Being situated about as far east as you can go in the United States, we tend to have a little East Coast bias related to a number of topics. College football: does that even exist west of the Mississippi? Food: we have the best cuisines and restaurants on the East Coast. Beaches: of course the best beaches reside out east. When it comes to golf, we’re certainly biased toward all of the amazing golf available to us here in Myrtle Beach and not far away in North Carolina. One such course, not far from Myrtle Beach in North Carolina, is The Pearl. As luck would have it, there are two courses at The Pearl – the East and the West course. You see what we did there?
Before we talk about the two courses specifically, the East and West courses start very differently, but finish similarly with marshland and views of the Calabash River. Certainly a beautiful place to play golf.
Let’s take a closer look at these two courses in Calabash, NC.
The East course offers a traditional layout. It’s a par 72 and plays nearly 6,800 yards from the black tees. The course doesn’t give players a chance to ease into their round, starting with a nice par 5. You’ll encounter plenty of trees on this course, but this isn’t your traditional course the entire way through. The back nine features gorgeous marshland and water hazards. The toughest hole on the course is the par 4 6th, which features water guarding your drive and your approach shot.
The West course presents a links layout. Clocking in at 7,006 yards from the black tees, The Pearl West presents a number of long holes for the big hitters. Golfers typically enjoy the smooth rolling Bentgrass greens, which are often very well taken care of. The toughest hole is the par 4 5th. Golfers encounter both water and sand traps off the tee. Once those dangers are safely avoided, your approach looks toward an elevated green. A fun, non-traditional hole awaits at 18. It’s a par 5 divided by water. You have the option of playing your drive close to the water, if you have the guts to hit a perfect, long approach shot to the green. Or you can play it safe, and still have to hit over the water, but from a shorter distance. Pretty cool way to end your round.
What it really comes down to are the little things at the Pearl – both courses. You’re almost always greeted with friendly staff members. The courses are typically in good shape throughout the year, and they take extra care of the courses in peak seasons.
In terms of coming up with which Pearl shines brightest, it really comes down to a matter of taste. If you prefer a traditional layout that winds through lots of trees, the East course will likely be your favorite. If you prefer an open, links-style layout, you’ll favor the West course. We consider ourselves golf nuts, so the best way to determine which course is better is by playing them both over and over. So do that and let us know if you have an East or West Pearl bias!