Hi Chums,
3 friends and I are returning to stay at North Myrtle Beach for the first time since 2022. We have had 5 previous visits prior to that, but as we know things change, and I have always welcomed the sound advice given freely from this forum.
So, my question is, given that we will have 3 weeks golf from 4th-24th March, which (preferably) sub- $100 courses should be on our priority list, please ?
Cheers & Beers from Yorkshire, England…
FYI, we have no issue in re-visiting courses previously played, but ideally would like the best “bang for our buck” for courses and conditions this March.
We have previously played on at least one occasion :
Aberdeen, Arcadian Shores, Arrowhead (all 3 nines), Azalea Sands, Beachwood, Burning Ridge, Crown Park, Diamondback, Eagle Nest, Farmstead, Grand Dunes, Long Bay, Meadowlands, MBN King’s North, MBN South Creek, MBN West Course, Myrtlewood Palmetto, Pearl East & West, Pine Lakes, Prestwick, Shaftesbury Glen, Wild Wing Avocet, World Tour.
Since 2022 and the Covid recovery, prices have gone up.
Most courses that were under $100, are around $100 to $125 now.
Look at Brian's www.myrtlebeachteetimesnow.com website to get a
good feel for rates by date and time of day. Generally Mon-Wed are
lower rates and many courses have lower PM rates, with the website
telling you if PM rates start at 12:00 or 1:00.
Rates in early March will be lower until around March 15,
when courses start hitting peak Spring rates.
Mostly under $100:
Azalea Sands - Beachwood - Crown Park - Diamond Back - Meadowlands
Hackler
Eagle Nest does not overseed fairways, so they will be brown.
Farmstead closed for housing.
Better around $100:
Myrtlewood - Pearl - Leopards Chase - ST Byrd - ST Maples - River Hills
MBN West - Sandpiper Bay - Brunswick - Arrowhead - MBN South -
Crow Creek - Arcadian Shores - Shaft Glen - Rivers Edge
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March rates fluctuate based on time of day (early AM/PM often cheapest), demand, and booking site. My priority list for your trip, would be:
- Beachwood Golf Club — Super convenient (right in town), player-friendly layout with generous fairways, mature trees, and good conditioning.
- Eagle Nest Golf Club — Beautiful finishing stretch (those last few holes are memorable), well-kept, and a true value play.
- Aberdeen Country Club — Three 9-hole courses you can mix/match (great for variety over 3 weeks), Scottish links feel.
- Crown Park Golf Club — Wide fairways, playable but strategic, good value and conditions.
- Myrtle Beach National – South Creek or West Course— Arnold Palmer designs, always reliable conditioning, and the South Creek is often the more affordable of the trio (under $80).
- Arcadian Shores Golf Club— Classic Rees Jones, renovated recently.
''It's just golf, let's have fun''
Thanks for your replies Art and JB. If we were to take a trip further South towards Pawley’s Island, (excepting the premium cost courses) what are the likes of Willbrook Plantation, Litchfield, Tadition, River Club, Heritage, etc like ? Furthest South we’ve been before was Arrowhead and Prestwick … ?
I have Played willBrook, Litchfield, Tradition River Club and Heritage. They are usually in good condition, Pricing wise I am not sure but cant picture being top dollar but what is top dollar nowadays. Most are kinda close to each other if looking for afternoon replay.
Nice hearing from you across the pond. Man what is up with City these last two game, I am so upset LOL.
Let the Big Dawg Bark!!!
Of the courses mentioned by Art & S**H I would recommend Arrowhead, Crow Creek, Rivers Edge, and Meadowland. Down south it would be Heritage for me.
All of the recommendations for value courses made so far are good. Keep in mind that several days after your arrival, Daylight Savings Time will kick in, which will give you sunsets between 7:15 and 7:30 p.m. With a decently clear day, you should be able to tee off at 2:30 or so and still get your round in. If there's slow play, you'll still finish by dusk before heading for a late dinner. Regarding dinners, if you do eat late, check with the restaurant as many now close much earlier than they used to.
PM rounds are generally a good value and might get you onto certain courses that now go for above $100 for AM times. Long Bay might be one of those courses.
I'll add a course recommendation--I had to dig deep into the forum to find this one, but it was worth playing in 2023, and more recent reviews than in this thread indicate that it might still be worth the long drive to Johnsonville: https://myrtlebeachgolftalk.com/community/mb-course-talk/the-wellman-club/ .
Thanks for your replies Art and JB. If we were to take a trip further South towards Pawley’s Island, (excepting the premium cost courses) what are the likes of Willbrook Plantation, Litchfield, Tadition, River Club, Heritage, etc like ? Furthest South we’ve been before was Arrowhead and Prestwick … ?
Willbrook, Tradition, River Club, Heritage are all recommended courses.
Heritage is a higher cost, but includes breakfast + lunch.
Litchfield is a old style course, least interesting of that group, but lower cost.
Founders Club is challenging, but would also fit.
Blackmoor + International Club are also options.
Caledonia, True Blue, Pawleys, TPC are high priced.
On your 3 week trip, are you thinking about something like 2 weeks north and 1 week south?
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No : we’ll be staying on S.Ocean Boulevard (near Main Street), North Myrtle Beach for the entire 3 weeks, but happy to travel. Also as we haven’t really played on the South side in previous visits, it adds a few options that would be new to us. I’ve seen some excellent reports about Willbrook Plantation, and also about some of the Seatrail courses on the North side, that we also haven’t played before. Also, I really fancy playing Rivers Edge, ‘cos again we’ve never played there, but has always received good reviews…
@yorkshire-roomy
You can use Main St to get to Rt 31 for the South end courses.
Estimate about 1:15 to 1:30 to get to Willbrook, Heritage, etc.
At Sea Trail, only Byrd + Maples are renovated. They are still not at the
level of Willbrook, River Club, Heritage, Rivers Edge, etc.
RE is unique and challenging. See if you love or hate par 5 #9.
The greens are usually slow.
At ST Maples, it's reported that you must check in at the Byrd/Jones
clubhouse and get shuttled to Maples. So verify that, to avoid being late.
They also don't have a range.
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With less than two weeks to go, us Brits, are returning for our 5th trip to MB and are looking at where we should be playing for a couple of gentler openers for our 3 week trip (UK weather has meant local courses have been mostly closed this year, thus far, so we’re rusty !). We can get great prices on Brunswick Plantation that we played on our last trip in 2022, but tbh, can’t remember much about it !
Would it be a good choice for a not too stern a test opener, and are the current conditions OK ?
This time round there will be just a group of 4 of us with a handicap range of 10-28, so given feedback thus far, we reckon we could do with a couple of gentler opener courses, some premium courses when we can get best value, and the rest on “best bang for your buck courses” between $50-$120. I’ve put together a short list as usual for our 3 week stay, but don’t wanna divulge, as I don’t want to influence your opinions.
Your local knowledge is invaluable to us, so do please advise : it will be very much appreciated. As previously stated, we arrive at midnight on 4th March, and leave on 24th March …
Cheers chums 🍻😉
Also we can get good prices early in our stay at Wizard, Man o’ War, Eagle Nest, Aberdeen and Long Bay … your thoughts ?
