Rymer: Spooky Golf in Myrtle Beach Includes These 3 Frightening Holes
Charlie Rymer’s getting in the Halloween spirit, and here to share his thoughts on the scariest golf holes in Myrtle Beach. They’ll either put a dent in your scorecard if you succumb to the fear, or leave you relieved and exhilarated when you overcome it!
By Charlie Rymer
The fall is most definitely my favorite time of year. I love the lower temperatures and the crispness in the air. I also like the fact that the humidity drops and golf courses start to get dry and firm. The extra roll helps my punch outs creep onto the green.
And the best day of fall? You know it: Halloween.
When I was a kid my grandmother made such a big deal of Halloween that the police showed up at the house to direct traffic. The decorations were spectacular! The candy? Well, that was a problem. My grandmother didn’t want to rot the teeth of all the young trick-or-treaters so she handed out nickels. My uncle, a dentist, would have preferred that she handed out stale Milk Duds, but he didn’t get a vote. I’m not sure you can even buy a piece of candy for a nickel these days. In fact, I’m not sure of the last time I saw a coin, other than in my golf bag for marking a ball.
And that very loosely gets me to the point of this article. What makes a golf hole spooky, and what are the spookiest golf holes in Myrtle Beach? Spooky and scary are synonymous. I think a golf hole is spooky when you’re scared you’ll whack your ball in the water and your buddies are going to ridicule you and laugh at you and make you feel like you’re never going to play golf again. Ever. We have quite a few golf holes just like that in Myrtle Beach.
The 16th hole at True Blue is terrifying. From the back tees it’s more than 200 yards, and when you stand on the tee all you see is water. There’s more room than what you think, but as your heart races and your field of vision reduces and the muscle tension builds your brain doesn’t process the fact that there is more dry land available than what you originally thought. You KNOW you’re going to hit the ball in the water, and there is nothing you can do about it. About the only good news for you is that after you hit the ball in the water there are only two holes left until you can get a fresh beer. And that’s better than a piece of candy or a nickel.
If golf course architects had Halloween-themed nicknames, then Pete Dye would be the Great Pumpkin. He was the King of Spooky. And no one loved scaring golfers more than Pete Dye. The 18th hole of the Dye Course at Barefoot Resort & Golf is a prime example. Stand up on that tee and all you see is the lake all the way up the left side and pot bunkers to the right. Aim away from the lake and you KNOW you’re going to snap the ball left in the water. Aim at the water and you KNOW you are going to slice it off into the pot bunkers on the right. It’s exactly like the scary Halloween movies with the dumb teenagers. No matter what they do, they’re doomed. On a high note, try the Havarti cheese dip in the restaurant after your round. It will help you forget how many balls you lost. It’s so good it’ll make your toes curl up.
He isn’t that scary, but Jack Nicklaus builds some scary golf holes – like the 13th at Pawleys Plantation. The tee is on a tiny little strip of land with salt marsh on all sides. It’s barely big enough to stand on. The green seems even smaller. It’s a peninsula that’s only 25 or 30 feet wide. The wind is always howling like an angry banshee. Ravenous alligators surround the tee and green. The Grim Reaper lives here. And the worst part is that the tee is mown tight and you only have 85 yards. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Chili Dip City. And you came to the party dressed as the Big Dipper.
Enjoy Halloween. Don’t eat any candy with coconut. And don’t let the spooky holes bite. But I would suggest you check the closet, under the bed, and sleep with a light on.
