Given the vastness of the Myrtle Beach area’s golf offerings, there is quite a spectrum of courses on offer. They vary by age, architectural style and, most importantly for many golfers, price. It is understandable to believe the most expensive courses to be the “best” courses — and in many cases, this is true.
But there are exceptions. And in this way, the Grand Strand is home to some of the best-value golf courses you are likely to find anywhere. Here are five of our nominations for this value-oriented category:
Heathland Course at Legends Resort
Tom Doak, one of the most influential golf-course architects of the 21st century, left his mark in Myrtle Beach in the form of the Heathland Course at Legends
Resort before he ascended to wide acclaim. This layout brings many of the aesthetic and strategic sensibilities of England’s best inland courses to the Southeastern United States. The course’s standout holes include the par-5 seventh hole, which pays tribute to the Road Hole at St. Andrews, and the big, long par-4 16th, whose fairway is split by a stream that dictates strategy off the tee.
Avocet Course at Wild Wing Plantation
While Doak’s effort at Legends’ Heathland Course hews to the more minimalistic, Wild Wing’s Avocet Course, designed by three-time major champion Larry Nelson and past American Society of Golf Course Architects president Jeff Brauer, has a very different look. Inventive shaping and mounding at Avocet sets it apart from other courses, making some of its holes memorably artistic in look. Two par-4s in the middle of the round steal the show here: The split-fairway ninth and the drivable 14th, one of Myrtle Beach’s very best single holes.
The Witch Golf Course
Dan Maples is one of the Myrtle Beach area’s most prolific designers, with courses up and down the Grand Strand. His most distinctive course is The Witch, located a bit off the main US-17 corridor but well worth the detour to play. Its tee markers were sourced directly from the inland wetlands that come into play throughout the course’s front nine: painted cypress “knees” that stick up out of the swamp water and serve as an extension of the trees’ root systems. In contrast to the front side, the back nine is more intimate and closer together, while nonetheless maintaining the adventuresome overall vibe of the golf course.
Founders Club at Pawleys Island
Though it occupies land on which golf has been played since 1969, Founders is technically the “newest” golf course in the Myrtle Beach area, having undergone a complete renovation in 2008 by Thomas Walker. Walker’s effort stripped away acres of long Bermuda rough from the perimeters of most holes, replacing them with sandy scrub. The course really gets going on the back nine, with holes 11 through 17 representing one of the strongest stretches in the region.
Arcadian Shores Golf Club
Rees Jones’ first solo design effort is one of Myrtle Beach’s most interesting courses for budget-conscious golfers. In addition to modest greens fees, it comes complete with two of the area’s most famous golf holes: the tough-as-nails par-2 second, and the downhill, curling par-4 14th. Both holes require mid- to long-iron approaches over ponds, making a par feel like an accomplishment.
All five of these courses are available for booking right here at MyrtleBeachGolf.com, where you can extract even more value out of your rounds.