Trick or Treat? Myrtle Beach’s 5 Scariest Holes

With Halloween nearly upon us, it’s time to take a look at five high profile Myrtle Beach golf holes capable of haunting a round. These aren’t always the hardest hole on the course, but they are challenges that can turn your round from treat to trick with one loose swing.

— Any hole that has earned the nickname Waterloo brings with it more than a whiff of danger, and that’s certainly the case with the par 5 13th at the Dunes Club. The iconic dogleg right, which plays around Lake Singleton, often has a congregation of alligators on it banks, adding to the mystique of Myrtle Beach’s most iconic challenge. The hole rewards daring (particularly on the first two shots) but absolutely punishes recklessness. Whether this Waterloo is a trick or treat for you, it’s guaranteed to be unforgettable.

— According to the scorecard, the 15th at Tidewater is the course’s easiest, a par 4 playing just 323 yards from the white tees. Don’t be fooled. The hole is short, but it’s a dogleg left with wetlands fronting a green that is long but shallow. Miss short and you are in a bunker (or even worse yet, the wetlands), go long and you are playing from a tightly mown swale. In the middle of an unforgettable back nine, this is the proverbial “trap” hole, so don’t sleep on it.

— We can’t leave a hole that answers to Hell’s Half-Acre off a Halloween list, so be ready to go when you step onto the 16th tee at Legends Resort’s Moorland Course. The hole plays just 223 yards from the whites tees, daring you to try and drive the green on the par 4. The vast majority of players can hit the ball 220 yards, but if you miss, a witch’s brew of trouble awaits. The green is surrounded by five pot bunkers and swales filled with gnarly, native grasses that can leave you begging for mercy. You could play two wedges and be on the green, but if you are going to tempt fate, this is the hole to do it.

— The par 5 ninth at Rivers Edge, known as Arnie’s Revenge, is one of the Myrtle Beach golf scene’s most talked about holes. Playing along the Shallotte River, it’s beautiful, but a green that isn’t much wider than Kate Moss makes it the course’s biggest challenge. Even for long hitters, the green is inaccessible in two because it can’t be held. Arnold Palmer was beloved, but The King was feeling a little salty when he crafted this beauty.

— If Palmer has a spot on this list, then Jack Nicklaus needs an entry, and the 13th at Pawleys Plantation is one of the Golden Bear’s scariest creations. The hole, which plays to a peninsula green surrounded on three sides by a tidal marsh, typically plays between 70-80 yards. Because the green is exposed, the wind is often blowing off the nearby Atlantic, helping make the tee shot one of the Grand Strand’s most daunting challenges.

Whether these holes are a trick or treat is up to you!