8 of the Best Par-3 Holes in Myrtle Beach Golf

Par 3s have a funny reputation. They’re the shortest holes on the scorecard, but ask any Myrtle Beach golfer which hole had the biggest impact on their round, there’s a good chance a par 3 comes up. Architects love using these one-shotters as a canvas for dramatic, photogenic design work — which is exactly why the Myrtle Beach area’s best par 3s are as beautiful as they are terrifying. Here are the ones locals and visitors talk about most.

Tidewater Golf Club, No. 12

If one hole had to sum up Myrtle Beach golf in a single photo, plenty of golfers would pick this one. Playing 189 yards over a sprawling salt marsh, Tidewater’s 12th green is guarded by two bunkers and plenty of undulation. A back pin is manageable, but a front pin will test your nerve as much as your distance control — miss short, and you’re not walking away with a par.

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, No. 9

At 200 yards from the tips, this Robert Trent Jones Sr. design demands a real strike. The green sits gently elevated and surrounded by white sand bunkers, but the real showstopper is what’s behind it: an Atlantic Ocean backdrop that turns a tough tee shot into one of the most photographed moments in the area.

King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, No. 12

Arnold Palmer’s King’s North features a genuine island green — and at just 140 yards from the tips, distance isn’t really the problem. The problem is the water surrounding the green on all sides, with a series of bunkers to the left as your only real bailout. It’s short, scenic, and still manages to rattle low handicappers.

Grande Dunes Resort Course, No. 14

Grande Dunes features five holes running along the Intracoastal Waterway, and the par-3 14th is the star of the group — long, bold, and genuinely intimidating from the tee, with the Waterway serving as both the hole’s biggest hazard and its best photo opportunity.

Pawleys Plantation, No. 13

Jack Nicklaus’s signature hole at Pawleys Plantation plays a deceptively short 40 to 145 yards depending on the tees, but don’t let the yardage fool you. The elevated tee sits at the end of a marsh-surrounded causeway, aiming at a peninsula green — shared with the 16th hole — that juts into the hazard. Coastal winds make club selection a genuine guessing game, and the hole earned enough notoriety to be featured on Golf Channel’s “Big Break Myrtle Beach” in 2014.

Myrtlewood Golf Club (Palmetto Course), No. 17

Playing with the Intracoastal Waterway off to the left and a feeder canal cutting across the front, Myrtlewood’s 17th packs serious difficulty into a hole that’s typically only 140 to 150 yards. The green is narrow, elevated, and guarded by a large front bunker — proof a short yardage doesn’t always mean an easy birdie look.

True Blue Golf Club, No. 3

Mike Strantz’s True Blue opens with an early gut-check at the par-3 third, where a waste area and native surroundings create an intimidating tee shot right out of the gate — golfers have reported the occasional resident gator sunning nearby, just to raise the stakes further.

Crow Creek Golf Club, No. 8

This par 3 plays over a man-made lake that’s become a popular hangout for local bird life, giving the hole a peaceful, scenic quality that contrasts with the very real threat of a watery grave for a mishit tee shot.

The Bottom Line

What makes the best par 3s in The Golf Capital of the World^® stand out isn’t just the yardage on the scorecard — it’s the combination of genuine visual drama, marshes, waterways, and islands included, paired with green complexes demanding real precision. Whether you’re chasing a great photo or a great score, these are the holes worth remembering as part of your Myrtle Beach golf trip.