Where It All Began: Myrtle Beach

Best of the Beach

Myrtle Beach has grown from its humble beginnings into a sixty-mile-long behemoth of a golf mecca, with so many courses and hotels it's hard to know where to begin. The perfect trip should include a mix of perennial classics and some of the area's best new courses, a selection of which we've highlighted below along with some great places to stay.

Where to Play

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, Pawleys Island. 800-483-6800, fishclub.com. Greens Fees: $90–$190.
Caledonia is among the handful of masterpieces in the too-small portfolio of the late, great Mike Strantz, who also designed True Blue here. Both are brilliant.

Grande Dunes Golf Club, Myrtle Beach. 866-214-4145, grandedunes.com. Greens Fees: $95–$177.
Grande Dunes, designed by Roger Rulewich, is a scenic journey through the maritime forests bordering the Intracoastal Waterway. A new members' course by Nick Price also recently opened its doors.

Pine Lakes International Country Club, Myrtle Beach. 843-449-6459, pinelakes.com. Greens Fees: $63–$99.

Thistle Golf Club, Calabash. 800-571-6710, thistlegolf.com. Greens Fees: $59–$135.
Designed by rising local architect Tim Cate, this is a twenty-seven-hole facility with huge bunkers and strategic mounding.

Tournament Players Club of Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet. 888-742-8721, tpc.com/daily/myrtlebeach. Greens Fees: $95–$155.
One of the more recent arrivals in the TPC network comes from architects Tom Fazio and Lanny Wadkins. It plays through a pine forest and bucolic wetlands.

Tradition Golf Club, Pawleys Island. 877-599-0888, traditionclub.com. Greens Fees: $56–$110.
Ron Garl's design on a former rice plan­tation features generous landing areas and tightly guarded greens.

Where to Stay

Premiere Resorts at Barefoot Resort and Golf Club, North Myrtle Beach. 877-237-3767, barefootgolfresort.com. Rates: $104–$136 (two-bedroom villa); $210–$222 (four-bedroom villa in the North Tower).
Four courses from Fazio, Pete Dye, Greg Norman and Davis Love III all came online in 2000 at this laid-back Grand Strand resort.

Legends Golf Resort, Myrtle Beach. 800-299-6187, legendsgolf.com. Rates: $99–$179 (two-bedroom villa).
The resort offers three on-site eighteens, including Tom Doak's excellent Heathlands course. Hone your swing after sundown at the lighted thirty-acre practice facility, or unwind at the Ailsa Pub, styled after a Scottish tavern.

Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort, Litchfield Beach. 888-766-4633, litchfieldbeach.com. Rates: $39–89 (one-bedroom suite); $154–$284 (four-bedroom condo).
This complex offers easy beach access, superior tennis facilities and the popular Low Country restaurant Webster's.

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club, Pawleys Island. 800-367-9959, pawleysplantation.com. Rates: $145–$200 (two-bedroom villa).
A decidedly quieter part of the Strand, this resort blends with nature. From the clubhouse you can observe the seven-acre lake, a rookery for egrets and wood storks. Sharpen your game at the Ritson-Sole Golf School, or simply relax poolside.