5 Reasons You Should Play Thistle Golf Course This Fall

August 1, 2016

Here are five reasons you should smile if Thistle is part of your itinerary on a Myrtle Beach golf trip this fall:

 

 

  1. If you like smooth, fast greens, you will love Thistle. New tif-eagle Bermuda grass putting surfaces were installed on all 27 holes last summer and the result has been near-perfection. The greens are rolling at 11+ on the stimpmeter this summer with nary a bump to be found. Thistle’s green are as good as any along the Grand Strand.
  2. The course traces its roots to the original Thistle Golf Club in Leith, Scotland, and that extends to Tim Cate’s links-influenced design. The layout features mounded fairways, large greens and the occasional pot bunker, but there is also ample water (though most of it doesn’t come into play). In short, Cate fused some of the best elements golf in the Olde Country and a beautiful piece of coastal property to create this 4.5-star gem. Thistle Golf Club is one of Myrle Beach's best kept secrets
  3. You come to Thistle for the golf, but take a few minutes to enjoy the Grand Strand’s most spectacular clubhouse. The 15,000-square-foot clubhouse features memorabilia from the 1800s, including the original rules of golf from the Links of Leith. The food is also outstanding. 
  4. Thistle is home to the Stewart, Cameron and Mackay nines, but if you are looking for a recommendation on the two best to play, look elsewhere. Part of Thistle’s attraction is the quality of the experience from the bag drop through the 19th hole. There are no soft spots in the Thistle experience. 
  5. What do you mean you won't let me cop out and not name a favorite nine?! If you DID make me name a favorite, I’d go with Stewart by the narrowest of margins. The first four holes give you a chance to score before the challenge stiffens, highlighted by the 177-yard par 3 ninth hole, the most sweat-inducing shot on the course. The tee shot requires a carry over water to an elevated, undulating green. It’s an exhilarating finish and makes the Stewart nine my favorite, but just barely.