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 In the 37 years since Myrtlewood Golf Club’s PineHills course became just the fourth layout opened on the Grand Strand, more than 100 golf courses have been built in the Myrtle Beach area. Like a noble red wine, the courses continue to offer prof that greatness only gets better with age as Myrtlewood and its 36 holes of championship golf remain among the most popular venues on the Grand Strand today.
Located on the scenic Intracoastal Waterway in the heart of Myrtle Beach, the PineHills and Palmetto courses offer two of the most scenic, challenging and enjoyable layouts in Myrtle Beach. Bothcourses share the same clubhouse, but the similarities between the two finish right there. Each boasts its own unique characteristics and challenges that continue to make them among the most requested and played courses in the area.
“There really are no similarities at all except that you check in at the same clubhouse,” said Rick Schultz, Myrtlewood’s general manager. “Both courses really maintain their own personalities.”
Personalities every golfer visiting Myrtle Beach should get to know.
Named by Golf Digest as one of the “Top 10 Courses in Myrtle Beach,” PineHills was built in 1966 by renowned architect George Cobb. For more than 25 years, the course was known as the Pines Course, until the 1993 renovation overseen by Arthur Hills. Following this hugely successful makeover, the course’s name was changed to PineHills – a fitting moniker, considering the course took on many of Hills trademark design traits, including rolling fairways and well-protected, undulating greens. While Hills’ updates, which included a transition to bentgrass greens, were noticeable, the designer left Cobb’s design largely intact.
“The layout is largely the same,” Schultz said. “The changes really came in the elevations and the rolling terrain that Hills put in.”
The movement of some tees and additional bunkering also helped give the course a more distinct “target golf” feel. At just over 6,600 yards from the tips, PineHills doesn’t play long, but the presence of multiple hazards and protected greens places a premium on accuracy.“It’s important that you have the right yardage and that you know where the trouble lurks on every hole,” Schultz said.
The course is highlighted by a quartet of par-5s that, for the majority of golfers, are not easily reached in two shots. In fact, the par-5s make up four of the five toughest holes on the course, including the 505-yard third, the number one handicap at PineHills. A slight dogleg-left, the hole features water down the right and a tight layup area, placing a premium on accuracy down its entire length. It’s a theme maintained throughout the par-5s.
“The par-5s are designed to be threeshot holes,” Schultz said. “But players can be tempted to go for the green in two depending on how they hit their tee shots. They are great holes.”
In addition to the par-5s, PineHills features a set of demanding, yet forgiving par-4s, highlighted by the 431-yard eighth, and four enjoyable, distancefriendly par-3s, not one of which stretches beyond 190 yards.
A testament to its popularity on the Grand Strand, PineHills has played host to several prestigious tournaments including the South Carolina Junior Championship and the American Junior Golf Association’s Ping Myrtle Beach Junior Tournament. In addition, the course also hosts a number of local tournaments and fundraising events each year.
Though perhaps not as popular as its sister course, the Palmetto Course is certainly equal in stature. A George Ault design, the Palmetto offers stunning views of the Intracoastal Waterway on its back nine and considerable challenges throughout its winding layout. Northern visitors to the Palmetto will be pleased to find Bermuda greens, but will have to deal with a longer, more demanding course off the tee than PineHills.
“Palmetto is more of a traditional course,” Shultz said. “A driver is needed on this course because it can stretch to 7,000 yards from the back tees.”
Many who leave the Palmetto Course do so talking about the layout’s finishing stretch. With the backdrop of boats trolling up and down the Intracoastal Waterway, the final three holes leave a visually stunning imprint on the minds of all who play it.
A medium length par-4, the 16th demands a stout tee shot over a fairway bunker for a mid- to short-iron into a deep green.
One of finest par-3s in the area, the 17th features a tee shot over a large lake and a pair of bunkers that guard the green. Though only 180 yards from the tips, winds swirling off the Intracoastal will put a premium on club selection.
The dramatic par-4 18th, Palmetto’s signature hole, demands a drive that favors the right side of a generous fairway to set up for a trying approach shot to a well-guarded green. Concentrating on the shots rather than the beautiful scenery is the key to a strong finish.
Although it lacks the Intracoastal views, Palmetto’s outward nine isn’t without its memorable holes. The front opens with a trio of par-4s, including the difficult 379-yard second hole, which features a sharp dogleg-right to a wellbunkered green. Golfers won’t soon forget the 541-yard par-5 eighth. Tight enough to scare claustrophobic golfers, the scenic hole places equal premium on distance and accuracy.
In addition to the courses, Myrtlewood features a world-class practice facility equipped with a driving range, putting green and chipping green.
While many of the area courses may be more than an hour’s drive from Myrtle Beach, Myrtlewood’s 36 holes are in the heart of town. The club is easy to find, located on the Intracoastal Waterway side of Highway 17 Bypass at 48th Avenue N.
For more information or to book your next round of golf at Myrtlewood, call 866 404-1092 or 843 449-5134.
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