I got a chance to play Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club on the south end of Myrtle Beach, back at the beginning of December, on an decent over cast day. This Jack Nicklaus design is in a beautiful setting between the salt marshes of Pawleys Island and the Live Oaks of the low country. Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club is designed like most other Jack Nicklaus designs. Open fairways off the tees, rolling mounds, and greens protected by bunkers and waste bunkers. Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club was recently added to the first ever, Golf Magazine, ranking of the best courses in each state across the country.  The list which appeared in the September issue of Golf Magazine, had “Pawleys Plantation ranked in the Top 20 Courses in South Carolina,” making this course a great addition for Myrtle Beach golf packages.

The front nine is carved through the beautiful “Low Country” settings with Spanish Moss hanging on the tree live oaks starting you off with a 511 yard Par 5 and intermediate taste of Jack Nicklaus and plantation style golf with the second hole being the #1 handicapped 461 yard Par 4. The front nine at Pawleys Plantation finishes with a Par 4 with a 200 year old Live Oak in the middle of the fairway to a wide but not deep green.

The back nine at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club has arguably one of the best back nines you will play period. The Par 4 12th is a 382 yard dog-leg right to the coastal marshland that makes Pawleys Island famous. Following the 12th hole, is one of the most famous Par 3`s in Myrtle Beach. The 145 yard Par 3 is another one of Jack Nicklaus famous island Par 3`s, to one of the Only Double Greens in Myrtle Beach. The finsihing hole is also one of the best finishing holes on the Grand Strand leaving you a beautiful second shot looking at the Plantation Style Clubhouse.

Make sure you call the clubhouse to check if the Sawgrass Room is open for dinner that night after your round. You can play Pawleys Planation Golf and Country Club on serveral Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach Golf Packages. A round golf package that gives the 18-holes at Pawleys Plantation, Long Bay Club, The Reserve Club @ St. James Plantation.

Holes: 18

Designer: Jack Nicklaus

Type: Semi-Private

Year opened: 1988

Fairways: Bermuda

Greens: Tif Eagle

With a special invite to play the Bald Head Island Club last week, the Bald Head Island experience is a special treat for a special few. Many golfers that visit the area have never even heard of this exclusive private club located in the Atlantic Ocean and about one hour north of North Myrtle Beach, SC. Accessible only by passenger ferry or private boat. With no cars allowed on the Island only golf carts, Bald Head Island preserves the natural beauty with 14 miles of pristine beaches, thousands of acres of protected salt marshes, and a spectacular expanse of maritime forest. Myrtle Beach golf at its best! These qualities make Bald Head Island a one-of-a-kind destination. With a slope rating of 137 from the men’s tees and 113 from the women’s, the George Cobb design which opened in 1974, wraps around freshwater lagoons, through a maritime forest with wild life of all kinds, and across dunes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The modern clubhouse and golf shop feature a variety of men’s and women’s apparel and equipment, swimming, tennis, and croquet are just a few of the amenities.

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I was able to squeeze in an emergency 18 at Long Bay Club this week. A true test of golf at one of three, Jack Nicklaus designs on the Grand Strand. Measuring over 7,000 yards from the back, Long Bay is a Semi Private golf club with a slope of 140!

The golf course from tee to green was in excellent condition! Long Bay is one of the most famous courses in Myrtle Beach, staking its claim with the HUGE man made mounds boarding Highway 9, that everyone has passed one time or another on their way to North Myrtle Beach since its opening in 1988.

The Golden Bear, started designing this course after his 1986 Masters win. However, thats not the main reason Long Bay is one of the most famous courses in Myrtle Beach. This Nicklaus design has hosted tournaments like the Carolinas Open, the Myrtle Beach Open, NCAA regional championships and the U.S. Senior Open qualifying just to name a few.

Long Bay also has four holes that have been voted as the “The 100 Greatest Holes along the Grand Strand”. No. 7, 10 (Pictured below) , 13 and 18

The Par 3 #13, which features an Island Green could be another one of many signature holes at Long Bay. The scenic Par 3 has a huge green. Depending on pin placement and wind will determine your club selection. That seems to be the trend at the Par 72 Layout, which features big undulating Tiff Dwarf greens, fairways guarded by waste areas which double as carts path and a well conditioned facility with a fully stocked Pro Shop.

The Golden Bear has designed 265 courses open for play worldwide. The Long Bay Club in North Myrtle Beach, SC is one of his best.

LONG BAY CLUB

350 Fox Tail Dr

Longs, SC 29568

Phone: (800) 344-5590

I got to play this “locals favorite” with the Grand Strand Golf Directors this past Wednesday. Designed by Tom Jackson, River Hills is a great Semi Private layout, with alot of rolling terrain, tall pines, carefully placed bunkers and 40ft elevation changes, which all recently went under a $2 million renovation.

Tees, Fairways, Greens were all in really good shape. There are four sets of tees to accommodate every player and every skill level. Fairways are wide open off the tee and close in at the dog legs, which could require maybe a “bunt driver, 3/4 3-wood or hybrid off the tee.

The majority of the greens are elevated a few yards from the fairway, so when hitting your second shots in, double check the yardage, pin position and most important WIND. Yes, Wind! The wind, believe or not that far from the ocean does gust and can affect your shot a club or two.

River Hills has arguably the “Toughest Back Nine in Myrtle Beach” with the Par 5 17th Signature Hole.

Greens on some holes are very big and can be the difference between par or 3-putt bogey. Another factor is the water. The course has the feel of water on every hole with it all coming into play. You can add River Hills to any North Myrtle Beach golf package.

Ranked among the best courses in the Myrtle Beach area, the North course at Myrtle Beach National also know as Kings North is one of Arnold Palmer`s best courses. In 1996 the Arnold Palmer Design group gave the course a complete make over, which to this day is one of the Grand Strands Top Golf Courses.

I got to play this EXCELLENT CONDITION GOLF COURSE and would like to first and foremost thank the Myrtle Beach National Company for allowing me to come play. From Tee to Green, the golf course was in excellent condition and would like to let the Superintendent know how good of a job he is doing! Sometimes, those guys do not get enough credit.

Kings North has some great holes, which make this course one of the most requested courses in Myrtle Beach.

With names for three of the hole starting with, the Par 5, 6th hole nick-named “The Gambler” which has an island fairway that is also a shortcut to the green that can be reached in two, but defiantly check the wind.

The 18th Hole Par 4, known as “The Bullseye” has over 40 Bunkers and with a pond on the right side of the green, makes this a great finishing hole.

Kings North can be added to the North Myrtle Beach Golf.com, Supreme and Myrtle Beach National Packages.

MYRTLE BEACH NATIONAL

4900 National Dr.

Myrtle Beach, SC 29579

Eagle Nest Golf Club will be closing for the summer to renovate the old Bermuda greens to the new Mini Verde hybrid Bermuda. Eagle Nest is scheduled to reopen after the summer. The Gene Hamm design which opened in 1971, has been known as having the hardest three finishing holes on the Grand Strand.

Eastport Golf Club has been sold to The Valley at Eastport LLC. The 98.6 acre property which opened in 1988, has been closed since January 2007. The 6,200-yard course was sold for $3.9 million, according to Horry County deed documents. The Valley at Eastport, is scheduled to reopen in the Fall of this year.

Sandpiper Bay will be closing nine holes of the 27-hole facility this summer to renovate their greens. The renovation will be done in three steps, closing nine holes at a time so golfers will be able to enjoy 18-holes at all times of the Dan Maples design.

With the three nines appropriately named the Sand, which will be done this summer. The Piper in the summer of 2009 and the Bay during the summer of 2010. The golf course will switch to new Mini Verde Bermuda grass, which is excellent for the Carolina climate. Sandpiper will also make the course more player friendly with a complete tree removal program, bunker renovation and resurfacing of cart path.

The Mini Verde provides extremely durable and fast-rolling putting surfaces. It is similar to Bent grass, which promotes a truer, faster putting surface than Bermuda grass. Mini Verde is the fifth type of ultra dwarf Bermuda in its existence.

The world famous Dunes Golf & Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, SC was built on a dream as a recreational facility, for citizens of New Town, SC and employees of Conway Lumber Company, now Burroughs & Chapin The Ocean Front property which was 269.8 acres, were purchased for $10.00 an acre. Among other amenities the facility would include a golf course. In the Fall of 1947, a meeting was held to discuss the building of what is now the The Dunes Golf & Beach Club at “Chapins Cabin” which is considered by many to be the first clubhouse.

On Saturday, October 22, 1949, construction beganwhen nine holes opened for play. Today those holes are the back nine of the second oldest golf course in Myrtle Beach. These holes were constructed first because of the difficult terrain. The second nine holes opened for play in December 1950.

In 1976, the “Dean of Architecture” Robert Trent Jones made modifications to holes 3, 4, 11, 15, and 18. In 1992, Jones oversaw another large scale renovation, which included new bent grass greens, tee boxes, extended the driving range adding more stations and depth and a par 3 “Alternate Hole” located between the 13th and 14th holes. The Alternate hole gives golfers a complete 18 holes should another hole be closed for maintenance. However it was Rees Jones, the son of Robert Trent, who oversaw the installation of the A-1 Bent grass in 2003 and restored all the greens to their original shape and made minor alterations to the club.

All 18 holes at the Dunes Club was also given names so golfers would know what they are up against before teeing off. The most famous hole is the Par 5, 13th hole called “Waterloo”. Waterloo is known as one of the “Greatest Golf Holes in the World”

The natural beauty of the Dunes Golf and Beach Club has amzing elevation changes and is kept in EXCELLENT condition giving its members a course to that is rich in history and ranked as one of the”Top 100 Greatest Public Courses in America”, Golfweek Magazine’s “Top 100 Classic Courses” in its annual “Golfweek’s Best” rankings and for six years from 1994 through 1999, was host of the Senior Tour Championship before the event was moved to the TPC of Myrtle Beach for one year.

With the evaluated greens, scenic marsh and breathtaking and ocean views, combined with exceptional service, attention to detail and deep in golf history makes the Dunes Golf & Beach Club a must play on any Myrtle Beach Golf vacation.