5 of Myrtle Beach Golf’s Most Intimidating Water Holes
The Grand Strand never runs out of holes that make you question every life decision that led you to the tee box. Myrtle Beach golf is defined by water — marshes, rivers, lakes, tidal creeks, the Intracoastal Waterway — and the designers who’ve worked here have never been shy about putting it directly in your path. Here’s a look at a sampling of holes where the water isn’t background scenery. It’s the main character.
No. 13 at Heritage Club — All Carry, No Mercy
The 13th hole at Heritage Club plays 175 yards from the white tees and is one of the most challenging par 3s on the Myrtle Beach golf scene. It plays across water to a green that seems to be the final resting place of several elephants. The carry is non-negotiable — there’s no safe side, no bailout, and no way to run it up. And surviving the tee shot is only half the battle. The green at the 13th is severely undulating, meaning hitting the proper spot on the putting surface is vital. Make the carry and three-putt from the wrong tier and you’ll feel almost as bad as the golfer who dunked it. Almost.
No. 18 at the Dye Course at Barefoot Resort — Pete Dye’s Parting Shot
The closing hole on this Pete Dye gem plays just 368 yards but it’s a nerve-jangling challenge throughout. Water lines the entire left side of the hole and a series of bunkers are a constant threat on the right. The hole can be shortened off the tee by players willing to challenge the dogleg left — but it’s fraught with danger. Depending on pin placement and your vantage point from the fairway on your approach, the flagstick often looks like it’s flying right in the middle of the lake. That optical illusion is very much intentional. Pete Dye built courses that get inside your head, and the 18th at Barefoot does it as well as any hole he ever designed.
No. 1 at Willbrook Plantation — Water Before You’re Warmed Up
Most courses save their most intimidating water holes for the back nine, when you’ve at least had time to loosen up. Not Willbrook. The opening hole is a 428-yard dogleg right where you need to split the fairway to avoid being blocked by trees. Water lurks on the left, and a long approach then awaits. On the first hole of the day. Before the coffee has fully kicked in. The architectural philosophy on this hole is basically: welcome to Willbrook, you’re starting on its second toughest hole, good luck. It’s a memorable way to open a round, even if your scorecard doesn’t love it.
No. 5 at the Fazio Course at Barefoot Resort — The Hardest Par 4 in Myrtle Beach?
Some consider this the hardest par 4 in the Myrtle Beach area, playing 440 yards to an uphill green. Combine the length with the presence of water and sand, and you have a hole where bogey is a good score. Tom Fazio is known for courses that are demanding but beautiful, and the fifth at Barefoot’s Fazio Course delivers both. The uphill approach to a well-guarded green is the kind of shot that exposes every weakness in your long iron game. Make a five here and walk to the next tee with your head held high.
No. 16 at Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links — A Downhill Dogfight with the Intracoastal
Glen Dornoch in Little River is home to one of the strongest finishing stretches in Myrtle Beach golf, and the 16th is where the Intracoastal Waterway stops being scenery and starts being a genuine threat. One of the most demanding par 4s in Myrtle Beach, the 16th gets even the most skilled veterans longing for a stiff drink by the time they sink their putt. The hole requires a downhill approach into a green surrounded by the marshy waters of the Intracoastal — which means you’re hitting toward water that’s flowing in your direction, messing with your depth perception before you’ve even pulled the club. Pot bunkers flank the primary portion of the fairway landing area, spaced out in such a way that missing them all means a player hit two really strong shots back to back. There’s no soft landing zone here. Just a downhill approach, a water-surrounded green, and a hole that has been humbling good players since 1996.
The Bottom Line
Myrtle Beach golf has an inexhaustible supply of holes where water stops being a backdrop and starts being a genuine threat. From the all-carry par 3 at Heritage Club to the opening-hole ambush at Willbrook to Clyde Johnston’s water-ringed closer at Glen Dornoch, the Grand Strand keeps finding new ways to make you nervous. That’s not a bug. That’s the feature.
If the water doesn’t scare you a little, you’re not paying attention.
