Can You Conquer the Three Best Holes at Farmstead Golf Links?
Farmstead Golf Links has quietly established itself as one of the most popular courses on the North end of the Myrtle Beach golf scene. The links style layout has built its reputation on the strength of smooth, fast greens and a welcoming atmosphere.
We recently asked Farmstead’s general manager and director of golf Ricky Lyons to identify the three best holes on the Willard Byrd design, and he happily obliged.
–Farmstead’s opening hole, a 420-yard par 4, offers an outstanding start. A fountain in the pond on the right side helps provide the ascetics but the fairway is very generous. Despite the length from the tips, No. 1 is very manageable from the blue (387 yards) and white tees (367 yards).
Avoid the fairway bunker and a solid start is attainable.
“It’s the second best hole on the course,” Lyons said. “It’s a beautiful hole, and it has a nice, big driving area to get you off to a good start.”
-The 547-yard, par 5 ninth is a three-shot hole. The landing area off the tee is ample but a large oak tree in the middle of the fairway forces golfers to make a decision on which way they want to go. A nice drive and second shot (typically with a long iron or fairway wood) are essential to setup a short wedge shot and give you a chance at par or better.
The ninth green is Farmstead’s smallest and it falls off on the left side, so getting it close requires a precise approach.
“It’s challenging,” Lyons said of the hole. “The third shot is intimidating because players are playing uphill to a little green.”
-Everyone’s favorite hole is the mammoth 767-yard, par 6 18th hole. One of the six longest holes in America, No. 18 tees off in South Carolina and concludes in the Tar Heel state. It is, without question, the hole people leave Farmstead talking about.
There is plenty of real estate to land the ball so players shouldn’t find much trouble off the tee. There is water that runs up the left side the last two-hundred yards, but the challenge at 18 is as much mental as physical.
“Don’t get intimidated when you get out there,” Lyons said of his favorite hole. “It’s just like a par 5, just one more shot.”
Lyons is correct but at 712 yards from the blue tees and a still meaty 679 from the whites, it’s a very long shot, certainly the longest you will face on a Myrtle Beach golf trip!
