Heather Glen Golf Links: Three Best Holes
Heather Glen Golf Links is one of the quiet stars of the Myrtle Beach golf scene.
More than 60 courses have opened since Heather Glen debuted in 1987, but the Scottish-inspired facility has remained a favorite. We recently paid a visit to the Little River layout and long-time head pro Steve Heher provided an inside look at the best hole on each of Heather Glen’s three nine-hole layouts.
1. The par 4, ninth hole on the red nine earned its nickname, “The Long Hole.” Playing 447 yards from the tips (and a stout 403 from the white tees), the dogleg left is the hardest on the Red nine.
The hole often plays even longer because players are hitting into a hill off the tee. If you don’t have enough muscle to crest the hill, a blind shot of 200+ yards awaits.
“It’s a very difficult par 4,” Heher said. “Try to stay as far left as you can (hugging the dogleg) because the further you go right, the longer you are making the hole play.”
2. “The Home Hole” as it’s called on the White nine is a three-shot par 5 for all but the longest of hitters. The ninth hole is dogleg right with water running up the right side, and it plays 587 yards from the tips and an equally imposing 558 from the white tees.
Players that opt to go for the green in two must clear water and a bunker in the front of the green. It’s an imposing shot from 130 yards; from 200+ only low single digit handicaps are likely to have any success. It’s the type of shot that makes a Myrtle Beach golf vacation great.
3. Heher favors the 525-yard eighth hole as the best on the Blue nine. Players are forced to carry a creek off the tee and on their second shot, but neither of those shots qualify as this par 5s most daunting.
The green is protected by water on two sides and a cluster of bunkers on the left, so your approach will be a knee-knocker. The green can be reached in two – the hole is 490 from the white tees – but the precision is required.
“With a good tee shot to the left side, players can hit a wood into the green,” Heher said. “But you have to hit [outstanding] shots. Most people will make it a three-shot hole.”
