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"...no matter where you stay along the 100-mile strip best known for sand, surf, and seafood, |
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Monterey Peninsula. Pinehurst. Bandon … Myrtle Beach? If the names above read like a game of “One of these things is not like the other,” then you are in for a very pleasant surprise. Because under the heading “great golf,” Myrtle Beach more than holds its own against some pretty tough competition. Don’t just take my word for it. According to Golf Digest, in its 2007 listing of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses,” 10 of the 100 are on the Grand Strand. No other area comes close (the entire state of Florida, with more than 1,000 courses, notches only four). Which means that no matter where you stay along the 100-mile strip best known for sand, surf, and seafood, you are just minutes away from world-glass golf. And that’s only the beginning. Myrtle Beach is undergoing a renaissance. Luxury hotels and fancy apartments are going up everywhere you look. New restaurants have opened and more are in the works, and they aren’t crab shacks: In a weeklong visit recently, I ate steak as good as anything in New York or Chicago; Asian fusion cuisine to rival the Pacific rim; and, of course, a creel full of fresh seafood. Plus there’s great shopping (from retail to outlet), entertainment, and a vibrant nightlife. All just a couple hours’ away—on a choice of direct flights—from most of the country’s major markets. But it’s golf that deserves the most attention. During my recent visit, I played all 10 top public tracks and have no trouble understanding how they made the list. Take a read through the following brief descriptions of the courses—in geographic order, north to south—then take them on yourself. |
The northern limit of Myrtle Beach extends a few miles into North Carolina. Head north on Route 17—the main artery that feeds the entire length of the Strand—and the shops and gas stations begin to thin out. Just about when Arnold and Company did a fair amount of earth-pushing here, so holes rise and fall creating to a few blind tee shots. The fairways are accordingly wide, and many tilt side to side, so you’ll need precise approaches to find the greens. The last four holes play along the Shallotte River and ask for everything in your game, and even more from your head. But the hole you’ll likely remember—and debate—is the par five 9th, which demands two good pokes to set up what might be the hardest shot of all, one of about 100 yards to a long narrow green squeezed on both sides by the marsh-like river. And don’t forget to figure in the wind. (Might be a good idea to hit some wedge shots on the range.)
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