The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life across the globe, but if you are the type of person looking for a glimmer of light, even in the darkest of situations, golf has enjoyed a surge over the last six months.

The increase in play, combined with the desire to socially distance, has also led to increased walking and that has certainly been the case in Myrtle Beach, where Founders Group International now allows walking on its 21 courses.

If you enjoy walking – it’s certainly not a drag on pace of play – here are five Myrtle Beach golf courses you will want to play:

— Myrtle Beach’s first course, Pine Lakes Country Club, opened in 1927, before carts were even a thing, so it was designed with walking in mind. Tees are located beside greens, making a round at Pine Lakes an enjoyable walk less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean.

— Everything that applies to Pine Lakes is also true of the Dunes Club, which opened in 1948. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. classic is a semi-private club featuring natural undulation that is unusual for the area. A round at the Dunes Club is one you want to savor and walking is a great way to do it.

— The Palmetto Course at Myrtlewood underwent a 2019 renovation, enhancing a layout that was already ideal to walk. The greens and bunker renovation project was a rousing success, making the stroll that much more enjoyable.

— TPC Myrtle Beach was designed with the idea of hosting high level competitive events, so walking here is natural. There is distance between the sixth green and seventh tee, but the likes of Tom Watson and Dustin Johnson have walked this course so the rest of us certainly can as well.

— Not to be outdone by its sister course, Myrtlewood’s PineHills layout is an equally pleasant walk. The Arthur Hills design, which installed new greens and refurbished its bunkers in 2018, is located in the heart of town and the proximity of the tee boxes to the greens is equally convenient.