There’s a popular saying in golf: “Drive for show, putt for dough.” And while I agree with the sentiment, it leaves out perhaps my favorite part of the most memorable single golf holes: the approach shot.
After a long, straight tee shot (as rare as they are), I want to be faced with an interesting iron to a well-protected green. If I’m going to have a birdie putt, I want to earn it. If you feel the same way, here are four Myrtle Beach approach shots you absolutely must experience:
#1 – Going for the green in two at “The Gambler”
This approach shot assumes a successful tee ball — one that has found the island fairway in the middle of a lake at the par-5 sixth hole at Myrtle Beach National’s King’s North Course. If you can manage that, you will be left with anywhere from 175 to 220 yards — all carry over water — to a sloped putting surface that is tilted toward that same lake. If you’re successful, you may have a chance at an eagle. Face it: You’ve made it too far to lay up, haven’t you?
#2 – From the fairway to the foot of the veranda
To be honest, a number of holes at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club could qualify for this unique list, but the finishing hole takes the cake for us. Not only are golfers faced with a short- or mid-iron over water to a long, narrow, angled green, they often must hit the shot with as many as a few dozen of their friends watching from the deck of Caledonia’s plantation-style clubhouse. And to make matters even more nerve-wracking, bets are often placed on the outcome of such approaches.
#3 – Don’t. Go. Left.
Golf psychologists often stress the importance of positive thinking before hitting a golf shot — e.g. “Let’s hit this drive down the middle of the fairway!” rather than, “Whatever you do, don’t hit this iron shot to the left!” It can be difficult at times, but perhaps nowhere more so than on the finishing hole at Myrtlewood Golf Club’s Palmetto Course. A long par-4 that stretches more than 460 yards from the back tee, the hole is bordered along the left by the mighty Intracoastal Waterway.
#4 – Almost home
There aren’t too many par-6s out there, but when they work, they can make for a memorable addition to a round. And Myrtle Beach’s lone par-6 — the 767-yard finishing hole at Farmstead Golf Links — is a doozy … especially the approach shot. In fact, chances are that you will strike that shot in South Carolina and it will come to rest in North Carolina — hopefully on the green, more specifically. That putting surface is well-guarded: a bunker sits directly in front, and a lake lurks to the left. What a way to finish your round at one of Myrtle Beach’s most underrated courses!
The best news of all? You can book rounds on all four of these courses at MyrtleBeachGolf.com!