5 Things You Need to Know About the West Course

March 6, 2014

If you’ve taken more than two or three Myrtle Beach golf trips, you’ve probably been to Myrtle Beach National, one of the area’s bedrock facilities.

Home to three Arnold Palmer designs, Myrtle Beach National is one of the most popular beach golf vacation destinations in the country. While King’s North is rightly the most heralded design at MBN, the West Course has long been among the area’s most popular as well.

What make the West Course so appealing? We have the answers and other tidbits you need to know about this gem.

1. People love the West Course because it’s always in good shape, it’s fun design, AND it offers you the chance to score. When the West Course shows up on your Myrtle Beach, South Carolina itinerary, understand one thing: this is your chance to go low.

2. A 4.5-star course, according to Golf Digest’s Best Places to Play guide, the layout is strong throughout. But the back nine, in particular, stands out. The final nine holes play away from the clubhouse and there are no parallel fairways or homes visible. It’s just you and the course. It’s a great close.

3. The fairways on the West Course are open and if you are off the short grass, more often than not, you will have a reasonable shot at hitting the green. But that’s where the course stiffens. The miniverde greens on the West Course have substantial undulation, so the putter is the most important club in your bag.

4. We’ve already told you that scoring well is a distinct possibility, and the course allows you the opportunity to get off to a good start on both sides. The first (453 yards from the white tees) and 10th (465 yards) holes are short par 5s, so use them as a springboard and a good day awaits.

5. In addition to its many other virtues, you can arrive on the first tee at the West Course with the expectation of good pace of play. You should get around in 4 ½ hours or less, so when you have the West Course as a morning tee time, plan on playing 36.