By Sean Quinn
The Dye Course at Barefoot Resort.
Myrtle
beach, South Carolina, isn't called the golfing capital of the world for nothing. Players can choose from more than 120 courses in and around the
resort city. A typical round comes in at a little more than $100 as of September 2009. While a number of courses are categorized at plantation-style courses such as the Heritage Club, the area also boasts more traditional layouts such as the Barefoot Resort (Love Course), wetlands such as Myrtle Beach National (Kings North) and links such as Oyster Bay.
Wows and Woes
Three of Barefoot Resort's courses landed in the top 10 of Golf Digest's best Myrtle Beach courses. The Love and Fazio courses are low-country courses, while the Dye Course stretches the longest at 7,343 yards and is filled with massive elevation changes and sprinkled with tons of bunkers.
Area courses offer breathtaking coastal views, but some courses get way too soggy. Take a course such as Tidewater, which has so many wetlands it affects the shape of the fairways. Too much water is sometimes a playing hazard.
Insider Tips
If you want to try to see if you could ever make it on the PGA Tour, tee it up at the Dunes Club, which has hosted the PGA Tour Qualifying School finals. It's 590-yard, par-5 13th hole, called "Waterloo," has water splashing down the right side and is recognized as one of the top holes in the country.
Author's Most Memorable Moment
A bunch of these courses are built on former plantations. If you're a history buff like me, you can load up on Civil War junk from local historic stops and shops. Then, if you're an idiot like me, you can use a replica Confederate general's glove as your golf glove on the back nine.
Bottom Line
If you are a serious golfer, you have to take annual golf vacations to Myrtle Beach. The combination of beauty and challenge is like no other.
Resources
About the Author:
Sean Quinn is a writer and editor based in New York City. He has spent the last decade covering major sporting events from the NFL playoffs to the U.S. Open. He has written for the Kansas City Star and ESPN, among others. He is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
