There are golf courses whose scorecards tell you almost everything you need to know. Then there is King’s North at Myrtle Beach National.

The Arnold Palmer design plays to a par 72 and 6,903 yards from the Black tees, but those numbers only begin to explain one of Myrtle Beach’s most recognizable layouts. King’s North has always been a course defined by choices, memorable visuals and the type of risk-reward opportunities Palmer loved to present golfers with.

Now, following a two-year renovation led by architect Brandon Johnson, who spent more than 17 years working with Arnold Palmer Golf Design, King’s North has entered a new era. The front nine was renovated in 2024 and the back nine followed in 2025, with the project rebuilding and expanding greens, reshaping bunkers and creating more strategic options around the putting surfaces while preserving Palmer’s original vision.

So what does the scorecard tell us about the new King’s North?

Quite a bit.

6,903 Yards — But the Yardage Is Only the Beginning

From the Black tees, King’s North measures 6,903 yards, with a course rating of 74.4 and a formidable slope of 154.

Move forward and the options quickly become more manageable. The Burnt Orange tees measure 6,453 yards, the Creme tees play 6,033, and the Forest Green tees are 5,653 yards. The Garnet tees provide a 4,752-yard option.

That range is important at a course like King’s North.

Choosing the appropriate tees isn’t simply about making the course shorter. It allows golfers to encounter the decisions Palmer intended them to face. King’s North is at its best when you’re deciding whether to challenge a hazard or play away from it, not when you’re simply trying to cover as much ground as possible.

The renovation leaned further into that philosophy, restoring fairway width and creating additional strategic options into and around the greens, allowing golfers to attack holes in different ways.

Four Par 5s and Four Very Different Opportunities

King’s North features four par 5s: Nos. 1, 6, 10 and 15.

From the Black tees, they measure 498, 546, 504 and 554 yards, respectively.

That means three of the four are at least 498 yards, but their numbers aren’t necessarily indicative of how difficult they will play.

The best example is No. 6.

At 546 yards, The Gambler is the second-longest par 5 on the course and carries the No. 2 handicap designation. But its identity isn’t built around length.

It’s built around a decision.

Golfers can play conventionally to the right or challenge the alternate island fairway, taking on considerably more risk in exchange for the opportunity to shorten the hole and potentially reach the green in two. It’s one of the Grand Strand’s most famous examples of risk-reward golf and perhaps the hole that best embodies Palmer’s design philosophy at King’s North.

The recent renovation didn’t attempt to change what made The Gambler famous. Instead, the work enhanced the strategy and presentation of a hole that has long been a centerpiece of the King’s North experience.

No. 15 presents a very different challenge.

At 554 yards, it’s the longest hole on the scorecard and carries the No. 1 handicap designation. If The Gambler grabs the attention, No. 15 quietly makes its case as the hole most likely to impact your score.

Together, Nos. 6 and 15 are a good illustration of King’s North: one is famous for the decision it asks you to make; the other earns respect through the challenge itself.

461 Yards: The Longest Par 4

The longest par 4 at King’s North arrives at No. 9.

At 461 yards from the Black tees, it is followed closely by the 454-yard 18th and the 452-yard 11th.

That’s significant because all three appear in different portions of the round.

No. 9 provides a demanding conclusion to the opening side. No. 11 comes shortly after the turn. Then, just when you’re trying to finish the round, King’s North presents another 450-plus-yard par 4 at No. 18.

The course doesn’t stack all of its length in one place.

Instead, the bigger par 4s are distributed throughout the round, providing periodic tests while shorter holes offer chances to be more aggressive.

No. 5, for example, measures just 339 yards from the Black tees. No. 3 is 366.

Those holes provide an important counterbalance to the 450-yard-plus tests. King’s North isn’t simply asking golfers to hit long shots all afternoon. The challenge continually changes.

The Par 3s: 100 Yards Can Make a Big Difference

The four par 3s are another example of the variety found on the scorecard.

From the Black tees:

No. 4 — 173 yards
No. 8 — 187 yards
No. 12 — 154 yards
No. 17 — 158 yards

There are only 33 yards separating the shortest and longest, but anyone who has played King’s North knows those numbers don’t tell the complete story.

Especially at No. 12.

154 Yards That Can Feel Like Much More

On paper, the 12th is the shortest par 3 at King’s North from the Black tees.

Standing on the tee is a different matter.

The hole’s island green and distinctive South Carolina-themed bunkering have made it one of the most recognizable par 3s in Myrtle Beach. It’s a shot that demonstrates perfectly how visual intimidation can make a relatively modest yardage feel considerably longer.

The renovation brought new life to the hole as well, while the larger course project restored greens closer to their original dimensions and introduced new putting surfaces.

The scorecard says 154 yards.

Your eyes might tell you something entirely different.

That’s King’s North.

Where the Scorecard Says the Trouble Is

Handicap rankings offer another way to look at the course.

The No. 1 handicap hole is the 554-yard par-5 15th, followed by The Gambler at No. 6.

After those two par 5s come a pair of par 4s: No. 13 is ranked third and No. 9 is fourth.

The fifth-ranked hole?

The 454-yard finishing hole.

That means three of the five toughest holes on the card arrive on Nos. 9, 13 and 18.

There isn’t necessarily one brutal stretch that golfers simply need to survive. The difficulty is spread throughout the round, forcing you to manage your game all the way to the clubhouse.

And that brings us to 18.

One Last Test

If there is a fitting place to finish a round at King’s North, it’s the 18th.

The scorecard lists it as a 454-yard par 4 and the No. 5 handicap hole.

Again, those numbers don’t fully explain what’s waiting.

The finishing hole has long been defined by extensive bunkering, water and a green complex that creates a memorable final approach. The recent renovation gave No. 18 a fresh look while maintaining the bold character golfers expect from King’s North.

It’s a finishing hole that demands your attention after nearly four hours of King’s North asking the same fundamental question:

How much are you willing to take on?

A Scorecard Built Around Decisions

King’s North’s scorecard contains plenty of numbers worth examining.

There are 6,903 yards from the Black tees. Four par 3s. Ten par 4s. Four par 5s. A 554-yard No. 1 handicap hole. Three par 4s measuring more than 450 yards. And a 154-yard par 3 that can make golfers think twice before pulling the trigger.

But the most interesting thing about the scorecard might be what it can’t measure.

It can’t quantify the temptation of looking toward the island fairway on The Gambler and wondering, Can I pull that shot off?

It can’t account for what happens to your confidence when you stand over a short iron staring at water surrounding the 12th green.

And it can’t measure the difference between finding the proper side of a fairway and leaving yourself an awkward angle into one of King’s North’s renovated greens.

That’s ultimately what has made King’s North endure.

The course isn’t memorable simply because Arnold Palmer created spectacular holes. It’s memorable because those holes repeatedly invite golfers to make decisions.

More than 50 years after Myrtle Beach National first opened and three decades after Palmer’s transformative 1996 redesign elevated King’s North’s national profile, that philosophy remains at the center of the experience. The latest renovation wasn’t designed to erase that history; it was intended to carry it forward.

The scorecard gives you the numbers.

King’s North makes you decide what to do with them.

Photos for this feature from MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account