Myrtle Beach Golf News & Updates

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

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 landscaped golf courses.

Designed by Willard Byrd in 2000, International Club features five sets of tees to provide opportunities for all skills levels to enjoy the course.

The course is a par 72 that plays 6,790 yards from the back tees and 4,848 yards from the forward tees. It’s a true test of golf that rewards precision over power and provides some excellent risk/reward opportunities.

The course wraps around… a series of marshlands, tidal creeks, lakes and other hazards. Towering pines and twisted live oaks trees make for some tight, tricky fairways.

But despite its natural setting, International Club is also known for having well conditioned greens. The course also offers GPS technology for golfers to get accurate distance readings.

One more positive about International Club – it’s one of the more affordable courses on the Strand, providing maximum bargain per buck.

There are plenty of outstanding Myrtle Beach golf courses, but the International Club gives golfers an excellent course on a lovely stretch of land at a reasonable price, and you can’t beat that with a 5-iron.

Have you played it? Share YOUR review on the International Club’s page!

If you only want the best on your Myrtle Beach golf trip, we have several Central Strand recommendations. From steakhouses to lighted driving ranges, here are five things that will help make your trip even more memorable. 1. Go to New York Prime – If money isn’t an issue and your Myrtle Beach golf group wants great steak, the original New York Prime is the place to go.  There are New York Prime restaurants in Atlanta and Boca Raton, but the chain started here, and it only takes one

Greg Norman is one of the most popular players in golf history, winning 91 tournaments around the world and finishing seven years ranked No. 1 in the world.  The Great White Shark has been equally successful off the course, particularly in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he has opened a restaurant, golf academy and, most importantly, a golf course. The Norman Course is one of the cornerstones at Barefoot Resort, which also features layouts designed by Pete Dye, Tom Fazio and Davis

Barefoot Resort, home to layouts designed by Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Pete Dye and Tom Fazio, is one premier golf facilities in the nation, annually enticing thousands of players to take a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina golf vacation.

Nationally, the Norman Course hasn’t received the acclaim of its siblings. Don’t try telling the people who work at Barefoot or play the course regularly that it isn’t the equal of the Fazio, Love or Dye courses, each of which has been ranked among America’s top 100 public courses.

“Over the years, I’ve grown to enjoy the Norman Course over the other three,” Mike Ross, Barefoot’s head pro said. “People ask me why, and I tell them, ‘It’s just a fun golf course to play.’”

With four holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway and a layout that rewards creativity, the Norman Course is among the most playable a Myrtle Beach golf vacation has to offer.

Like many Greg Norman designed courses, which place an emphasis on sustainability, there are limited areas of mowable grass – less than 60 acres throughout the entire property. In place of rough, golfers will find pine straw or waste bunkers, neither of which is conducive to our dreams of par, but the  fairways are plenty wide.

Norman provides a chance for a fast start. The straight-away first hole, a par 4, includes a fairway that is among the course’s roomiest and it plays just 377 yards from the tips. Trouble is limited to a couple green-side bunkers so par on the first hole is very attainable, even for mid to high handicappers.

The layout gradually stiffens and so does the quality of Norman’s work. By the time you arrive at the ninth hole, a 568-yard par 5 that features a green fronted by a natural waste area, the course’s splendor is on full display.

The Intracoastal Waterway…

The Norman Course at Barefoot Resort features four holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway and the design prowess of Greg Norman. It’s a highly regarded layout, a fixture on many South Carolina beach golf vacation itineraries, but what are the best of the best at the Norman Course?

We consulted with Barefoot head pro Mike Ross, who shared his list of the layout’s three best holes.

World Tour is a re-creation of some of golf’s greatest holes, allowing players to get a taste of what it’s like to play courses like Augusta National, but which holes constitute the best of the best at the Myrtle Beach layout?

We consulted with general manager Tom Plankers and he shared his favorites on each of World Tour’s three nine-hole layouts.

– The third hole on the Open 9 replicates one of the game’s most recognizable par 3s, the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. This 132-yard beauty, which is renowned for its island green, presents one of golf’s most daunting tee shots, as there is no bail out room.

“It’s exactly what you see on TV,” Plankers said. “You have to hit the green. Whatever club you are comfortable with, take it and knock in on the green.

– On the Championship 9, Plankers couldn’t pick a… 

We are less than 10 days before Christmas and much of the northeast and midwest are mired in a deep freeze, so what are we going to do here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to get ready for the holidays?

Play golf, of course!

As the official beginning of winter approaches, a mild fall is going to end with beautiful weather. The high here is only forecast to be 53 on Wednesday but will rise to 63 on Thursday, 69 on Friday and 71 on Saturday and Sunday.

With virtually no chance of rain,

In its January issue, Golf Digest dedicated eight pages to a “Compare+Contrast” story looking at three of the game’s “classic” buddies destinations.

The three featured destinations were Myrtle Beach, Ireland and Bandon Dunes. Each locale offers a different experience and each is among the game’s best for different reasons.

The premise of the story is Golf Digest sent two writers to each destination (on separate trips), and they filed a very short

The guys at Golf Magazine went undercover at True Blue, one of the best Myrtle Beach golf courses, and reported on their experience in the January 2014 issue. The story, which ran with a subhead saying, “We go undercover to see if you’re overpaying,” evaluated True Blue based on service, pace of play, quality and value before delivering a verdict. Not surprisingly, the Golf Magazine spy had a positive experience at a layout that has long been hailed as being among the

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

– Kenny Rogers' “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 for risk.

It’s a hole that is at once gorgeous, sweat-inducing and unforgettable. It’s King’s North packed into 568 yards.

King’s North underwent a comprehensive redesign in 1996, complete with new greens, routing changes and the magic touch of Palmer. Out of the renovation emerged a signature Myrtle Beach golf course that has been a frequent member of Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.

The beauty of the course lies in its variety. King’s North offers risk-reward choices throughout the round, giving players the opportunity to cut a corner in pursuit of a birdie or something rarer than a royal straight flush, an eagle.

Holes three, five and six each present a choice off the tee that allows players to considerably shorten the hole. Play bold and the chances of a birdie (or double bogey) are greatly enhanced.

Beyond strategic decision making, what distinguishes King’s North is… 

Wesley Day of Ajax, Ontario, parred the third extra hole Saturday to become the first overall boys’ champion from outside the United States in the 45th year of the annual George Holliday Memorial Junior Golf Tournament.
 
Day, who made a 30-footer for par on the first extra hole of a sudden-death playoff at Myrtle Beach National’s West Course to stay alive, outlasted 13-year-old Trent Phillips of Inman, S.C., after the two players tied at 1-under-par 215 after 54 holes. Day

The 30th birthday is a milestone most don’t look forward to because it’s a reminder that time and the accoutrements of youth are passing. But at Burning Ridge Golf Club, which opened in 1980, the completion of the course’s third decade has caused no gnashing of teeth.

As a matter of fact, the Gene Hamm design is better at 30 than it was at 20.  Spurred by an extensive renovation project in 2005, Burning Ridge, a traditional course, was named the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association and South Carolina Golf Course of the Year in 2006, and the facility has gotten better since.

Located on Highway 501, the primary artery into Myrtle Beach, Burning Ridge Golf Club promises good conditions, value and customer service, and delivers on all accounts.

Burning Ridge Golf Club features mounded fairways that are lined by scores of pine trees, yawning bunkers and elevated greens.

The course measures 6,780 yards from the black tees, but most people play from 6,216 yards on the white tees, so the layout isn’t exceedingly long.  Burning Ridge doesn’t take the driver out of the bag for most players, but accuracy off the tee is paramount to success.

The course’s fairways offer …

Some of golf’s most prominent courses – Augusta National and Pine Valley come immediately to mind – are inaccessible to the overwhelming majority of players, either because they are private or the price tag is prohibitive. World Tour Golf Links brings a taste of the game’s most exclusive layouts to you. Each of World Tour’s 27 holes is inspired by one the game’s great designs. Come along as Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz host Blair O’Neal samples Amen Corner, the Old Course at St. Andrews and the Postage Stamp at Troon. It’s a trip you won’t forget.

Let’s get this out of the way early: by the standards of any decent golfer I’m horrible. A fragile psyche and a swing only Charles Barkley could love have conspired to keep my handicap on the wrong side of 20.