Choosing courses to play in Myrtle Beach is a bit like singling out a charlatan at a political convention: there are just way too many possibilities.
Some folks opt for only Top 100 layouts or brand-name architects; others are drawn to bargain-basement green fees. But some hardy souls relish the epic tests: man versus nature, scorecard versus par, thirst versus beverage cart. Here you'll find — in order or orneriness — the toughest courses in town. Let the battle be joined.
1. Barefoot Golf Resort (Dye Course)
7,343 yards, par 72; Green Fees: $100-$180
843-390-3200, barefootgolf.com
Architect: Pete Dye
The meanest track on the Grand Strand comes from the Marquis de Sod himself, Pete Dye. It's reasonably playable if you rein in your ego and choose the right tees, but who does that anymore?
From the tips — or the wrong tees — it's a brute, with an Everestlike slope of 149. If the scattering of pot bunkers doesn't get you, then expect to be roughed up by the rugged quartet of par-3s, including two of the toughest holes on the course: the 195-yard 6th and 227-yard 15th.
Oh yeah, the club-twisting rough and the slick greens don't make life any easier.
2. Rivers Edge Golf Club
6,909 yards, par 72;
Green fees: $89-$109
877-748-3718, river18.com
Architect: Arnold Palmer
It's no surprise that the King's gambling style of play translates into multiple risk/reward holes at this punishing layout.
The risks are terrifying — and they are everywhere — as evidenced by the 74.7 rating and 149 slope for a course that barely stretches 6,900 yards.
Even the safe play is fraught with peril on most holes, thanks to targets jabbed into tidal marshes along the Shallotte River. The thrill-packed 570- yard, par-5 9th is one of Myrtle Beach's hardest 3-shotters.
Fortunately, liquid medication for your pain is just steps away in the clubhouse.
3. Pawleys Plantation
7,026 yards, par 72;
Green fees: $79-$147
843-237-6200, pawleysplantation.com
Architect: Jack Nicklaus
Built 20 years ago when the Golden Bear would routinely put a serious growl factor into his designs, Pawleys won't scare anyone these days with its length.
But the vast waste bunkers and the acres of marshland still have bite. High, soft-landing, accurate approaches are in order — otherwise, you're looking at a pit stop in Reload City.
Typical of the test are the 145-yard, par-3 13th and the 444-yard, par-4 16th, which share a narrow double green isolated by salt marsh.
4. Dunes Golf & Beach Club
7,195 yards, par 72;
Green fees: $95-$200;
843-449-5236, thedunesclub.net;
Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr.
This 60-year-old layout offers a valuable lesson in knowing your limitations.
Sure, Gary McCord once won a Champions Tour event here at 12-under-par, but the only numbers you need to pay attention to are the slope (144) and formidable course rating (75.7).
In other words, for middle handicappers this is the golf equivalent of a mugging, thanks to its collection of elevated, fiercely trapped greens and card-wreckers like the lagoon-laced, 430-yard, par-4 11th and the spirit-crushing 590-yard, par-5 13th, which doglegs 110 degrees around alligator-filled Singleton Lake.
