Alligators are prehistoric creatures, having first appeared approximately 37 million years ago, but age has done little to diminish our fascination with everyone’s favorite reptile.
Most of us don’t want to get too close to a large alligator, but if we are being honest, we enjoy the opportunity to see a gator on a Myrtle Beach golf trip (if you don’t believe me, take note of how many people take pictures of them). For locals, the site of an alligator is a fairly common occurrence, but some courses offer a much greater chance of seeing the reptilians.
If sharing a fairway with an alligator is a priority, here are the five courses you are most likely to see one.
— The further south the course, the greater the likelihood of spotting an alligator, but Oyster Bay, located in Brunswick County, N.C., is the exception. The Dan Maples design plays along the marshy waters of the Calabash River and gators are everywhere.
— Willbrook is located in Pawleys Island and alligators thrive in the lowcountry environment. In particular, golfers should have their eyes open playing the fifth and sixth holes, where a 13-footer is rumored to call home. Good golf, good value and gator views are a hard combination to beat.
— Any course with a stretch called Alligator Alley has to make the list and deservedly so in the case of the Dunes Club. Holes 11 through 13 makeup Alligator Alley but it’s the iconic par 5 13th hole where they tend to congregate. On a nice morning, you could see upwards of 10 alligators lining the banks of Lake Singleton, adding additional charm to Myrtle Beach’s most storied course.
— There may not be an area golf course that is home to more native wildlife than TPC Myrtle Beach. Turkey, deer, squirrels and, yes, alligators are in abundance at the Tom Fazio beauty. If you want to see an alligator and a lot of other animals, TPC Myrtle Beach should be near the top of the list.
— The front nine at The Witch plays through a Cypress Swamp so you can do the math on that one. There are gators aplenty at The Witch, but they won’t haunt you.
<Photos Credit: Dunes Golf & Beach Club>
