3 Best Holes At Waterway Hills Golf Club

The dean of golf course architects, Robert Trent Jones, designed 27 holes at Waterway Hills Golf Club, so there is ample quality at the Myrtle Beach golf course. The challenge for head pro Dick LeSieur was naming the three best holes, one from each of the facility’s nine-hole layouts.

The veteran pro agonized over a couple choices, but he gave us his list of Waterway Hills Golf Club’s best.

Oaks 9, No. 3, 422-yard, par 4 – The longest par 4 at Waterway Hills, the third hole forces players into a decision. There is water on the left (250 yards from the tee) and right (280 from the tee). The two lakes parallel each other, so threading the needle requires accuracy but the reward is a much shorter approach.  The water is much closer from the white tees (215 on the left, 245 on the right) so everyone will be faced with the decision. LeSieur’s advice?

“If you are comfortable hitting your three-wood and about 160-165 yards on your second shot, that’s the way I would play it,” he says. “Driver brings water on both sides into play.

Lakes 9, No. 2, 534-yard, par 5 – Waterway Hills’ longest hole is also its toughest. You have to be a serious bomber to even think about hitting the green in two. The hole is tree-lined from tee to green and a lake looms halfway up the right side of the fairway. The key to success on No. 2 at the Lakes is getting off the tee and playing smart.

“After I hit my tee shot, I play the hole backwards,” LeSieur says. “I hit my second shot to leave myself a comfortable yardage (on my approach). That normally leaves me with a real good birdie opportunity.”

Ravine 9, No. 3, 483-yard, par 5 – This one presents a true risk-reward decision. At 483 yards from the back tees, the third hole on the Ravine 9 offers most everyone the possibility of going for the green in two. But there is a catch. A ravine, hence the name, runs in front of the green so the second shot is all carry.

A 250-yard drive leaves a 230-yard carry. It’s makeable, but it will take a good shot from a strong player. The smart thing to do is layup, but sometimes emotion rules the day.

“It’s almost like, ‘I’m on vacation, and I have to give this a try,’” LeSieur said of what most players do. “Rather than manage the hole, you see a lot of three woods being pulled from the bag.”

What would you do?