From: mftjs@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (T. Jerry Scott)
Subject: Re: need golf suggestion for Myrtle Beach area
Organization: Educational Computing Network
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 21:43:49 GMT

In article <1992Sep29.025914.9849@src.umd.edu> tjay@src.umd.edu (Thanavat Junchaya) writes:
>I am thinking about taking golf vacation in Myrtle Beach, S.C. around December.
>I saw some post couple of weeks ago but forgot to save them.  Would somebody
>please repost them if you still have them.
>
>BTW, how is December weather down there.

Dear Fellow Golfers, interested in a Myrtle Trip:

We have played golf at Myrtle 3 times.  Usually we have a foursome,
but this year, we have an 8 some going.  We have had a mixed
group of players.  I am a 2-4 handicapper, and others are in the
4-8, 7-10, 12, and 15-18 ranges.  We are all golf purists, liking
really good golf courses, especially challenging ones.  Thus, we
have always sought the best places to play in Myrtle.  

This year, we will again stay at the Caribbean, and go  on a
Thanksgiving package.  We will play 7 courses in seven days.  Our
main reason for staying at the Caribbean is that we mostly come
for golf, not for the social activities, and the Captains
Quarters next door has the best breakfast we  have ever eaten,
which is important to golfers  going out for a full day of
exercise.  Our cost this year is $359, which includes carts,
green fees, surcharges, and of course,   the motel.  We still mub
st buy dinner.   The weather for the last two trips, one in
Thanksgiving and the other in December, right before Christmas
has been all nice days, except for one rainout and two 40-45
degree starts, which became 55-60 by the turn.  The courses we
will play this year include the following 7 courses:

Heathland and Mourland at the Legends, Oyster Bay and Long Bay,
Buck Creek and Brick Landing, and of course, Heather Glen.  

In the past, I have played a number of courses, including:

Dunes	Excellent, Robert Trent Jones course.  The 11th, 12th,
and 13th holes at this course are great.  The 13th is a totally
unforgettable par five, and very distinctive.  This course is a
really great old course and the Dunes Club is one of the most
sought after  clubs in Myrtle.  

Arcadian Shores  Another excellent course.  No hidden or sneaky
challenges, just a fine layout.  It has three sets of tees that
make all the difference.  The back tees here are really tough.

Marsh Harbor  A fine marsh  oriented course.  Has about 6 holes
on the marsh that are   really neat.  Has about 6 inland holes
that are okay but not truly memorable.  The 17th here is a very
memorable hole, as is the 9th, both par fives.  A nice, pleasant
course to play, and playable by people at many skill levels.

Tidewater   Many say this is the best at Myrtle.  A great place
to play, was in super shape, and has all the difficulty one would
ever want.  The 3rd and 12th are super challenging par 3's.  The
third probably rivals the 12 at Augusta as the best 150 yard par
3 I have ever seen.  There are no weak holes at Tidewater, and
there is a nice mixture of long holes and short ones, too.  Tidewater
has been chosen for many honors, the foremost being the best new
public course in the nation in 1990.  All of these honors are
deserved.  We wondered how they made a 1 year old course look
like it had been there for 50 years.  If Tidewater has any
barnicle, it is the 17th, a par  3 over Marsh.  Many say this is
a great hole, others complain about it.

Heathland The first Legends course,  a Scottish type course.  It
was fun, but not up to the difficulty level of the next Legends
course.  The Legends complex is a must play place.  The clubhouse
is humongous and the putting green is also large, billed as the
largest in the World.  The clubhouse looks like a Castle.  If
only there were a Moat, they'd have the whole enchaladaa.

Mourland  The owners commissioned Pete Dye to build the toughest
course he could on that turf.  He did not disappoint.  If you
have never played a  Pete Dye, try this one.  It is great, and
the whole Legends layout is too.  Mourland is a must play for a
good golfer.  It will challenge a player on each and every shot.
One note of warning:  Do not get in the left trap on #11 or the
right trap on #18.  One of our guys shot an 82 with an 8 on #18.
He hit a good second shot at the top of that trap and one-putted
for an 8.  When Pete Dye builds a deep bunker, it is deep and
should be avoided at all costs.

Heather Glen  Voted best new public course in Nation in 87.  A 27
hole layout with Scottish type bunkers and other  unusual
features.  For good players, a must play.  We play it each year,
because it is so interesting.  One guy nearly got lost in a pot
bunker on #10 once, but we finally fished him out!!!!

Oyster Bay - Another marsh type course, which many think is the
best at Myrtle.  This a really pretty course with lots of water
and many challenges.  We prefer Tidewater, but many say Oyster
Bay is great.

Long Bay - A Nicklaus nightmare that should be played at least
once.  As is usual, there is a penalty for slightly missed
shots, but lots of beautiful greens and vistas.

Buck Creek - a 27 holer with  some really great holes, but  when
we played it, the greens were slow.  But we are going back this
year to try again.

Pine Lakes - The place to be for the Social set.  A nice track,
but the cartpaths and the "only on the Cartpaths" rules make this
course a walking nightmare.  We will not go back to this one, but
would consider it if the cart situation were different.

Some lesser quality courses we have played:

Myrtle Wood - nothing special, but a nice place to play, and it
is close to downtown.  It has 36 holes; an old, traditional 18
and a newer, more watery 18.  The old course has lots of tall
trees and doglegs, while the newer one has large manufactured
creeks and canals and hard to hit, bunkered greens.

Deer Track - a nice 36 hole layout with interesting holes, but
not of the quality of some of the others. 

The Pearl - 36 holes, in excellent shape.  We played the tougher
course, and the back nine had 3 long (550+ yard) par fives.  It
is easy for a low handicapper, but hard for a group who has a
number of 175-220 yard hitters in it.  The Pearl is a favorite
for the older set, as it is pleasant to play, is in excellent
shape, and is fun to play.  For good golfers, it just has too
much of the same ole, same ole type layout. 

Burning Ridge - a friendly course that is in good shape but has
nothing memorable  about it.  It   is a good starter course, as
it is not too demanding, and has some interesting shots.  A
winding creek runs throughout the course and gets in the way on
many holes, contributing to a "same ole same ole" situation.

Well that is it from this end.  We hope you guys will enjoy this
discussion of the Myrtle Golf courses.  As you might detect,
being college professors, we play at a  cheap time, usually
Thanksgiving or the Christmas break, when we are typically
leaving snowny Illinois for the more sunny climates  of the
Atlantic Coast.

Finally, the temps at Thanksgiving are a complete variable.
In two times there, we have been able to play all but 1 day,
and a couple of times we started in the 40's early in the AM
but would up in the 50's or 60's as the day ended.  Other
days, we have had 70 degree, short sleeve weather.

=====================================================================
Thomas J. Scott  (aka Dr. J.)			Phone: 309-298-1452
Western Illinois University			mftjs@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu