Golf Scrapbook Blog (The Other Ones)

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club (Myrtle Beach)

If you read any other write-ups and have seen my amateur photography skills you know the above is not from me. That’s from The Dunes website. Played The Dunes with my brother- and sister-in-law in the early Fall of 2007. Like any courses played between later 2007 and 2009, my photos and scrapbook were lost to a computer crash which I now think I threw out. The Dunes is my top rated Myrtle Beach course so decided to give it a quick write-up but use this opportunity to talk about Myrtle Beach in general.

The Dunes is a private club but your pro can get you on or I think there are a couple of resorts that you can get on if you stay there. It is generally rated as the best in Myrtle Beach and I agree that of the courses I’ve played there, it is. On property, it definitely doesn’t feel like you’re at Myrtle Beach. From my own memory, conditioning was top notch and as an early RTJ design, this definitely has the design chops to be considered a top 100 for the golf architecture nerds. There are houses on the course, but it’s not like some of the other residential Myrtle courses in that they don’t cramp the golf experience.

The par-five thirteenth is a cape hole that almost makes a u-turn around the pond or inlet and has been included on many magazine’s and website’s top golf holes in the world. It’s the number one handicap on the course. I found the card and must’ve played well here as I bogeyed the above hole and finished with an 87 though they did have a temporary par three hole replace one of the par fours on the front. That’s actually a great idea to have an additional hole that can be played if a hole needs to be taken out of play. My club at the shore has this (Stone Harbor) and several others I’ve played offer this.

Nine is a par three and gives you the only clear view of the ocean from the course. Eleven is a par-four version of thirteen and twelve is a great par three over the brack. The year I played we came down with the fam to my in-laws place at Barefoot and while I say The Dunes doesn’t feel like Myrtle, the ride from there to here is the quintessential Myrtle experience. In under ten miles you’ll pass Joe’s and Dick’s bars, an Alligator Adventure, a Seafood Buffet, a Nacho Hippo (describes a lot of the golfers down here), a Longhorn, Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel (of course), a few tacky beach and souvenir shops, and of course a Hooters and Bass Pro Shop. I’m leaving out the outlets and the Carolina Opry. You get the picture and if not, maybe this explains it…

Myrtle is a great guys golf trip if you like chain eats and golf tonnage (there are around 100 courses in the area). There are some gems down here though and if you like your golf with a side of testosterone, tunes, beer-slinging cart girls and Hooter’s, then it ain’t a bad time. We came down here much more when I was younger. We probably had about a half dozen bachelor party trips here including one of my own. Always had a great time here but haven’t made the trip since probably 2008.

Since I don’t have any pix, Ill do a ranking of the courses I’ve played in Myrtle with a quick one-liner on each. I may do a Barefoot write-up if I find my old computer that has lost pix (three of the courses there are in my top 200 so they’re not too shabby).

1. The Dunes
2. Barefoot Love Course: Great course, some plantation home ruins on the one hole is a nice touch. They did Big Break here.
3. Barefoot Fazio Course: Typical Fazio: trees, lakes, schmeggies, and ponds, oh my.
4. Barefoot Dye Course: This is the private course at Barefoot. Don’t sweat it if you can’t get on though.
5. Pearl Golf Links: Played in 96. Think there are three nines there and not sure which we played. Remember only that the holes were isolated from each other and it was tough – though I sucked even more than I do now.
6. Legends Heathlands: Pretty underrated course. Links feel to it. Not bad.
7. Wild Wing Avocet: This is also a pretty underrated course. Remember that I liked this a good bit but also played in 96 so memory is clouded.
8. Myrtle Beach National (South): Good, not great. Hear North is better.
9. Barefoot Norman: The Fredo of the Barefoot courses.
10. Farmstead: Highlight is that from the one par five, you tee off in South Carolina and putt out in North Carolina.
11. Man O’ War: Lots of fucking water.
12. River Hills: Not bad, not good, fills a need, just like a WaWa Italian hoagie.
13. Gator Hole. Played on my bachelor party in 1990. Closed in 1999. It was a hole.
14. Bay Tree: Closed in 2007. Nice water tower. Photo below from buddy’s bachelor party. Don’t think they ever developed it though. Actually played this turd bucket on two different trips.
15. Quail Creek: Now the Hackler Course at CCU. Uh…no. No architect would even put his name on this.
16. Myrtlewood Palmetto: Played it in 1990. Heard it was updated in 2019. Sucked then but then again it was over thirty years ago.