The Dunes Club is the most decorated Myrtle Beach golf course. The PGA, LPGA and Senior Tours have all hosted events at the storied layout and any list of the best at the Dunes Club is certain to spark much debate.
That being said, we asked head pro Dennis Nicholl to name the Robert Trent Jones design’s three-best holes. While the front nine at the Dunes Club is outstanding, the three best holes are all located on the back, according to Nicholl.
Here is a look at the best the Dunes Club has to offer:
No. 11, 430-yard, par 4 – The only hole on the course that has been significantly redesigned, the 11th is also one of the best. What was once a short, straight hole is now a dogleg right that plays 370 yards, from the white tees, into a peninsula green.
Drives must stay to the left side of the fairway to avoid the swash. The 11th hole is the beginning of Alligator Alley, arguably the best three-hole stretch on the Myrtle Beach golf scene.
“It’s one of the most picturesque holes we have here,” said Nicholl.
No. 13, 590-yard, par 5 – Known as Waterloo, No. 13 is the most renowned Myrtle Beach golf hole. Once named one of America’s 18 best holes by Sports Illustrated, No. 13 has earned its reputation as the course’s hardest hole.
Lake Singleton plays along the right side and despite the hole’s length – it plays 520 from the white tees – for many people the driver stays in the bag. The best play is to hit the ball about 220 yards off the tee and snuggle up to the lake (without going in!). From there, players can cut as much or as little of the lake as they want in trying to get to the green.
The 13th is a three-shot hole, and the work has only just started when you get to the green.
“People always say the lake is the problem, but really the strength of the 13th hole is the greens complex,” according to Nicholl. “There are a couple deep bunkers (around the green), and you need to have a good wedge coming in to a two-tiered green. If you put it on the wrong side of the green, it’s a three-putt waiting to happen. Anything from birdie to a double digit number is possible.”
No. 18, 430-yard, par 4 – The 18th hole at the Dunes Club has witnessed tournament victories by the likes of Hale Irwin, Gary McCord and Raymond Floyd. It’s a fairly long par 4 with water fronting the green and the prevailing wind coming off the nearby Atlantic is always in your face.
“Check your ego at the door and layup if you have to,” says Nicholl. “So many times I see people 180 to 200 yards out but they don’t take into account the ocean breeze is blowing from the backside of the clubhouse over the top. You might be standing in the fairway and don’t really feel it, hit your ball into the air, and it gets gobbled up and dumped into the water … If you have to take your medicine on 18, sometimes bogey is going to win the hole anyway.”
Any arguments with Nicholl’s choice of the Dunes Club’s three best holes?
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