Glen Dornoch isn’t ranked among America’s top 100 public courses, but the layout does enjoy great acclaim from the game’s most important constituency: golfers.
With five holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway, Glen Dornoch features the coastal beauty players covet in a beach golf vacation. If you’ve never played the Clyde Johnston design (or haven’t been in recent years), here is what you need to know.
Don’t Get Caught Daydreaming
There are six Myrtle Beach area golf courses that play along the Intracoastal Waterway, but the Army Corps of Engineer’s finest work is just toe-dip away at Glen Dornoch, providing golfers with some of the area’s most stunning visuals. There will be ample opportunities to take pictures, but make sure the time spent admiring the scenery doesn’t allow your mind to drift from the task at hand, because …
Fight to the Finish
Glen Dornoch’s closing stretch (holes 16-18) is as challenging as it is pretty. The 16th is 371 yards (from the white tees) and requires a downhill approach to a green flanked by the waterway, leaving little room to miss. The 17th is a beautiful par 3, but at 164 yards with water on the left and sand on the right, it demands a good middle to long iron. The closing hole, a 367-yard par 4, isn’t as difficult but the waterway runs up the entire left side. The finishing holes may not be the area’s toughest, but they will certainly test your game.
The Key to Success?
Glen Dornoch isn’t long, playing 6,446 yards from the blue tees and 6,035 yards from the whites, so distance isn’t nearly as important as accuracy. There will be holes you must hit driver, but the first four par 4s play 352 yards or less. If you struggle with the big stick, hit a 3-wood or even a hybrid and find the short grass; your chances of success will increase exponentially.
Myrtle Beach’s Best Golf Package?
The Grand Strand has more golf packages than any destination in America, and few surpass the Ultimate Glens Group deal, which offers the opportunity to play eight rounds for the price of three. When you book rounds at Glen Dornoch, Shaftesbury Glen and Arrowhead Country Club, you get a free round at Possum Trot AND free pre-booked replays at all four courses. Throw in range balls and accommodations at Village at the Glens, and this deal, which starts at just $349, is difficult to beat.
After You Are Finished
After your round concludes, grab the drink of your choice and enjoy it on the deck of Glen Dornoch’s clubhouse, which overlooks the double green the ninth and 18th holes share and the Intracoastal Waterway. After you wrap up at the course, pay a visit to the best restaurant you’ve never eaten at: Crab Catcher’s. The local’s favorite is built above the Intracoastal; the setting is relaxing and the seafood is fresh, a winning combination for any golf group.