Eleven Grand Strand area courses among Top 50 in South Carolina |
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Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand has a longstanding reputation as one of America’s favorite golfing destinations and that status within the state of South Carolina is no different. The region recently placed 11 golf courses on the list of “Top 50 Courses in South Carolina” published by the South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel, giving the Grand Strand more courses than any other destination. Hilton Head’s Harbour Town Golf Links once again took home top honors as it was named the Palmetto State’s top course for the fourth consecutive year. The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., was the highest-rated Myrtle Beach area course on the list, coming in at No. 7. The Dunes is widely considered to be one of Jones Sr.’s finest works and incorporates many of his favorite design features such as long tees, well-defined fairway bunkers that give the player targets off the tee and huge, elevated greens. The course was originally built in 1948 but Jones modified the original course design in 1976-77 with changes to holes 3, 4, 11 ,15 and 18. Each hole has its own descriptive name to give golfers an idea of what to expect before they tee off.
Caldeonia Golf and Fish Club, located in Pawleys Island, was also in the top 20 at No. 17 with Murrells Inlet's Wachesaw Plantation following at No. 21 and The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island ranking No. 30. Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye each had new courses enter the Top 25, giving the renowned golf figures the same number of courses in the top half of the list as Tom Fazio with four. The Top 5 included Graniteville’s Sage Valley Golf Course, located just east of Augusta National on Interstate 20 and Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, which is slated to host the PGA Championship in 2012. A pair of Hilton Head Island courses rounded out the Top 5. The May River Golf Club in Bluffton, designed by Nicklaus was rated as the fourth best layout in the state and was immediately followed by Long Cove Club which was designed by Dye. Both are private courses. The only course to break into the top 10 was Secession Golf Club in Beaufort. The Bruce Devlin designed walking-only course moved from No. 11 to No. 9. The South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel consists of up to 125 members representing all facets of the game and all levels of playing abilities. Ratings are conducted by a closed vote with results tabulated once voting has closed.
The following criteria are considered when evaluating a course for consideration on the “Top 50” list: Routing, Variety, Strategy, Equity, Memorability, Aesthetics and Experience. The objective of the Panel is to promote excellence in South Carolina golf course design and operations through competitive rankings, education and public advocacy. It serves as an ambassador for golf in South Carolina by striving to stimulate and facilitate the promotion and marketing of the outstanding golf courses, resorts and real estate development. The Panel also hands out an annual award for “Excellence in New Course Design” and publishes a list of The Best 30 Courses You Can Play in SC, highlighting resort, public access and daily-fee courses.
Complete List • Bold indicates a Myrtle Beach area course
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