It was a bit of a “hang on to your golf hats” situation in Myrtle Beach last October. Certainly, that’s the way it appeared prior to heading south to the golf mecca for the 30th-something time.
Looming was the fallout from the previous month’s Hurricane Florence, a vicious storm that ravaged the Carolinas and left dozens of casualties and massive devastation in its wake. If there was a bit of a silver lining among the loss of life and devastation, the majority of Myrtle Beach’s golf courses miraculously survived the storm with minimal damage.
For an area whose economy relies heavily on the golf tourist trade, that was certainly a blessing, especially when you consider Florence’s wallop caused billions of dollars in damage in regions not far from Myrtle.
It was also great news for those us who venture annually to play golf during Myrtle’s nicest (at least for me) time of year. We’d lined up an interesting trio of courses — The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort & Golf, World Tour Golf Links, and the venerable Arcadian Shores, Rees Jones first design and long an integral part of Myrtle Beach golf packages.
The Dye Club is one of four premium courses at Barefoot Resort that carry the name of a famous designer/player. There’s also the Fazio Course, Norman Course and Love Course; the Dye course is the only semi-private one. Golf Channel viewers will remember it hosting the Big Break several years ago.
Barefoot Dye Course
Like many of Dye’s courses, Barefoot can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Play the right tees, keep it in the fairway, and you’re rewarded. Move back a set of tees and start straying tee shots and the diabolical treachery comes into play.
Dye did a masterful job of fitting the course in around Carolina Bays. It features many of his hallmark design features: expansive waste areas, strategic bunkering and the bulkheads that have become synonymous with his name.
The Dye Course is a classic example of enjoying the day more by playing the right tees. Canadians have to remember that Myrtle courses are at sea level and play longer than the yardage. The 6,000-yard white tees at the Dye play about 6,300 in Canadian yards.
What’s so unique about playing World Tour Golf Links sight unseen is that so many of the holes look familiar, which is exactly what inspired the course design in the first place. It features 18 signature holes from famous courses around the world, including #’s 11, 12 and 13 (Amen Corner) and # 16 from Augusta; # 18 from St. Andrews; # 17 from Sawgrass and the Postage Stamp eighth from Royal Troon; and the first hole from Canada’s very own National Golf Club of Canada.
World Tour Golf Links
The concept works amazingly well considering the challenge of taking famous holes out of the context of their actual course, and weaving them together with other famous holes. As such, the impact of playing World Tour’s holes isn’t quite the same as watching tour players play them on television.
Nonetheless, great holes are great holes wherever you build them, and World Tour certainly proved its mettle. Conditions were terrific, hospitality excellent, and the stately clubhouse befits a collection of famous holes.
Arcadian Shores is the first course I ever played in Myrtle Beach back in 1985. At that point, it had already been around 11 years, long before the area became a buzzword for golf destinations. Two years ago, it underwent a bit of a facelift, including a new clubhouse, new greens and new cart paths. They greatly enhanced an already fine tree-lined course where well-placed bunkers and water hazards put a premium on pinpoint iron play.
Arcadian Shores
Check out these clubs’ websites for more information about the courses and available packages. You can always find deals on fall, spring and summer packages.
Finally, I should note that the reception and service at all of these courses — from the bag drop to the pro shop to the starter’s hut — was first rate, just as it should be at every course.
