Played OB for the first time today-mainly because I had never been there before and its under the Legends "royalty club" umbrella. Wanted to see for myself about its condition. PoP was 4 hours which seemed awful given the recent pace of courses in MB thanks to single rider carts.
TEES: never been that particular about the "beauty" of teeing grounds because you've got ball in hand and afforded some latitude from where you can start. Very inconsistent in condition and very few are level. Below are the 2nd (nice) and 17th (naughty).
FAIRWAYS: Much better than I expected from recent reviews. 1st and 3rd shown below.
But again, not as nice as this throughout. The 12th in particular was in bad shape.
GREENS/COLLARS:
Greens were above average(again, a surprise!)-except maybe three of them. Collars were very good all around. Picture below is of par three 6th-the worst green on the course. The player in the red shorts is putting through dirt-not brown grass. The front third of the green is essentially dead.
The left hand green on the dual-greened third hole has apparently been abandoned. Just a sheet of sand. A shame. Makes the hole much more interesting.
PERIPHERY:
Without question, the worst cart paths I've seen in Myrtle Beach. No big deal-golf was meant to be walked. However, if you find yourself a little loose off the tee-close to those paths-I hope you have an equipment endorsement deal or strong wrists. In forty years golfing, I've never seen so many exposed tree roots on a golf course.
VERDICT:
I'll go again-in a different season to see how it plays but not dying to do so. Some views are nice but nothing that bowled me over. If you're a local, get it off your list. As an out-of-towner, especially with a group, there's better experiences.
Thank you for a great report and pictures to back your opinions.
The fairway & teeing grass looks a lot better than it has been the last few years.
That is a start..
jw11
"King Of The Mid-tiers"
The 17th tee has gotten bigger over time, so being able to move the tee
markers helps, but when most are hitting wedges, a par 3 tee will suffer.
The fairway photos look grown in well, with no overseed like we read.
The #6 green looks like it may get too much shade. It looks good in your photo.
In the early 5 years, maybe 10 years, #3 was a par 5. The tee was farther back
and there were more trees on the left, close to the green. Being a possibly
reachable par 5 for some or a challenging 3rd shot for most, it was a bottle neck
hole, so they made it shorter into a par 4, but now it was a long par 4 and still
had a long challenging 2nd shot. Some trees were also lost on the left in a
hurricane. It was still a bottle neck, so they built the straight away green.
Marsh Harbor + Oyster Bay began the unique/upscale course boom in the
early 1980's, so those of us who remember OB as a top course, would like
to see it return to a course that we can be proud to bring others to.
The interesting holes are still there....
Thanks for reporting on OB.
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thanks for the info on #3-very interesting. Can't believe the teeing area on 17 was actually smaller. It's still very tiny.
Many locals have told me how great OB used to be. You would have a difficult time convincing a first time visitor that it was considered a premier course if they saw it today.
Peter, thanks for your report on your findings at Oyster Bay, it will be encouraging for some who wish to play it soon. Pics are nice to, again thanks for posting.
Thanks for your report on Oyster Bay. The best time to play Oyster is in late summer (July/Aug/Sep). So if you get a chance to play it again I'd recommend that time of the year for improved conditions.
OB was always a must play in the 90's
Golf is just an excuse to drink whiskey and smoke cigars
Thanks for your report on Oyster Bay. The best time to play Oyster is in late summer (July/Aug/Sep). So if you get a chance to play it again I'd recommend that time of the year for improved conditions.
Agree. I posted this elsewhere but when I've played here in July or September, the conditions were good and the greens were very good. A few tees needed help (I've never seen 17 tee in good shape) and the cart paths are terrible. Other than that, I guess I've been lucky.
Thanks @Peter for this detailed and fair report!
I’m quite convinced that OB will be back on track in a future not that far away from now!
Denis Gilbert
Quebec City, Canada
Thanks for the update!
Let the Big Dawg Bark!!!
Thanks for the update. I appreciate.
''It's just golf, let's have fun''
It's unfortunate the course doesn't get many positive reviews regarding conditioning. I recall playing there back in July of 2011 and the greens were phenomenal. Reason why I remember it so vividly is that the very next day I played Kiawah's Ocean course (which would host the PGA championship the following year). The greens at Oyster Bay putted much better and truer than Kiawah, presumably because the latter had Paspalum greens which just don't putt as good as a good Champions or Tif-Eagle Bermuda. So it's a shame that OB hasn't been able to maintain the conditioning level of a decade past.
