If you want to craft an unforgettable vacation filled with as much great golf as you can play, one destination stands out: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
And when you’re looking to put together your itinerary of courses plus the perfect accommodations for you and your group, one website stands out: MyrtleBeachGolf.com.
Thousands of your fellow golfers have made MyrtleBeachGolf.com their main resource for planning, pricing and booking their trips, and in order to help others plan their own visits, the site’s directors have just released a list of the nine most popular courses in the area. Here they are, in alphabetical order:
Arcadian Shores Golf Club
Rees Jones has had a storied golf architecture career that rivals that of his father, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and his brother, Robert Trent Jones, Jr. For him, Myrtle Beach is where it all began, as he made Arcadian Shores his first solo design. Open since 1974, Arcadian Shores is a favorite among players who value the ability to drive it straight and hit precise iron shots. Two holes stand out in particular: the long par-3 second and the long par-4 13th.
Arrowhead Country Club
Arrowhead is a unique layout with 27 holes, meaning it can be played as any one of three 18-hole combinations. With a number of holes bordering the mighty Intracoastal Waterway, it is an excellent venue for groups who love to enjoy beautiful scenery while playing their rounds. Arrowhead is also known for having some of the best conditioned greens in the region.
Grande Dunes Resort Club
Grande Dunes Resort Club represents Myrtle Beach’s unique take on upscale, luxury golf experiences. Designed by Roger Rulewich, the course can play as long as 7,500 yards from the back set of tees, but it offers a number of other sets to accommodate players of varying skill levels. It is maintained to a tournament standard, with smooth, fast greens, crisp bunkering and a number of holes with spectacular views of the Intracoastal Waterway — all culminating at a grand, Italianate clubhouse.
Man O’ War Golf Club
Like its companion course, The Wizard, Man O’ War is an amusing Dan Maples design located in the heart of Myrtle Beach’s Carolina Forest district. This makes it convenient to most hotels and resorts, and as a result it finds its way onto many golfers’ itineraries. Water comes into play on nearly every hole, but Man O’ War’s generally wide fairways and spacious bentgrass greens make it surprisingly playable and fun.
Myrtle Beach National Golf Club – King’s North
Arnold Palmer’s list of contributions to the game of golf is as long as The King is charming, and the course that bears his name is one of Myrtle Beach’s very best. It is home to a number of the Grand Strand’s most memorable holes, including “The Gambler,” the par-five sixth with its island fairway, and the island-green par-3 12th, whose green is guarded on the left by bunkers in the shape of an “S” and a “C,” respectively.
Myrtle Beach National Golf Club – West Course
Not to be overlooked, the West Course is a fun, well-maintained course that serves as a lovely companion to King’s North. It is less challenging and a little shorter, making it a fine place for the first round of your trip or a late-afternoon “emergency” second 18. Speaking of 18, its finishing hole is a memorable long, par-3 over water that ends up deciding many close matches.
Myrtlewood Golf Club – Palmetto Course
The Palmetto Course at Myrtlewood Golf Club is home to one of the Grand Strand’s most memorable finishing holes: a long par-4 with the Intracoastal Waterway bordering the entire left side of the hole. Just behind the green is a Myrtle Beach landmark: a wooden sign indicating that that point is equidistant from both New York City and Miami.
Pine Lakes Country Club
As the first course built in Myrtle Beach, all the way back in 1927, Pine Lakes is affectionately — and justifiably — known as “The Granddaddy.” And yet, in a way it is also one of Myrtle Beach’s newest courses, having undergone a massive renovation just a few years ago. But don’t worry — renovation architect Craig Schreiner took care to preserve the classic character of original designer Robert White’s vision. When you play Pine Lakes, be sure to take a few minutes to peruse the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame, located just behind the warm, inviting clubhouse.
TPC Myrtle Beach
Longtime visitors know that Myrtle Beach has something for everyone in terms of dining, shopping and, of course, golf. Some courses are great for a warm-up round, while others are so challenging that they attract touring pros looking to hone their games. The latter is the case at TPC Myrtle Beach, where PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson practices and plays when he is in town.
Beyond merely booking your next Myrtle Beach golf vacation, if you want the lowdown on what’s happening around the Grand Strand golf scene, be sure to keep checking back with us at MyrtleBeachGolf.com.