The Carolina Country Music Festival is one of the biggest events on the Myrtle Beach calendar, attracting 42,000 concertgoers, many of whom are looking to enjoy a round of golf before the show starts each day at 4:30 p.m.
Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Jason Aldean will headline at this year’s CCMF, which will be held June 9-12, but that leaves plenty of time for golfers to enjoy a nearby round. With that in mind, here are the top five Myrtle Beach courses for CCMF attendees to play, with an emphasis on good golf and convenience.
● Players at Pine Lakes Country Club, otherwise known as the “Granddaddy,” enjoy a view of Myrtle Beach’s oceanfront skyline, so the first tee is just a 5-iron from
the CCMF stage. The area’s first course and the birthplace of Sports Illustrated, Pine Lakes (pictured right) is a delight to play, boasting some of Grand Strand’s most demanding par 4s. The new greens installed in the spring of 2021 are smoother than “Country Roads” being played on a saxophone, making the experience that much better.
● Myrtlewood is home to two of the area’s most popular courses – Palmetto (top photo) and PineHills. Given that PineHills is undergoing aeration in early June, make sure you tee it up on the Palmetto, the slightly more popular of the two, based on the fact it finishes along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Edmund Alt design has been in spectacular condition since the conclusion of a 2019 renovation project that included new bunkers and greens.
● Located just west of the Intracoastal, Arrowhead Country Club is home to 27 holes and a convenient location. The Tom Jackson-Raymond Floyd design features the Cypress, Lakes and Waterway nines and several holes along the Intracoastal. Arrowhead has been ranked among the area’s top 15 courses and the key to success is finding the shortgrass off the tee. Hit the driver well and a good day awaits.
● Attending the CCMF is about great music and the experience, which makes World Tour Golf Links a natural for attendees. Inspired by some of the game’s greatest
courses, World Tour allows players to play holes that replicate “Amen Corner” at Augusta National, the famed island green 17th at TPC Sawgrass, and No. 18 at St. Andrews. Just as a concert allows attendees to dream, so does a round at World Tour.
● Prestwick Country Club, located just seven miles from the CCMF stage, is a PB Dye design that is among the area’s best. Enjoy the chance to test your game on a layout that is highlighted by an unforgettable finishing stretch that includes the “Dye-abolical” par 5 17th, and the beautiful 18th, a par 4 that plays along a large pond to a green residing in the shadow of the clubhouse. A round at Prestwick isn’t easy but it certainly is fun.
If the Carolina Country Music Festival and golf are part of your plans, these five courses should strike the right note.
