Myrtle Beach Dominates Golfweek’s List of South Carolina’s Best Courses

March 9, 2012

Caledonia is the third ranked course in South Carolina, according to GolfweekThe Myrtle Beach golf market has long stood above the competition based on the number of quality courses it offers. That reality was again reinforced by “Golfweek’s” just released ranking of the “Best Courses You Can Play – 2012.”

“Golfweek” ranked the best public layouts in each state, and the Myrtle Beach area dominated the golf-rich South Carolina rankings. Six of the Palmetto State’s top 10 courses and nine of top 14 overall reside along the Grand Strand, according to “Golfweek.”

The Myrtle Beach golf courses that claimed a spot on the prestigious list reads like dream trip itinerary. Caledonia, ranked third, led the way, followed by the Dunes Club (No. 5), True Blue (No. 6), Tidewater (No. 7), TPC Myrtle Beach (No. 8), Love Course at Barefoot (No. 9), Fazio Course at Barefoot (No. 11), Heathland at Legends (No. 12) and Grande Dunes (No. 14).

Not to be outdone, Leopard’s Chase, located just across the state line in Brunswick County, is the fourth-ranked course in North Carolina.

“Golfweek’s rankings speak to what traveling golfers have long known – the Myrtle Beach golf market has a greater selection of quality courses than any other destination in America,” said Bill Golden, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday’s president. “To have a panel of raters from one of the game’s leading publications reinforce that fact is a point of pride for the area.”

It’s no surprise that Caledonia and the Dunes Club topped the Grand Strand entries on the “Golfweek” list. Both are consensus Top 100 layouts that are renowned for the quality of their architecture and natural beauty.

True Blue, Caledonia’s sister course, is a wildly popular Mike Strantz design, and Tidewater, currently ranked among “Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses You Can Play,” is one of the nation’s most visually stunning layouts, offering multiple views of Intracoastal Waterway, Cherry Grove Marsh and even the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

TPC Myrtle Beach, the area’s only 5-star design, according to “Golf Digest’s Best Places” to Play guide, is the home course of Myrtle Beach golf spokesman Dustin Johnson and a former host of the Senior Tour Championship.

The Love and Fazio courses at Barefoot Resort have both been ranked among America’s Top 100 and have been favorites of area golfers since their opening in 2001.

Heathland at Legend’s Resort was one of the great Tom Doak’s first designs. Doak crafted a course that helped announce his arrival to the golf world and continues to rank among Myrtle Beach’s best.

Grande Dunes, also a current member of the “Golf Magazine’s Top 100 You Can Play” list, has five holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway and delivers a memorable experience.

Leopard’s Chase, the fourth of Big Cat at Ocean Ridge Plantation, uses locally harvested coquina boulders to enhance its visual appeal and is a rolling layout carved amidst the area’s native pine trees.