Take a Ride Along Myrtle Beach Golf’s Highway 9 Corridor

Improved highway access to Myrtle Beach over the years has impacted more than travel times. As the number of arteries that provide easy entry to the Grand Strand has grown, it has made a day of arrival or departure round of golf much more practical.

If you need evidence, look no further than Highway 9, home to five courses that are ideal for a first- or last-day round. Here is a quintet of layouts you may not want to drive by without stopping to tee it up:

• Coming into town, Diamondback is the first course you come to and the Russell Breeden design plays through a native pine forest, water and sand. Despite an intimidating name, Diamondback provides plenty of opportunities to score, especially the 6,073-yard Rattlesnake tees.

• A Tom Jackson course, Aberdeen Country Club has installed new greens and completely rebuilt its clubhouse in recent years, delighting locals and vacationing golfers alike. Pro tip: Aberdeen isn’t long, so make sure your wedge game is tuned up as that will be the key to scoring.

• Long Bay, which installed new TifEagle bermudagrass greens in the summer of 2023, is one of two Jack Nicklaus designs in the area. The Golden Bear’s creative use of waste bunkers and fairway mounding provide visual contrast, and the back nine is one of the area’s best. Holes 10, 13 and 18 have been ranked among Myrtle Beach’s top 100, highlighting the quality of the architecture.

• Crown Park is one of the Grand Strand’s most player-friendly layouts, allowing you to build confidence on the front end of a trip or finish with a flourish. The course places a premium on accuracy, off the tee and on the approach. Find the fairway and you can go pin-hunting.

• Colonial Charters delivers great value and a design that is suited to challenge every level of golfer fairly. The par-71 Rick Robbins course isn’t exceedingly difficult but there is water on 16 of 18 holes, including a pair of greenside waterfalls.

Whether you are looking for the pedigree of Jack Nicklaus or want to book a last-minute tee time on a player friendly design, the five courses that call Highway 9 home are a good place to start.