Risk-Reward Magic at Tidewater? “Breaking Par with Charlie Rymer” Episode 63

It is called Harbor Watch, and it’s a beauty. The par-five eighth here at Tidewater is reachable in two if you exercise some care with shot selection. There’s plenty of room off the tee, but this is one of those par fives that’s defined by your second shot. Even if you’re not aggressive with it, you’ve still got to wedge into a large and generally flat green.

So this is Tidewater Golf Club. We’re in North Myrtle Beach and the area between Little River, South Carolina, and Cherry Grove, South Carolina. Cherry Grove is an area very special to me because when I was little… Well, I never was little when I was young, I used to vacation right here in this area. People make a strong argument that this is the most scenic golf course on the entire Grand Strand. I’d have a hard time arguing against that. Got a lot of great views of the Intracoastal, the Cherry Grove Inlet, but don’t let the views distract you. This is a really good golf course. It’s always in great shape. The staff here is absolutely amazing. You always get a good experience when you tee it up here at Tidewater.

This is the eighth hole a par five. It’s one of the most fun holes on the golf course because if you hit a good tee ball, you’ve got a pretty good chance of making birdie. The ideal line is that lone pine in the distance. As I said, if you hit a good drive, you got a good chance of making birdie. That means I got a good chance of making birdie.

All right, so I’m looking at my tee shot here. It’s right there in the middle of the fairway. I got about 195 left of this par four. Not sure if I can get it all the way there, but we will find out. Be right, baby! I think it might be just putting on the front fringe. That’s a couple pretty good shots for this old man.

A lot of people, when they put the sand in the divots, I don’t think they put too much in there. Fill up what you took out. Don’t try to create a mini bunker in the middle of the fairway. Just a magnificent green that sits on a little peninsula out into the marsh here.

All right, I almost got it to the green, and this green, when you look at it, at first glance, it seems pretty flat, but you notice this area over here, the right bunker, it’s a good bit higher than the left bunker than you got water that’s going to drain into that marsh. So even though this is a putt that looks fairly flat, I got to think it’s going to have a good bit more break in it than maybe most people would think. I’m going to aim it out a couple feet on the right.

Come on, come on eagle! Nothing worse than leaving eagle putts short, but I’ll take the easy birdie. This right here, that’s a birdie ball. Might put it in my trophy case. Got plenty of room in there.

Now that’s a good-looking golf hole and a good-looking birdie to go with it. Let’s ride the momentum back to the heart of the beach for the first of our final three stops in our Breaking Par journey!