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Storm the beach the smart way by choosing a manageable part of the Strand. The South Strand, marked by live oaks cloaked in Spanish moss, runs from Surfside Beach south to Pawleys Island. This is where neon signs, tourist traps and all-you-can-eat chow halls give way to seafood shanties and boutiques that complement a languid landscape.
Across the road at Strantz's True Blue course--aka Golf's Heaven and Hell--the architect displays the diabolical streak that fed his rep as a maverick. True Blue's vast waste areas, scattered mounds and oblique greens have polarized golfers since the course opened in 1998. Strantz tamed his beast in 2000, but the 145 slope from the 7,062-yard black tees makes it one of Myrtle's toughest tracks.
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| Blackmoor Greens Fees: $55-$85; 866-952-5555; blackmoor.com |
| Caledonia Golf and Fish Club/True Blue Greens Fees: $75-$140; 800-483-6800; truebluegolf.com |
| Heritage Club Greens Fees: $52-$82; 800-229-6187; legendsgolf.com |
| Litchfield Country Club Greens Fees: $47-$58; 800-882-3420; mbn.com |
| Pawleys Plantation Greens Fees: $65-$100; 800-367-9959; pawleysplantation.com |
| River Club Greens Fees: $52-$660; 800-882-3420; mbn.com |
| TPC of Myrtle Beach Greens Fees: $115-$140; 843-357-3399; tpc.com |
| Tradition Club Greens Fees: $61-$87; 877-599-0888; traditionclub.com |
| Wachesaw Plantation East Greens Fees: $70-$90; 888-922-0027; wachesawplantationeast.com |
| Willbrook Plantation Greens Fees: $47-$58; 800-882-3420; mbn.com |
Another tough hombre is the 6,950-yard Tournament Players Club of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet. Master designer Tom Fazio prefers beauty to brawn, but the TPC of Myrtle Beach showcases forced carries, tight fairways and tricky approaches. The 17th is a 193-yarder that demands a tee shot over a pond to a peninsular green. The 538-yard 18th plays as a three-shotter from the tips and as a pure risk-reward challenge from the other four tees. Prince Creek bisects the fairway 300 yards out, forcing long hitters to think twice from the tee.
While Caledonia, True Blue and TPC are the South Strand's biggest stars, there are older, more affordable courses you shouldn't overlook.
The Willard Byrd-designed Litchfield Country Club on Pawleys Island, one of the original eight courses on the Grand Strand, is an old-school stretch of narrow fairways, sharp doglegs and small greens. At the 424-yard 11th, the fairway's sharp left turn and a shoebox-size green make four feel like a birdie. Litchfield finishes with a sweeping 406-yarder with a lagoon threatening drives and approach shots.
In 1985, Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort asked South Carolina native Tom Jackson to design a white-knuckle, championship-caliber course. Today, River Club is still one of the area's better tests. Hazards--water, sand or both--appear on all 18 holes. The layout plays much harder than its 6,677 yards would suggest. Golfers from up north will feel at home on the slick, A-1 bentgrass greens--a novelty in the Carolina Lowcountry.
Two other '80s designs are worth a visit. In 1985, developer Larry Young set out to create one of the South Strand's most scenic tracks on 600 acres along the Waccamaw River. Defying the decade's "more is better" theme, he sprinkled the Heritage Club with bunkers and mounding, but let its 300-year-old live oaks and black lagoons play starring roles. For his greens, Young made like a 1980s-vintage Jack Nicklaus and built some of the Southeast's most severely sloping surfaces. Architecture buffs ripped them as crazily severe, and a decade later Young smoothed them out.
In 1988, the developers of Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club--which lies just a pitching wedge south of Heritage on the Atlantic side of U.S. 17--were looking for a big name to anchor their resort. They brought in Nicklaus, who was then known for creating courses only scratch golfers could love. With a 146 slope from the back tees, the Golden Bear's 7,026-yard layout at Pawleys Plantation will never be mistaken for a gentle resort course, but it's far more playable than some of his other '80s tracks. From the 6,127-yard White Egret tees (130 slope, 70.8 course rating), it's fair and even fun.
Pawleys' popularity--more than 40,000 golfers visit each year--ushered in a golf course building boom that continued until 2000 and produced Caledonia, True Blue and the TPC of Myrtle Beach. That surge also brought some lesser-known courses worth exploring.
Willbrook Plantation is a 6,722-yard 1988 Dan Maples design draped over the rolling terrain of two old rice plantations. History lovers enjoy the markers detailing the property's rich traditions; golfers appreciate the elevated tee boxes and gently breaking greens.
