends on the drive.

"If you have not hit it down past the fairway bunker, the next shot is going to be tough," says Oschmann about one of his favorite holes on the course. "There is a fairway bunker that you can cut to the left. If you can drive it over that, then you can get past the second fairway bunker, leaving you a short iron to the green. If not, you have a long iron to the green.

Don't Play: A tee shot that leaves you with a tough decision on the second shot. "The toughest shot on the hole is the second shot bar none," says Oschmann. "Deciding what you are going to do is the key. If the pin is on the lower tier, you want to get it out in the fairway as far as you can so you can fire straight at it."

Play the Hole: Over coffee (or Bloody Mary's, depending on your tastes). "In the morning the hole is just gorgeous," says Oschmann. "The sun is coming up over the hole and it is very pretty."

Wanna Play?: The Thistle Golf Club, 8840 Old Georgetown Road, Sunset Beach, N.C. (1-800-571-6710)

Shane Sharp is a staff writer for Myrtlebeachgolf.com and GolfArizona.com.