When it comes to all things golf in Myrtle Beach, visitors have come to rely upon "On The Green" magazine for guidance. In turn, the annual publication recently called on readers to name the best 18 holes - out of nearly 2,000 total - on the Grand Strand.
The results of the survey indicated a number of clear favorites but also a wide variety of choices; in all, 190 different holes were listed as top choices, and 27 golf courses had multiple holes chosen, with North Myrtle Beach's Glen Dornoch having nine holes named on at least one ballot.
Not surprisingly, then, Glen Dornoch's par-4 16th, which plays directly toward the Intracoastal Waterway, was one of the readers' choices for Top Three honors. "Try to ignore the passing yachts and fishing boats as you putt out," the magazine wrote in its description of the hole.
The other Top Three holes are the par-4 18th hole at Caledonia, which is regarded as the most popular Myrtle Beach course, and the par-5 ninth at the Arnold Palmer-designed Rivers Edge.
Caledonia's finishing hole requires an accurate tee shot and an approach over water and marsh to the green "at the foot of the clubhouse, where onlookers may be sitting in rocking chairs betting on shots' results." Rivers Edge's ninth "seems to get narrower and narrower as you progress down the fairway, leaving the golfer with a wedge shot to a very narrow, deep green."
Here's a complete list of the top 18 holes, listed in order of votes received:
Glen Dornoch, par-4 16th
Caledonia, par-4 18th
Rivers Edge, par-5 9th
Glen Dornoch, par-4 18th
Farmstead, par-6 18th
Oyster Bay, par-4 13th
River Club, par-5 18th
Myrtle Beach National/Kings North, par-5 6th
Grande Dunes/Resort Course, par-3 14th
Heather Glen (White nine), par-5 9th (This course has closed permanently.)
Heritage Club, par-5 18th
Long Bay, par-4 10th
TPC of Myrtle Beach, par-5 18th
The Dunes Club, par-5 13th
True Blue, par-4 18th
Legends/Moorland, par-4 16th
Lockwood Folly, par-5 18th
Tidewater, par-3 3rd
For more on the readers' survey and descriptions of the top holes, visit www.onthegreenmagazine.com.
On The Green Magazine Survey Names The Strand’s Best 18 holes
