“ Absolutely , every time I tee it up ,” Lewis said . “ It never plays the distance on the score card .”
ABOVE : Thick tree line on the right , expansive marsh on the left — what ’ s not to like about the par-4 fourth hole at Tidewater ? BELOW : It ’ s all mind games on the par-3 14th at Grande Dunes . Proceed with caution .
time . I stand there a minute and stare out at the marsh .”
After finishing up the par-3 No . 3 , it ’ s a few steps to the tee box at No . 4 . It is there , just beyond a long waste bunker up the left side , that the Cherry Grove Inlet off the Atlantic Ocean provides a view unavailable anywhere else in or around Myrtle Beach . It rides all 430 yards of the hole as the fairway bends slightly from right to left . What ’ s more , the presence of the marsh is amplified by the thick tree line up the right side that seemingly closes in players , forcing them to appreciate exactly the type of environment in which they ’ ve found themselves .
PAWLEYS PLANTATION GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB , NO . 13
Maybe the best way to describe the immediate impact of Pawleys Plantation ’ s living , breathing par 3 is understanding that its shared green with another hole spans
13,000 square feet and is nearly as long as the entirety of the distance from most of the tees to the flag . Playing as little as 65 yards and no longer than 168 — you know , for the big hitters — the testy hole is encompassed by acres of marshland and navigated only via a slender cart path .
From the slightly elevated landing striplike tee box , players must first judge the usual wind coming in off the Atlantic Ocean and clear initial wetlands while simultaneously preventing the shot from going into the adjoining area that designer Jack Nicklaus left intact to the left and behind the green .
“ You look just past the green and you have the marsh view behind it ,” Pawleys Plantation head golf professional Brian Lewis said . “ It ’ s a beautiful golf hole . It ’ s just a gorgeous golf hole .”
So , does he still struggle with what has been deemed the Shortest Par 5 on the Grand Strand ?
GRANDE DUNES RESORT CLUB , NO . 14
So much of the maximum distance of 220 yards on Grande Dunes ’ No . 14 can get into a player ’ s head . First , there is the elevated tee surrounded by thick vegetation . From there , it ’ s on to a dammed water hazard , followed by a jagged sand trap , as well as a green sloping from left to right .
If all of that wasn ’ t enough , the entire hole rests atop the bluffs overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway .
The course opened in 2001 , and the Roger Rulewich Group design has continued to impress , especially with multiple holes playing along the Waterway . The incorporation of environment with the game is maybe visible no more than on No . 14 . But avoiding the distractions of the elevation , the Waterway and the tree line on the back side of the green is crucial . The hole actually requires more involved strategy than some par 3s ; there are spots where missing the green is safer than landing on it due to that slope . First-time players are typically unaware of that fact ; repeat visitors frequently forget with so much else going on around them .
It adds a level of confounding mystique of the final par 3 of the round .
Ian Guerin is a freelance writer based in Texas who spent nearly a decade reviewing golf courses along the Grand Strand as a Myrtle Beach resident .
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