Hi Chums,
Yorkshire Roomy here. Well after being unable to visit since our last planned trip had to be aborted literally at the airport on March 16th 2020, when flights between the UK and USA were suspended, we are due back to MB on 14th March to 30th March this year. We are a group of 8 VERY mixed ability golfers, and five of us have visited Myrtle Beach repeatedly and experienced numerous courses.
We will be staying in North Myrtle Beach again, and would really appreciate recommendations for courses that are currently in good shape and good value for money.
We are open to suggestions, and my posts from previous years would suggest that we may be on the right track as far as courses to play may be, but it’s three years now since our last trip, and things and conditions do change ?
Last time I posted, my shortlist of courses seemed to be met with general approval, but we would really appreciate your advice. Please bear in mind, we don’t want to pay top dollar unnecessarily, and have handicaps ranging from 7 to 28 so ideally want good value, fun courses in decent shape that offer good “bang for your buck”.
When I can locate my last shortlist, I’ll post it for comments, but in the mean time it would be great to here your recommendations without any influence from my thoughts …
I know I can rely on you for top suggestions, and any other advice would be also equally appreciated (bars, restaurants, anything …)
Cheers and big beers,
Roomy xxx
Glad your able to finally get back to the States with your crew for some golf
As you'll find out as your putting the trip together, the cost of golf has gone up. Demand is up and it seems like the courses are trying to make up for lost revenue. Staying in the North Myrtle area, you should be able to get a little more bang for your buck playing just over the border in NC.
If you'll be renting a vehicle during your stay, that will be a challenge as well. The rental inventory is low and you'll be hard pressed to find anything reasonable.
Cheers, BrewCrew : yeah, I get that prices will have gone up, but looking at 48hr rates they still seem to be OK ? As far as the vehicle rental goes, I’m so glad I secured good deals : we have 2 Chrysler Pacifica’s booked at about $1000/16 days each which at full price would be closer to $3000/16 days !
Gotta bear in mind that we are so starved of holidays over the last two years, that we just want to get away and have a blast come what May, and stuff the cost ! ????????????????
The bars are gonna love us : our golf handicaps may vary, but at worst we’re all off scratch or better in the 19th ! ???????????????????????????????????? !
It helps to have a shortlist, so we can identify any mistakes and not
recommend courses out of the desired price range.
North End Good Value:
Crown Park, Diamond Back, River Hills, SPB, Pearl, Meadowlands.
North End Mid:
Crow Creek - Aberdeen - Long Bay
Premium: Thistle - Rivers Edge - Glen Dornoch - Tidewater
Trying to play on 48 hour rates will possibly mean not being able to
choose certain courses at desired tee times. It could work OK if
you like to play PM after 1pm.
Rates have not increased much at the value courses, compared to
larger increases at the premium courses.
*** Please Show Your Appreciation For MB Advice/Info In MBGT With Your Course or Trip Report! ***
Haven’t played it this winter but Brunswick Plantation has been a good value the past couple of years. In North Myrtle the new Main Street Taphouse has a good selection of beers and the food isn’t bad either.
Rivers Edge is one of the best courses in Myrtle Beach and is not priced accordingly because of the location -- it's an absolute steal at the current rates compared to what other courses are charging. I can't vouch for current conditions, but it's been in very good shape for the past 2-3 years so I assume it's still pretty good. I'd definitely have that on the list.
Most of the others come down to how much you actually want to spend. I try to play Tidewater every time I'm in the area, but it's definitely a more expensive option.
Thanks for the feedback thus far. So, over our past three trips in 2017, 2018 & 2019, we played the following courses : Arrowhead (all 3 loops), Prestwick, Grand Dunes, Wild Wing Avocet, Pine Lakes, Myrtlewood Palmetto, Arcadian Shores, Farmstead, World Tour, MBN Kings North, MBN West Course, MBN South Creek, Burning Ridge, Pearl East, Pearl West, Meadowlands, Brunswick Plantation, and probably a couple of others that I can’t remember !
Our current shortlist includes (in no particular order) both courses we have enjoyed before, and some that we haven’t played, as follows :
Tidewater, River’s Edge, Long Bay, Arrowhead, Pine Lakes, Grand Dunes, Thistle, Glen Dornoch, Myrtlewood Palmetto and Pine Hills, River Hills and Surf Club. Witch would’ve been on the list, but I believe it has closed ? Also, some of the Legends courses or Barefoot Courses may be worth consideration ?
Your thoughts, please gentlemen ?
By the way, as we like to have a few (!) beers of an evening, it suits us well to get a late breakfast, and then head to wherever we’re playing, so teeing off anytime from midday to 2:30pm suits us just fine, and seems to fit in with both preferential rates and availability from past experience … ?
First, welcome back... your mid March timing should yield a great experience. Most courses have reverted to overseeding fairways, tees and green surrounds. Some have overseeded greens but those that do not will have painted Bermuda which typically means some fast putting surfaces. Generally its been a dry winter so damage to fairways and roughs has been quite light. I've been in residence since mid January, so here's my list of good to excellent conditioning: Thistle, Tidewater, Meadowlands, Brunswick Plantation, River Hills, Aberdeen, Barefoot Love, Barefoot Fazio, Crow Creek, Pine Lakes, and Arcadian Shores. My list is a mix of mid-tier and upper tier courses. All were really good experiences.
Retired Insurance Broker
Art''s assessment is spot on. Meadowlands underwent a renovation a couple of years ago and it is much better than before. You should try it. Thistle is always in good shape. Rivers Edge is a beautiful golf course and worth the trip.
I think all 4 of the Barefoot courses are worth playing at least once -- I think the Dye course is the best, followed by the Fazio, the Love, and the Norman. The Norman is a solid layout, but there are a few holes that have been compromised to an extent by the addition of condos.
The conditions at Barefoot haven't been as good as they normally are the last couple of times I've played there, though.
I think Heathland is the best course at Legends, but I know there are people who prefer Parkland and people who prefer Moorland, so they're probably all decent options.
Conditions may change by then, but nearly every course on your list is typically in good condition with the exception of Glen Dornoch. I believe there was a recent report that was not so good. It has been a while since I've played Glen Dornoch, but my last two times conditions were good. You may want to follow that closely if you decide to book. Some of the Barefoot courses have been a little up/down on conditions but are generally good to very good.
The Witch + Farmstead have closed, sold to developers.
Any in your short list are good choices.
Surf Club currently isn't booking package rounds, since CV started.
PM rounds do give you better odds of getting a tee time, compared to AM,
if you are trying 48 hour rates. If you try that, have 2nd/3rd,... choices,
due to TT demand and more locals than ever having Passport type
discount 48 hour cards, competing for tee times.
*** Please Show Your Appreciation For MB Advice/Info In MBGT With Your Course or Trip Report! ***
So if we were to go to Legends, what would the pecking order of the various courses be ?
I think Heathland is easily the best course at Legends and is a step above the other two -- I'd put Parkland second and Moorland last.
With that said, I think it really comes down to personal preference. I know there are people who think Moorland is the best course.
