Golf Courses

Standing in the middle of the third fairway, the beauty and challenge of Shaftesbury Glen are crystallized in the demands of the approach shot. The green is elevated and a deep, finger bunker lurks.

What looked like a fairly easy hole on the tee box gets tougher with each step towards the green. The third hole is Shaftesbury Glen condensed into a 414-yard par 4. 

The Clyde Johnston design is open off the tee, giving players ample latitude, but the greens are typically elevated and protected by those expansive bunkers. Getting up-and-down from the sand makes for a challenging round, so a sharp...

Arcadian Shores Golf Club is a staple of many Myrtle Beach golf vacations.

The course opened for play in the mid-‘70s with its traditional layout designed by an offspring of legendary architect Robert Trent Jones. No one could have predicted in 1974 that Rees Jones would transform his career out of the shadows of his father to be known as the U.S. Open Doctor.

Arcadian Shores is where Rees Jones got his start.

Nearly 40 years later, Arcadian Shores continues to be a ``must play’’ for Grand Strand golfers.

Two holes are so popular they were Dream 18 selections by the Myrtle Beach Sun News, a...

Arcadian Shores Golf Club is a staple of many Myrtle Beach golf vacations.

The course opened for play in the mid-‘70s with its traditional layout designed by an offspring of legendary architect Robert Trent Jones. No one could have predicted in 1974 that Rees Jones would transform his career out of the shadows of his father to be known as the U.S. Open Doctor.

Arcadian Shores is where Rees Jones got his start.

Nearly 40 years later, Arcadian Shores continues to be a ``must play’’ for Grand Strand golfers.

Two holes are so popular they were Dream 18 selections by the Myrtle Beach Sun News, a...

Shaftesbury Glen opened its generous fairways nearly 11 years ago. The course quickly became a Myrtle Beach golf favorite, earning course of the year honors; while Golf World readers voted the facility one of America’s Top 50 Golf Resorts.

While Shaftesbury Glen has compiled an impressive resume, we have five insights – beyond the quality of the course – that will help you prior to striking your first tee shot at Shaftesbury.

1. The inspiration for Shaftesbury Glen’s design lies in one of the nation’s great layouts. Paul Himmelsbach, a member of the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fameand co-owner...

Shaftesbury Glen arrived on the Myrtle Beach golf scene in 2001, and the Clyde Johnston design quickly carved out a player-friendly reputation. The course sports some of the widest fairways along the Grand Strand - making it a favorite for those of us with a crooked driver – and elevated, bentgrass greens.

To provide a better perspective on what players have to look forward to, we asked Shaftesbury Glen’s director of operations, Ryan McCarty, to tell us the course’s three best holes, and he happily obliged.

1. The 579-yard second hole is reachable in two only for Myrtle Beach golf’s...

The soothing tranquility and serene nature that run through Meadowlands Golf Club emulate the lifestyle associated with its Calabash, N.C., home.

Meadowlands Golf Club is home to a 7,054-yard course – from the challenging Raven tees – built by architect Willard Byrd in 1997. High-handicappers need not worry as the course, much like its staff, is friendly to all guests. Meadowlands’ design integrates five different teeing areas for all skill levels, as well as large greens and spacious fairways.

Players on a Myrtle Beach golf trip escape to Meadowlands and get lost in a good way, amid a...

Golfers who flock to Myrtle Beach appreciate the many laid-back opportunities awaiting them on the South Strand.

Founders Club at Pawleys Island, the newest Myrtle Beach golf course, mirrors the South Strand’s popular image. An affluent but rustic ambience is palpable on the former Sea Gull golf course property.

This is not your father’s Sea Gull Golf Club.  Founders Club, one of four Myrtle Beach golf courses managed by the Classic Golf Group, is a total recreation by architect Tom Walker.

In February of 2008, Founders Club opened following a multi-million transformation and one of the staples...

Aberdeen Country Club is not a mirror image of Scotland’s sixth oldest course, Royal Aberdeen, but it does share at one trait with its ancient namesake.

The North Strand facility provides players on a Myrtle Beach golf trip an enjoyable day of golf at a 27-hole facility, comprised of the Meadows, Woodlands and Highlands nines. Players experience a protected riverfront preserve with an abundance of wildlife.

Golfers familiar with Aberdeen during their annual Myrtle Beach golfvacation recognize its reputation for well-conditioned TifDwarf greens, tightly guarded fairways, and numerous carries...

Located in Sunset Beach, N.C., just over the Carolina border from North Myrtle Beach, Oyster Bay offers one of Myrtle Beach golf’s most relaxing settings, but players need to be prepared for strong test of golf

Designed in 1983 by Dan Maples, Oyster Bay features the coastal terrain of maritime forests, marshes and inlets that surround island greens and water hazards. But the beauty of the course is also what makes it so deceptively challenging.

Measuring 6,685 yards from the tips, Oyster Bay requires more brains than brawn. The expansive bunkers and undulating greens of the par-70 layout...

A golf vacation to Myrtle Beach presents unique experiences not found at other destinations. One of the qualities a trip to Myrtle Beach offers is a who’s who list of PGA Tour players who have left their signature on the Grand Strand.

Arrive in Myrtle Beach and you can challenge a course designed or co-designed by major championship winners like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ray Floyd, Greg Norman and Davis Love III. There is even a major titleholder, who along with nationally-renowned architect Clyde Johnston, designed his only layout, Wicked Stick Golf Links, in Myrtle Beach:...

You’ve got to know when to hold’em,
Know when to fold’em,
Know when to walk away
And know when to run

- The Gambler

The passage from the famed Kenny Rogers song hangs on a sign at the sixth tee box on King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, welcoming players to the most exhilarating hole on the Myrtle Beach golf scene.

The par 5, known to all who have played the course as The Gambler, is synonymous with the Arnold Palmer designed gem. The alternate, island fairway allows daring players the opportunity to reach the green in two, provided they have the requisite skill and a gambler’s propensity...

Visitors spending Christmas Day in Myrtle Beach will discover the PineHills Course at Myrtlewood Golf Club offers a distinctive present under its giant trees: Free golf.

It’s a Grand Strand tradition that players are allowed to walk at no charge at either PineHills or Myrtlewood’s Palmetto Course on Christmas Day. On December 25th, PineHills is the more appealing of the two because golfers making the turn are closer to the clubhouse parking lot. Keep your fingers crossed for a 60-degree day, something not out of the ordinary for Christmas time on the Beach.

Thus PineHills presents the most...

King’s North is home to some of the most photographed and popular holes on the Myrtle Beach golf scene – No. 6, the Gambler, No. 12, the island green par 3, and No. 18, which has 40 bunkers flanking the left side of the fairway come immediately to mind.

But when we went to long-time head pro Michael Burnside for an insider’s look at the layout’s best, he placed a premium on holes that allow players to make risk-reward decisions. Here are the three best holes at King’s North from Burnside’s perspective:

No. 3, 365-yard, par 4: Long hitters can cut the corner and attempt to drive the green on...

King’s North at Myrtle Beach National is one of the Grand Strand’s iconic layouts. It has a high profile home, a famed architect, and it’s one of the area’s most sought after tee times.

So what do you need to know before teeing it up at this Myrtle Beach golf favorite? We have answers.

1. It wasn’t always the King: The layout opened in 1973, but it was initially known as the North Course. Arnold Palmer, who consulted on the original design, overhauled the layout in 1996, redoing the greens, flipping the nines, and making substantive changes throughout. To reflect the impact of...

What's better than playing 18 holes at a Myrtle Beach golf course? Playing 27.

With 100+ courses on the Grand Strand, only a handful are 27-hole facilities that offer players their choice of combinations to play without having to drive anywhere but the fairways and the cart paths.

Eight Myrtle Beach layouts boast three nines - Aberdeen Country Club, Arrowhead, Heather Glen, River Oaks Golf Plantation, Sandpiper Bay, Thistle Golf Club, World Tour and Wild Wing Plantation.

Aberdeen features three nines - Highlands, Meadows and Woodlands - designed in the Scottish tradition by Tom Jackson. The...

The official title says it’s the International Club of Myrtle Beach, but it's technically located in Murrells Inlet, an historic fishing village just 20 miles south of the Sun Fun City.

But International Club seems like a world away from the bright lights and big city. The natural beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry combined with the spotlessly maintained links makes it a favorite tee time among Myrtle Beach golf courses.

Tucked away amid acres of woodlands and wetlands, International Club offers golfers the opportunity to play one of the Grand Strand's most popular and impeccably...

A new name, new greens and a couple holes with completely new looks have brought ample attention to the General James Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina, a staple of many Myrtle Beach golf packages.

Formerly known as Quail Creek, the Hackler Course, which was officially renamed on November 11, underwent a summer overhaul.

The course is owned by Coastal Carolina, the alma mater of PGA Tour star and Myrtle Beach golf spokesman Dustin Johnson,  and the university renamed it in honor Hackler, a former Air Force general who invented the golf package and worked tirelessly to improve the Grand Strand...

More than the name has changed at the General James Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina (formerly known as Quail Creek). With new greens and 60 fewer bunkers, the layout received a facelift over the summer.

The routing of the course remains much the same, but architect Craig Schreiner made substantive changes to a few holes. We asked head pro Chuck Johns for his insight into the course’s three best holes and he provided an insider’s account of the golf vacation favorite.

No. 2, 349-yard, par 4: A dogleg right that used to have a bunker short and deep on the left side of the fairway, the second...