Myrtle Beach is Home to 9 of South Carolina’s 10 Most Wanted Courses

September 15, 2015

Prestwick is popular amongst My Golf Spy readers

MyGolfSpy.com, “golf’s top secret site,” partnered with The Grint, a stat tracking and handicap service, to build a list of the Most Wanted Courses in South Carolina, a ranking of Palmetto State courses based on the evaluation of regular golfers (people like you!).

Like readers of Golf.com earlier this year, My Golf Spy’s #datacratic process, reconfirmed the depth and quality of Myrtle Beach’s offerings, as nine of the 10 Most Wanted in South Carolina were Grand Strand layouts.

The list was led by the Ocean Course at Kiawah, but just 4/10ths of a point behind the host of the 2012 PGA Championship, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club led the cavalcade of Myrtle Beach golf courses.

Next on the list:

#3 True Blue

#4 Prestwick Country Club

#5 King’s North at Myrtle Beach National

#6 Grande Dunes

#7 Shaftesbury Glen

#8 Heritage

#9 Parkland at Legends Resort

#10 Glen Dornoch

 

Caledonia’s spot on the list was no surprise, as the Mike Strantz design is ranked among the nation’s top 100 public courses by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. The course showcases the natural beauty of land that was once home to a thriving rice plantation and Strantz’s architectural brilliance.

True Blue, Caledonia’s sister course, offers a different, though no less enjoyable experience. With generous fairways framed by waste bunkering and native grasses, the layout is visually stunning and a treat to play.

Prestwick has long been regarded as one of Myrtle Beach’s most underrated golf courses, so it’s nice to see the P.B. Dye design get some of the love it deserves. The course is outstanding throughout – and one of the state’s sternest tests – but Prestwick’s closing three holes , a par 3, 4, and 5, standout.

King’s North has long been one of the area’s iconic layouts. An Arnold Palmer design, it’s home to three of Myrtle Beach’s most recognizable holes: The Gambler, a par 5 that features an alternate, island fairway, the 12th hole, an island green par 3 with its two “SC” bunkers, and the 18th, a par 4 with more than 40 bunkers.

Sixth-ranked Grande Dunes has seven holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway and the Roger Rulewich gem has been a favorite since its opening in 2000. The 14th hole, a downhill par 3 with a green resting along the banks of the Waterway, is arguably Myrtle Beach’s best and most memorable one-shotter.

Shaftesbury Glen was inspired by the work of A.W. Tillinghast and the legendary architect’s influence is easy to see. The course’s defining architectural traits are the elevated greens and finger bunkers familiar to Tillinghast fans. Speaking of greens, the bentgrass putting surfaces at Shaftesbury are consistently outstanding.

Heritage Club is a lowcountry classic in Pawleys Island. The Dan Maples design is set amidst soaring live oak tree draped in Spanish moss and has been ranked among America's 100 Greatest Public Courses.

Legends Resort is home to three outstanding layouts and Parkland is the favorite of The Grint users. A more traditional design than Heathland and Moorland, Parkland features tree-lined fairways and a great, short par 4, the 311-yard ninth hole,

One of the just six area layouts that play along the Intracoastal, Glen Dornoch is one of Myrtle Beach’s most memorable designs. Five holes bring the Waterway into play, most notably 16, 17, and 18. The downhill approach on the 16th hole to a green buffeted by marshland is one of the area’s most dramatic.

What does your list of “Most Wanted South Carolina Courses” look like?