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Golf enthusiasts
can tee off at 120 championship golf courses, making it possible
to play a different course every day for almost 3 months straight.
Many local courses host major professional and amateur tournaments,
such as the DuPont World Amateur Tournament. One of the sport's
most prestigious events, the Energizer Senior Tour, is held November
6 to November 12.
Variety is a contributing factor to the success and popularity
of Grand Strand golf courses, which come in many shapes, sizes,
and degrees of difficulty. Courses have been designed by some
of the best-known names in golf: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer,
Rees Jones, Tom Fazio, Gary Player, Don Ross, Dan Maple, Tom Jackson,
and Pete and P. B. Dye.
Golf-course architects have taken care to protect the habitats
of indigenous wildlife. Players find themselves in the midst of
towering Carolina pines or giant live oaks draped in Spanish moss.
Some courses overlook huge bluffs with the Atlantic Ocean or Intracoastal
Waterway in the background. Some unusual attractions are featured:
a private airstrip adjoining a clubhouse, a cable car that crosses
the Intracoastal Waterway, and alligators lurking in water hazards.
Some courses are built on the grounds of historic rice plantations,
which offer Old South atmosphere.
Although golf is played all year, spring and autumn are the busiest
seasons. Many golf packages include room, board, and greens fees.
For information, call Golf Holiday (tel. 800/845-4653).
Aberdeen Country Club, S.C. 9, North Myrtle Beach (tel. 800/882-3902
or 843/235-6079), is a 27-hole course designed by Tom Jackson,
charging greens fees of $29 to $60. Along the banks of the Waccamaw
River, this course has Bermuda greens, along with a pro shop and
a practice area with a driving range.
Arcadian Shores, 701 Hilton Rd. (tel. 866/326-5275 or 843/449-5217),
an 18-hole, par-72 course, opened in 1974, when it was created
by noted golf architect Rees Jones. Just 5 miles north of Myrtle
Beach off U.S. 17, the course has bent-grass greens winding through
a stately live-oak grove. Electric carts are required, and greens
fees are $33 to $56.
Azalea Sands, 2100 U.S. 17, North Myrtle Beach (tel. 800/253-2312
or 843/272-6191), opened in 1972. The 18-hole course features
white-sand traps and blue lakes. Designed by architect Gene Hamm,
it's a popular course for golfers of all handicaps. Greens fees
range from $34 to $48.
Beachwood, 1520 U.S. 17, Crescent Section, North Myrtle Beach
(tel. 800/526-4889 or 843/272-6168), is another course designed
by Gene Hamm. Opened in 1968, it has 18 holes, charging greens
fees ranging from $33 to $51. It's a par-72 course with blue tees
of 6,825 yards. The course annually hosts the Carolinas' PGA Senior's
Championship and DuPont World Amateur.
Caledonia Golf Course and Fishing Club, Pawleys Island (tel. 800/483-6800
or 843/237-3675), is set atop what used to be a series of marshy
rice paddies, and some of its links are graced with century-old
oak trees. This golf course has an intelligent layout favored
by pros, and a clubhouse whose architecture was inspired by an
antique Low Country plantation house. Its only drawback is a location
that's about a 30-minute drive south of Myrtle Beach. A flotilla
of charter boats and deep-sea fishing pros are associated with
this place as well. Greens fees range from $82 to $132.
Grand Dunes Golf Club, 8700 Golf Village Lane (tel. 843/449-7070),
is one of the newer and better courses, set on a bluff overlooking
the Intracoastal Waterway with panoramic views. Rated by Golf
Magazine as one of the best courses in the nation, it is a par-72
course with numerous elevation changes and wide Bermuda grass
fairways, including 34 acres of lakes. Greens fees range from
$94 to $186.
Legends, U.S. 501, Myrtle Beach (tel. 800/530-1873 or 843/236-9318),
designed by Pete Dye and Tom Doak, opened in 1990. The 54-hole,
par-72 course charges greens fees of $70 to $120. Its Mooreland
Course was ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top five new public
courses in America in 1991. Dye's flair for deep bunkers, undulating
fairways and greens, and signature bulkheads have transformed
this course into one of the strongest challenges along the East
Coast. The 42,000-square-foot Scottish-style clubhouse is an impressive
entry to the course. Heathland, designed by Doak, has been called
"the next best thing to visiting Scotland."
Myrtlewood, 48th Avenue (U.S. 17 Business), North Myrtle Beach
(tel. 800/283-3633 or 843/449-5134), a 36-hole, par-72 Pinehills
course, was designed by architect Arthur Hills. Greens fees range
from $44 to $63. Bordering the Intracoastal Waterway, the Pines
Course is the fourth oldest at Myrtle Beach, measuring 6,640 yards.
The Palmetto Course is one of the best in the area, with bent-grass
putting greens. It stretches for 6,953 yards.
Pine Lakes Country Club, 5603 Woodside
Ave., Myrtle Beach (tel. 800/446-6817 or 843/449-6459), is semi-private,
but under some conditions (such as whenever the fairways aren't
too crowded), out-of-towners are allowed to play. Established
in 1920, it's the oldest golf course in the region, despite a
name change that occurred in 1944. Linked to the early days of
Sports Illustrated magazine, the course is permeated with a more
distinctive Scottish flavor than any other golf course in town.
It can even get very posh, as when mimosas and/or Low Country
stews and chowders are served on the links. Greens fees range
from $44 to $76.
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