Burning Ridge Golf Club doesn’t appear on any of the game’s various top 100 lists, but the Gene Hamm design is the type of course that has long made a Myrtle Beach golf trip so popular.
The layout is good, conditions are on point, and Burning Ridge challenges players in all the best ways. If you survive the 546-yard first hole (all distances from the white tees), the opening nine provides ample scoring opportunities, including three par 4s that play 323 yards or less (Nos. 4, 6 and 8).
When you make the turn, the challenge stiffens significantly as the back nine par 4s average a hefty 381 yards in length. Additionally, the course’s greens are among the area’s smallest, placing a premium on the approach, but don’t let the talk of challenge dissuade you.
Burning Ridge invites you to post a good number, on one condition: you have to manage the course’s par 3s, which are among the Myrtle Beach area’s most daunting. Here is a closer look at the quartet of one-shotters that could determine the fate of your round.
No. 2 – 153 yards
The first par 3 is the easiest. Find the middle of one of the course’s widest greens and par should await. The putting surface is open in the front, so if you miss short, you don’t need to be Seve Ballesteros to get up-and-down. The only real trouble is the deep bunker on the left. (2nd hole pictured right)
No. 5 – 175 yards
According to the scorecard, this is the No. 18 handicap at Burning Ridge, but the guy rating the course must’ve been drunk that day. Yes, there is room to run the ball up, but at 175 yards, a mid to long iron to a kidney bean shaped green flanked by three small bunkers on the left and one on the right, doesn’t scream “easiest hole on the course.” You shouldn’t make a big number here, but this is a tough par. (5th hole pictured right)
No. 12 – 200 yards
Buckle up. That 200 yards isn’t a typo. This is the Myrtle Beach area’s second longest par 3 from the white tees, and it includes a 170-yard carry over water. You might be able to convince yourself there is bail out room to the left but that’s more like a lucky landing spot if you pull the ball. This is the round’s scariest shot, so take a deep breath, trust your swing and hope for the best. On the bright side, if you hit the ball in the water, a generous drop area behind the green awaits, so you shouldn’t make worse than double (small consolation, I know). (12th hole top photo)
No. 17 – 164 yards
Burning Ridge doesn’t have many onerous forced carries (honestly), but the back nine par 3s both do. You will only need 130 yards to clear the water on No. 17, but a bunker in front of the green awaits shots that come up short, compounding the challenge. Did I mention the green is very small? Make par here and you will be poised to finish with a flourish on the par 5 18th. (17th hole pictured right)
Survive the par 3s at Burning Ridge and a good score should await, but it won’t be easy.
