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 With so many golf courses now calling Myrtle Beach home, you can even venture off the beaten track to find a great golf experience. Find the right track, and you might even find a pair of courses.
Nestled in beautiful farmland hugging the Northand South Carolina border is a pair of sister golf courses created by famed architect Willard Byrd, which offer distinctively different, yet equally memorable golf experiences.
The newer of the two, Farmstead Golf Links, offers a links-style layout that will leave you wondering what side of the Atlantic Ocean you’re playing on. Though less than a year old, Farmstead has already gained wide attention and acclaim for its par-6 finishing hole. Thought to be the only par-6 in the Carolinas and certainly the only one on the Grand Strand, this 767-yard monster is so grand that it takes two states to hold it. Tee off in South Carolina, putt out in North Carolina and enjoy all the fun and challenges in between.
“Any story about Farmstead just isn’t complete without talking about the Par-6,” said Keith Stanzel, general manager of Farmstead and Meadowlands, both of which are managed by Burroughs and Chapin Golf Management. “The finishing hole is always the talk of the clubhouse when the players come in.”
While there’s no par-6 to spark conversation, Meadowlands Golf Club, located less than a mile away from Farmstead, has plenty of memorable holes to capture the imagination.
This beautifully wooded, 7,054-yard course has gained a reputation as an affordable, well-conditioned course, which serves as the perfect Jekyll to Farmstead’s Hyde. Meadowlands features pristine wildlife areas, beautiful woodlands and challenging lakes and creeks that guard most fairways and a number of greens.
Now five years old, Meadowlands features five sets of tees, each named after a particular bird found on this nature-rich course, making it the perfect fit for golfers of any skill level.
As one of the newest courses in the Myrtle Beach area, Farmstead is quickly gaining a reputation as a challenging, yet enjoyable test of golf. Like most links-style courses, Farmstead’s level of difficulty changes from day-to-day depending on the weather. On a calm day, Farmstead could be there for the taking, but if the wind is whipping (and it tends to be), every facet of a golfer’s game will be tested – including his patience and course management.
Though it doesn’t feature vast marshlands or ocean views often found in Myrtle Beach, Farmstead truly is a festival for the eyes. Natural grasses, beautiful bunkering and rolling landscape make for a visually pleasing experience on the links.
“It really is a wonderful golf course,” Stanzel said. “The course just opened in October, so it’s only going to get better as it matures.”
The use of the new Tifeagle grass on the greens will make the putting surfaces both slick and tricky all year round. If the wind is howling, three-putts can be more the norm than exception on these greens.
“The Tifeagle greens put as fast as the bentgrass,” Stanzel said. “And they will really give us an advantage over bentgrass greens in the summer.”
On both the front and back, Farmstead possesses as challenging a collection of par-4s as you’ll find anywhere on the Grand Strand. Like he did at Meadowlands, Byrd has provided five sets of tees, but even from the middle tees, the par-4s can play long, with seven of the nine measuring more than 350 yards.
If the par-4s don’t present enough of a challenge, the par-3s will more than suffice. In fact, Stanzel puts the collection of five par-3s on the course up against any on the Grand Strand. That collection is headlined by the spectacular and usually pleasing 12th hole, which requires a hefty shot to a green guarded in the front by water and bunkers on both sides. If this sound tough, wait till you see the other par-3s, including the devilishly long 223-yard sixth hole.
While the difficult holes of Farmstead require total concentration, somewhere in the back of every player’s mind is the approaching finishing hole. Imagine ripping a drive nearly 250 yards then getting to your ball that is lying next to a marker that reads “525 yards to go.” This is the essence of the par-6 18th hole. And it’s not all about length. Water lurks almost the length of the hole on the left and wraps behind the green. It’s not often that writing a six on your card will make you smile, but it can here.
“When I first came here I thought the idea of a par-6 was strictly a marketing gimmick,” Stanzel said. “But this really is a great hole. It’s a hole you won’t forget.”
The same can be said of a number of holes at Meadowlands. While Farmstead tests length and resolve, Meadowlands places premiums on accuracy and shot selection. Water lurks close to almost every fairway and comes dangerously close to a number of greens. While the greens might not roll as fast as Farmstead, they can be more difficult to find with water and excellent bunkering placing a premium on accurate approach shots.
From the very start, Meadowlands gets right after the golfer. The first two holes, both dogleg left par-4s, feature fairways guarded by water on the left, and greens well protected by bunkers. Ranked among the toughest seven holes on the course, these two par-4s are anything but “warm-up” holes.
In case that start wasn’t tough enough, golfers then arrive at the par-4 third hole – the most difficult on the course. This 480-yard challenge features carries over water on both the drive and approach shots. The hole is softened a bit by bailout areas on both sides of the second lake, but par will be tough to come by from anywhere off the green, especially for those who find the bunker located just behind it.
“The first few holes can play rather difficult,” Stanzel said. “We often have a little backup there before play opens up the rest of the way.”
To be sure, players who survive the first three holes will find a far more manageable front side the rest of the way. Challenges, however, wait on the difficult 432-yard par-4 sixth, which features an elevated and tight fairway that can prove hard to find, and the 189-yard eighth hole, the toughest of a difficult set of par-3s at Meadowland.
"The course boasts some really great par-3s and par-5s,” Stanzel said.
With its five sets of tees and surrounding nature, Meadowlands has been a favorite stop for women golfers. In fact, Golf For Women Magazine ranked the course among the “Top 100 Women Friendly Courses” in 1999.
Before or after the round, golfers can trade their clubs for fishing rods to try and find the Big Mouth Bass that call the lake behind the clubhouse “home.” The lake is also home to an otter and other breathtaking wildlife that can be enjoyed form the deck overlooking the lake.
Located just a mile apart, both courses honor each other’s replay rates, making for an enjoyable afternoon just off the beaten track. For more information about either Farmstead or Meadowlands call (888) 287-PLAY.
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