Trip to Myrtle Beach | Myrtle Wood | Golf

Tradition

Tidewater

Tidewater burst onto the national golf travel scene as the first layout to win Best New Course honors from both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine, and it remains one of the nation’s premier courses. 

Tidewater is, arguably, the most scenic layout on the East Coast, playing along the Intracoastal Waterway and Cherry Grove Inlet, in addition to offering a distant view of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The layout has an embarrassment of riches. The par 3 third and 12th holes, which play along Cherry Grove Inlet, are devilish little holes that offer majestic views and require a delicate a touch. 

The fourth hole, a dogleg left that follows the natural contours of Cherry Grove is one of the best par 4s in the area, and the par 5 13th hole might be the best of all. There are few views that equal looking out into the Atlantic from the 13th green. 

Nine of Tidewater’s 18 holes play along the Inlet or Intracoastal. 

Tidewater didn’t earn Top 100 public courses honors from Golf Digest and Golf Magazine based strictly on views. The inland holes are outstanding as well, especially the 354-yard 15th hole, which is a great par 4. 

When everything is taken into account, Tidewater is one of the best public courses in America, providing the type of round that players will carry with them long after they’ve left Myrtle Beach

Caledonia

Opened in 1994, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club was Mike Strantz’s first solo course design. In nearly 20 years, it has been one of the absolute favorite golf courses on the Grand Strand and consistently ranks as one of the top public-accessible courses in the South by every major golf publication. 

The incomparable journey of playing Caledonia begins as one drives down the course’s entrance road, lined with decades-old live oaks that resemble the approach to an old Southern plantation house. The course, laid out intimately across 110 acres, is a “core golf” experience, where players appreciate the absence of houses or condos that can clutter up the view down the fairway. 

Instead, Caledonia sets up like an arboretum that happens to house a golf course as well. In springtime, Caledonia is particularly spectacular, with thousands of annual flowers blooming and colorful shrubs adorning the grounds while also remaining largely out-of play. 

Its Champion Bermuda greens are always in terrific shape and with the longest tees playing to around 6,500 yards, the course is challenging without being overly punishing. It is a joy to play. And after one’s round, it is typical to linger, drink in hand, on the clubhouse’s wraparound porch, overlooking the attractive par four 18th hole, which requires the approach shot carry the corner of a lake. Do not be surprised to see folks sitting in the rocking chairs just above the putting surface, perhaps placing bets on how the hole will turn out for you and your group. It’s all part of Caledonia’s charm.

World Tour

We all want to play golf’s iconic courses like Augusta National and the Old Course at St. Andrew’s. The reality is our dreams of playing golf’s upper tier layouts are roughly equivalent to our chances of dating Kate Upton. 

That’s why World Tour Golf Links has grown into a beach vacation favorite. Inspired by the world’s greatest courses, World Tour features 18 holes that replicate some of the game’s most famed challenges. 

The Myrtle Beach golf course consists of the Open and Championship nines. The Open Course was mostly inspired by North American courses that have hosted U.S. or British Opens. Among the holes replicated are the first and 18th holes at St. Andrew’s (yes, there is a Swilcan bridge), and the 12th hole at Pine Valley, a short par 4 that provides plenty of challenge. 

The Championship Course features holes that have hosted one of golf’s four major championships. The anchor of the Championship nine is Amen Corner at Augusta National, which replicates holes 11-13 at Augusta. It’s a must play on a Myrtle Beach golf trip because everyone wants to challenge Rae’s creek! 

World Tour isn’t just a collection of random holes. The holes complement each other, creating an outstanding round of golf that allows you to envision yourself at some of golf’s most revered venues.

Arrowhead Country Club

World Golf Hall of Famer Raymond Floyd and course architect Tom Jackson teamed up to create this 27-hole gem, located near to our Myrtlewood condos. Each of the three nines – Cypress, Lakes and Waterway -- has it’s own personality taking a lot of its character from what nature provided. 

Although each nine is different and no two holes are the same, each of the three course shares one distinct characteristic. It’s a shot makers delight. Arrowhead Country Club is well bunkered and water comes into play on more than 20 of the 27 holes. Thankfully, the course is void of difficult forced carries. Doglegs are prevalent throughout the course and there’s an abundance of elevated tees. Visually very appealing, the course wanders through a developed neighborhood, but the homes never come into play. 

The layout is not particularly long, allowing the average handicapper an opportunity to hit some greens in regulation. The Lakes/Waterway combination plays to 6612 yards from the Blue tees with a Rating/Slope of 71.6/140. The White tees are a reasonable 6379 yards and 69.4/140. The Green Tees measure 5560 yards at 66.7/114. The Red tees are very lady friendly at 4698 yards and 67.8/117. The Cypress/Waterway combination has a similar Rating/Slope and plays 6640 yards from the Blues, 6183 from the Whites, and 5559 from the Greens and 4624 from the Red tees. 

Arrowhead is situated fairly close to the Myrtle Beach International Airport, so a lot of golfers like to make it the first and/or final round of their visit

Legends Moorland

In a market with more than 100 courses, it can sometimes be difficult to standout, but Moorland at Legends Resort has distinguished itself from the crowd. The P.B. Dye design gained prominence by virtue of being ranked among America’s 50 toughest courses by Golf Digest, but the layout is much more than a stern challenge. 

Moorland is an outstanding design that is much more playable than the Golf Digest ranking might suggest. The fairways are enormous. If golfers have trouble finding the short grass they have only themselves to blame. 

The primary challenge comes on the greens. Moorland’s greens are huge – the 15th stretches 82 yards from front to back – and full undulation. Combine the size with the course’s stadium-style design and a few well-placed bunkers, and you have the recipe for a round that is as exhilarating as it is tough. 

Just remember, the center of the green is your friend on the 6,755-yard track. 

The course is full of take-home memories, but the hole your group will discuss long after the final putt drops is the 270-yard 16th, a par 4 affectionately referred to as Hell’s Half-Acre. It plays just 223 yards from the white tees, so the 16th green is reachable for everyone that tees it up. 

Admit it, you are already thinking about the possibility of eagle. But if you go for the green and miss, bogey is a good score. Pot bunkers, waste areas, grass bunkers and pampas grass guarantee trouble for shots that don’t quite reach their target. 

It’s the ultimate risk-reward hole. 
Don’t let the Golf Digest ranking intimidate you, Moorland is a fun track to play and not as difficult as its reputation suggests.

Legends Parkland

Legends Resort is renowned for it’s Scottish flavor, but Parkland, as its name suggests, offers a more traditional layout. 

While it’s sister courses, Heathland and Moorland, feature runway-wide fairways and open landscape, Parkland challenges players with tree-lined holes and more than 100 bunkers. The youngest of the three courses at Legends, Parkland is the longest of the trio, stretching more than 7,108 yards from the tips. 

The white tees play 6,516 yards while the most commonly used green tees play 6,099 yards. In keeping with its traditional design roots, there are no surprises at Parkland. What you see is what you get from tee to green on every hole. 

The most enjoyable challenge at Parkland is the 311-yard (from the tips) ninth, which plays just 267 yards from the greens tees. Distance, or lack thereof, brings the green into play for most players, creating a risk-reward decision. 

Any decision to go for the green must be weighed against the risk presented by an enormous bunker that fronts the green. The chances of getting up and down from that bunker are slim. 

The ninth hole alone is worth a replay on this 4.5-star design, but it’s far from the only highlight at Parkland, which is one of the area’s most popular layouts. Legends is home to three outstanding courses and Parkland comfortably sits along Heathland and Moorland.

Leopard's Chase

Leopard’s Chase is the youngest and, arguably, most highly regarded of the four Big Cats at Ocean Ridge Plantation. The layout incorporates all of the design features that have made Tim Cate one of the nation’s most underrated architects. 

The course features, with dramatic effect, Cate’s signature coquina boulders, bulkheads on island greens, beach bunkers and yawning waste bunkers. 

Named one of the top 10 new courses in America by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine upon its opening in 2007, Leopard’s Chase provides a test that is as fair as it is demanding. Finding the fairway is vital to success, because whether it’s a waste bunker or woods, problems await golfers when they are off the fairway. 

Speaking of Cate’s preferred design features, the 4th hole, an island green par 3 that is one of the course’s best, is ringed by locally harvested coquina boulders, creating memorable views. 

The closing hole at Leopard’s Chase, the 439-yard 18th, is a gem. The dogleg features a beach bunker and a waterfall by the green, a picturesque way to complete a round on one of the best Myrtle Beach golf courses. 

Home of large, undulating bentgrass greens, Leopard’s Chase is a visual and architectural treat. This is unquestionably one of the area’s upper echelon golf courses.

Panther's Run

One of the four amazing “big cats” courses at Ocean Ridge Plantation in Ocean Island Beach, NC, Panther’s Run features wide fairways that twist and turn around water features to create some extraordinary vistas. As are the other Ocean Ridge courses – Lion’s Paw and Tiger’s Eye and Leopard’s Chase – Panther’s Run is a Tim Cate design that will test your ability to blend precision with distance. 

From the back tees, Panther’s Run measures 7,086 yards, but large multi-tee areas provide golfers of all skill levels an opportunity for an enjoyable round. 

The course opened in 1994, and in 2010 the putting surfaces at Panther’s Run Golf Links were converted to MiniVerde™ ultra-dwarf greens, which offers an unmatched combination of smooth, consistent playability and disease-resistant, heat-tolerant durability. 

Panther’s Run and Lion’s Paw share a clubhouse that includes the Tamer’s Restaurant and an award-winning pro shop. This impressive, well-appointed store offers a wide range of golf apparel and equipment, with a friendly staff of professionals who are more than ready to help you improve your game. Tamers Restaurant features a full-service bar, serves delicious meals, and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Tamer’s also offers full-service catering for all your party and engagement needs.

King's North

In the late 1990’s, Arnold Palmer and his design team returned to Myrtle Beach to freshen up what was already one of the region’s premier courses. Palmer and his team followed the original routing while making some sweeping changes that catapulted King’s North into the “Top 100 Public Courses in America.” The Myrtle Beach National Company demonstrated their respect and appreciation by changing the North Course to King’s North. 

While there are a number of holes that stand out as memorable, there are three in particular that have earned a place among the best holes on the Beach. 

The par-5 6th hole is nicknamed “The Gambler.” It features an island fairway that you can play to in pursuit of an eagle or birdie, or you can take the safer route around the right side. Quite often, your decision is made easier by the success or failure of your opponent. 

The 12th hole is a short par-3 to an island green that features two bunkers off of the left side of the green, shaped in an S and C, a reminder that you’re playing in the golf-rich state of South Carolina. 

The final hole is a par-4 that is protected by a green-side pond and no less than 42 bunkers all the way up the fairway. It’s quite a site from the back tees – one you’ll enjoy and long remember.

Willbrook Plantation

Built upon the sites of two 18th Century plantations, Willbrook Plantation Golf Club is a scenic golf course with an amazing variety of wildlife and historic points of interest. The par 72 layout Golf for Women ranked it among their “Top 50 Women Friendly Courses in America,” but golfers of all abilities find Willbrook offers a golfer-friendly atmosphere, yet challenging course layout. 

Course designer Dan Maples has frequently referred to Willbrook Plantation as “One of my best,” and most golfers agree. Holes #1 & #15 have been featured in the book "The 100 Greatest Holes along the Grand Strand," published by The Sun News. The first hole is a challenging par-4 with a slight dog-leg right that requires a well placed tee shot over a former rice field to have a clear shot at the green for your second shot. The 15th is a three-shot par 5 that gives up very few birdies. Tee shots are down hill just short of a creek, and then your second and third shots are back up hill to a well-protected green. 

Willbrook is located along the Strand’s southern shores, in historic Pawleys Island. It has been featured in the TV shows “Nature Scene” and Golf Channel's “Road Trip Myrtle Beach.” 

Amenities at Willbrook Plantation include practice facilities, grill, and locker rooms.