Golf
Myrtle Beach’s Most Challenging Golf Holes
It seems everyone has their “Dream 18” list of the top holes on the Grand Strand. This is more like a “Nightmare 5” list of the most challenging holes in the area.
This list is based on more than just design and scenery, although they too play a role. The determining factors are things that make these holes uniquely difficult.
So if you’re looking for a good challenge or trying to avoid frustration, these are the holes you will want to play or skip at the almost 100 courses on the Strand:
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, No. 18
Caledonia’s finishing hole is one of the best on the Strand but it’s not even the most popular on the course. The 19th hole, a patio bar where golfers gather after their rounds and watch those behind them struggle on the 18th green. Patrons offer good-natured cheers and boos while golfers try to avoid a deadly water hazard in front of the green. The good news is you can grab a drink quickly and join in the fun after tangling with No. 18.
Dunes Golf & Beach Club, No. 13
Waterloo, as it is fittingly called, is one of the most famous and infamous holes on the Strand. The 590-yard par-5 doglegs more than 90 degrees to the right around Lake Singleton making it appear to double back on itself. The test is knowing when and where to cross the lake, which is guarded by gators and often features a tricky ocean breeze blowing against your shot. Designer Trent Jones correctly called it a hard par, but an easy bogey.
Farmstead Golf Club, No. 18
You might want to pack a snack for this finishing hole at Farmstead, the longest one on the Grand Strand. This 767-yard par-6 actually stretches into two states, crossing the border into North Carolina en route to the green. The seemingly endless fairway eventually doglegs to the left, but not until the third or fourth shot for most golfers. Then comes a tough finesse shot to the green, which is protected by water to the back and left and by a bunker to the right.
Grande Dunes Resort Course, No. 14
The Intracoastal Waterway is lined by golf courses up and down the Strand and there are lots of activity that comes with the waterway – boats, jet skis, bikinis. But unlike the scenic distractions, this 240-yard par-3 at Grande Dunes requires golfers to hit over the body of water to a narrow green that sits to the left of the water. The chances of getting wet are a lot greater than hitting a hole-in-one, and its impossible to play a ball from the bank back in bounds.
TPC of Myrtle Beach, No. 18
If there’s any doubt this course was built for championship tournament play, those questions are erased by the time one finishes No. 18 at TPC of Myrtle Beach. The 538-yard par-5 features a creek that runs down the right side of the fairway and connects to a lake on the left midway down the fairway. The water has to be carried to a green that slopes to the front with water on the left, and the right side of the fairway consists of a series of bunkers, mounds and valleys. You have to be a pro to birdie this one.
