6 Things You May Not Know About Burning Ridge Golf Club

Ask 10 Myrtle Beach regulars about Burning Ridge Golf Club and you’ll get 10 variations of “It’s a solid Gene Hamm course.” True enough. But spend a little time digging into this Conway classic and you’ll find there’s a lot more going on than the scorecard lets on. Here are six things about Burning Ridge that even seasoned Grand Strand golfers tend to miss.

It Used to Be Two Courses, Not One

Burning Ridge didn’t start life as the 18-hole layout you play today. When it opened in 1980, it was a 36-hole facility with an East and West Course. The West Course was closed in 2005 to make way for residential development, and the East Course got an extensive renovation that same year. What you’re playing now is that reborn East Course — meaning the “new” Burning Ridge is really the survivor of a much bigger original footprint.

The Renovation Earned Some Serious Hardware

That 2005 facelift wasn’t just cosmetic. The very next year, in 2006, Burning Ridge was named Myrtle Beach Golf Course of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association — and picked up South Carolina Golf Course of the Year honors in the same stretch. Not a bad reward for a course that had just been rebuilt from the ground up.

Four Daunting Par 3s Anchor the Course

If you think of Burning Ridge as a “fun, playable” track (and it is), don’t sleep on the one-shotters. All four par 3s measure 185 yards or longer, and the 12th hole stretches to a full 247 yards from the tips — arguably the toughest single hole on the entire property.

Two Greens Sit on Their Own Peninsulas

Speaking of memorable holes, the 12th and 17th greens are both peninsula-style targets that require a forced carry over water. Most of Burning Ridge’s water hazards are lateral and rarely come into play off the tee, which makes these two approach shots stand out even more — they’re the postcard moments of the round.

It Has a Reputation as One of the Most Welcoming Clubs for Women Golfers

Burning Ridge has built a genuine reputation as a woman-friendly club, with a notably large contingent of female members and ladies’ groups. It’s a detail that doesn’t show up on a scorecard but says a lot about the club’s culture.

Junior Golfers Play Free

As a Founders Group International course, Burning Ridge lets juniors 16 and under play free alongside a paying adult. It’s a small perk, but for Myrtle Beach families building a golf trip around more than one generation, it’s the kind of detail worth planning around.

What Golfers Are Saying

Don’t just take our word for it. A TripAdvisor reviewer backed up the course’s reputation for playability across skill levels, advising other golfers to “pick your tees according to your skill level” for a fun, manageable round. Another TripAdvisor visitor who played in very good conditions noted the back nine was noticeably tougher than the front — which lines up exactly with where those tough par 3s at 12 and 17 sit on the card. A third reviewer, who called the course a challenging test, singled out the staff as a highlight of the round, echoing the welcoming, community feel Burning Ridge is known for.

The Bottom Line

Burning Ridge isn’t chasing “must-play” hype, and honestly, that’s part of its charm. It’s a Gene Hamm design with real teeth (those par 3s aren’t messing around), a good story behind its current 18-hole form, and a welcoming, community feel that a lot of flashier courses can’t match. If you’re building your next Myrtle Beach golf trip, it deserves a spot on your itinerary.