Paige Spiranac Plays King’s North at Myrtle Beach National

During her recent visit to the Grand Strand, Paige Spiranac took on Arnold Palmer’s famed King's North at Myrtle Beach National, including its three most memorable holes: the par-5 No. 6 known as “The Gambler,” the island green par 3 at No. 12, and the par-4 18th with 40 bunkers challenging her from tee to green.

So I played King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, and it was really cool. I think it’s one of the more unique courses I’ve ever played, every single hole was very different. There were some drivable par fours, some reachable par fives. They had island green par threes, and Hole Number 6 they call it “The Gambler,” which I think is one of their more popular holes. You can either go left, which is taking the gamble because there is water all around it, but you have a shorter shot in for your second or third shot … or you could go up the right side, but then you’ll have a longer shot in for your second or kind of a tricky layup. So even though it might be the safer play, I think going left is worth it. It’s a real risk-reward par five, which I love.

The next hole I played was an island green par three, Number 12. It was short, but it was hard because there was water all in front and the green wasn’t very big, especially with all the slopes. So you had to get it on the right level or it was going to roll all the way back. And then No. 18 was really cool. They actually have 40 bunkers on that hole, it’s pretty intense because they’re just like right side, left side, different sizes. They’re all different. I don’t think either of us hit it in one of the bunkers, which was pretty good, but it’s a fairly short par four. I had just a nice drive. It’s nice because even though there are so many bunkers, it’s still playable, it’s wide.

That’s one thing I really like about this course: it is challenging, but if you hit good shots, you’re fine. It’s not tricked up. You have those risk-reward shots. It was fun, it was interesting and it kept you engaged throughout the whole 18 holes.