Myrtle Beach Golf Courses

The best courses for Myrtle Beach Golf

Golf Myrtle Beach favorites: Locals in Myrtle Beach know all the best courses, best golf deals and can plot every shot. Myrtle Beach favorite golf courses start with the oldest Pine Lakes to the newest Barefoot Golf Courses, and Grande Dunes!

We'll help you get to know Myrtle Beach Golf - three little words that mean a whole lot of fun for your golf vacation! At last count there are 120 Myrtle Beach golf courses just waiting for you to discover. When we moved to Myrtle Beach in 1985 the count was about 80 golf courses - so you can see how the sport has grown and grown some more.

Golf in Myrtle Beach is always an adventure. You can choose from target courses to wide open fairways, links or traditional golf. Fairways lined with pine trees or old oaks draped in Spanish Moss. All the top golf architects including Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Pete Dye, The Shark and many other top names have given their best to make Myrtle Beach golf tops!

Choose and golf Myrtle Beach favorite courses with us today! Back in the 70's when you brought your group to Myrtle Beach the choices were a little more restricted, Pine Lakes (The "Granddaddy") was always great to play and The Dunes took your breath away with it's ocean views.

Azalea Sands, Possum Trot, Cypress Bay, Eagle Nest, Gator Hole were some other choices in those days. Since the mid 80's that list has been added to dramatically.
 

Myrtle Beach Golf Course Development

Myrtle Beach south, which includes, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield, and Pawleys Island has absolutely exploded since the 1980's. Litchfield Country Club had been around for a good number of years, as well as Sea Gull.

When we first started going to Myrtle Beach south, you could shoot a canon down Route 17 and many of the businesses still closed in the winter. That was before the advent of all the new golf courses and the influx of people moving to this wonderful area.

About 1985, the local powers that be started to develop some of their land that had set idle for so many years. Doc Lachicotte and a group from Clemson started with Wachesaw Plantation in Murrells Inlet. They brought in one of the best designers, Tom Fazio and the Wachesaw Plantation Club was dedicated in October of 1985.

It is one of the best private golf courses and communities to live. Check it out when you're in town. It's never too early to think about retiring to a golf course! And you can play this private course, if you opt to rent one of their golf cottages!

The 707 corridor in Murrells Inlet was developed a few years later, with Blackmoor opening and more recently TPC and World Tour.

Wachesaw East began about 1995 and quickly became known when LPGA picked their course for a tournament.

Jack Nicklaus came to town with his ideas for Pawleys Plantation about 1987. Today, it is recognized as a superior place to stay and play with outstanding views of marsh and lakes. Only players on course are those that stay either at Pawleys Plantation in one of their condos or at the Sands Group of hotels. On Route 17, east side of highway.

Willbrook Plantation, Golf for Women love this course, it's been on their "Top 100 Fairways list for the past three years. River Club ( just awarded **** 1/2 stars by Golf Digest in their Places to Play publication. Lots of water with Bent greens. ) and The Tradition were close behind. They're adjacent to Litchfield Country Club and all a good caliber of play.

Kings Highway, a north south route, west of 17 after Willbrook Plantation has become quite an area for superior courses. First came The Heritage. Larry Young built a beautiful course here, designed by Dan Maples with gorgeous views of the Waccamaw River. Larry's busy up in Williamsburg these days.

After The Heritage, Mike Strantz was busy designing True Blue and a little later Caledonia. Built by Doc Lachicotte and his group, these two courses were built in a way to preserve the natural beauty of the land. And would you believe that the owners are not golfers.

Rather they are sportsmen who love to fish and hunt. In fact if you notice going down the entrance road to Caledonia on the left there is still the old shed (with some updated changes) where the guys meet for their fishing, tall tales and cooking the catch of the day every Thursday. So Caledonia Fish and Golf Club makes perfect sense now.

By the way, if you haven't played Caledonia, you are missing one of the most beautiful courses around. Grand old oak alley, views of the rice fields and beyond to the river. We sure miss the old days though when "Ducks Unlimited" had their cookouts in the old buildings at the old Caledonia Plantation! And we recently had the pleasure of attending a good old fashioned barbeque in that same old shed - not too long ago.

Also, did you know that both Caledonia and True Blue serve a complimentary fish chowder on the golf courses in the winter? These are little tidbits that our golf specialists happen to know!

True Blue has restructured some of the holes to make it more "player friendly" for the higher handicap player and changed their greens to Tif Eagle. "We're very excited about the improvements we've made to our golf course," said Danny Gore, head golf professional for True Blue Plantation. "By making these improvements, we have secured our ranking as one of the top ten courses in South Carolina and one of the best in the country."

In fact they are now ranked #2 in Top 25 golf Courses in the South, by Golf Magazine.
 

Where to play golf in Myrtle Beach:

Barefoot Golf Resort. one word sums it up. Wow! A whole new scene for myrtle beach golf. Upscale and loving it. Norman, Fazio, Love and Dye courses.

The Dye course is semi-private and not available for general play. But call and inquire - you may get on!

The Norman Course is a Par 72, approximately 7,200 yards long. Slope from 112 golf tees to 136 championship tees. "Bump and run" or the Shark's philosophy of playing around the green at work here.

Well loved South Carolinian Davis Love designed a "low country" course complete with the ruins of a plantation on a couple of holes. Slope 118 - 138 and fun to play for any ability.

Tom Fazio at work again in SC. The Fazio Course is a Par 71, approximately 6,834 yards long. Fazio courses are just some of our very favorites. You always have a great game. Slope 115 - 139 enough to challenge most players.

Last, but not least - Pete Dye has another triumph. He is well know in Myrtle Beach for Prestwick golf club and Debordieu (the private club) down in Georgetown. You know he always has some of those railroad ties to catch the badly hit balls and the fun begins. The course is a Par 72, 7,343-yard layout that encourages walking. Slope from 119 - 149. "Nobody said it would be easy"!

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club. One of the best in anybody's book. 6,503 Yards with 132 slope. Located on the old rice fields in Pawleys Island. The practice is mat into net and you can walk anytime. It is a spikeless facility. Designed by Mike Strantz.

The Dunes - you must stay in a hotel that offers The Dunes as a package or have a good friend who is a member. It's a long course, 7,165 yards with 141 slope from the championship tees. A grass practice area, no walking and it is a spikeless facility.

Heather Glen Golf Links - 27 holes up in Little River, a grass practice area, no walking and spikeless. The designers were William Byrd and Clyde Johnston. Very much a links course.

Heritage Club, Pawleys Island. One of Larry Young's first ventures and a very successful one at that. 18 holes, par 71. Grass practice, no walking and spikeless.

International World Tour, just as the name implies - replicas of some of the most famous holes to give you an adventure in golf. Augusta National's Amen Corner, Pine Valley, St. Andrews, Winged Foot - try them all in one day! Off 707 Corridor. You can walk the course anytime and yes it is spikeless.

Litchfield Country Club - you'll never tire of playing this course. Just a great all around course. Designed by William Byrd. 6,752 yards, par 72. You can walk with a paid cart and it is spikeless.

Pawleys Plantation - Jack Nicklaus' effort in Pawleys Island. Not too tough, not too easy, just a good game of golf. The great Phil Ritson's Golf School is located here. There is no walking and it is spikeless.

Pine Lakes International CC - just for old times sake! Enjoy all the ambience of the old days. Maybe even here the bagpipes calling. 18 holes par 71. 6,700 yards from the championship tees, slope is 130. No walking and spikeless.

The River Club - Pawleys Island. Practice mats into net, walk if you want with a paid cart and spikeless. Tom Jackson designed this course and you will like it!

TPC Myrtle Beach - 6,950 yards - slope from 122 to 145 at the back tees. Tom Fazio designed the course. You can walk the course when you take out an electric cart. And you can still wear spikes.

Tradition Golf Club - Pawleys Island 18 holes and a par 72. Slope 129 from the back tees. You can walk in the off-peak season. It's spikeless. Designed by Ron Garl. A pleasant course.

True Blue Golf - This course is now more player friendly - designed by Mike Strantz, it's 6,842 yards from the back tees and a slope of 145. (slope of 127) from the tees that we use. You can walk the course anytime. Great lunches and spikeless!

Wicked Stick Golf Links - Surfside Beach 18 holes and a par 72. Grass, mats for practice. Walking off peak - you can wear your spikes. John Daly designed it along with Clyde Johnston.

The Witch over in Conway is also a fun place to play. 18 holes and a par 71. Slope from 109 to 133 at 6,702 yards. Dan Maples design. There is no walking and you can wear spikes. A reasonable course to play.

Remember most of these and the following Myrtle Beach golf courses can be included in a myrtle beach golf package. We can do the whole thing or just book a golf tee time. you let us know!

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About the author: Joan Ewart is an artist, a writer and world traveler, devotes many hours to authoring and maintaining major travel web sites. Publishes many articles on travel spots around the world. Resident of Myrtle Beach for a number of years, thus this article, from www.myrtlebeachgolfsecret.com
 

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Golf News

Travel Picks: Top 10 new golf courses in 2008 (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
The Castle Course at St. Andrews in Scotland was named as the top new golf course of 2008 by Travel + Leisure Golf magazine, which described it as one of the most ambitious designs that would keep golfers talking.

PGA Learning Center to host Play Golf America Day Dec. 3rd. (PGA)
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Some 70 PGA Professionals, including many of The PGA of America's premier golf instructors, will be among the featured instructors at Play Golf America Day, Dec. 3, at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. There is no admission charge.