The three Arnold Palmer designed courses at Myrtle Beach National are among the area’s most popular, attracting locals and traveling golfers alike.

The West Course has a much-deserved reputation for being player-friendly, but if you are looking for a deeper dive, here are five things you need to know about the course before teeing it up.

— The West Course’s greens, which are in outstanding condition, don’t have a surplus of undulation but they run from back to front, sometimes dramatically so. Pay attention to where the flag is and, whenever possible, leave yourself below the hole. The result will be a straight putt you can strike with confidence.

— Building off the point above, the greens aren’t huge but they are open in the front, so if you are going to miss, being short is the place to be. A slightly uphill chip isn’t the worst shot to have and recovery is more difficult around and behind the putting surfaces.

— At 361 yards (white tees), the par 4 14th hole (pictured right) doesn’t look imposing on the scorecard, but it’s a nearly 90-degree dogleg left that presents the day’s most challenging tee shot. Soaring pine trees make cutting the dogleg nearly impossible and if you can’t hit a draw, the hole will suddenly play much longer. On a course known for its playability, a poor tee shot brings a big number into play here.

— Conversely, Arnie gave everyone a chance to score on the 301-yard second hole. There is a fairway bunker on the right, but this (very) gentle dogleg left begs players to make par or better early in the round, so don’t squander this opportunity.

— The West Course, with the exception of No, 14, largely lets players bang away with the big stick, so take advantage of the opportunity. The pine trees that line the fairways sit far enough back to provide latitude outside the confines of the short grass, so any risk is outweighed by the rewards. Warm up the driver on the range and swing away.

Golf isn’t an easy game, but the West Courses is a forgiving track, one your group will be happy to tee it up on.