The old adage says you drive for show and putt for dough, but without a quality tee shot few golfers have putts to win money.
Some Myrtle Beach golf courses reward quality tee shots while others demand that you have a good day with the driver. Here are Myrtle Beach’s five toughest driving holes, where there is little room for recovery if the big stick leads you astray.
— The first hole at Willbrook, a 400-yard par 4 (all distances from the white tees), presents one of the scariest tee shots Myrtle Beach has to offer. The dogleg right has water on the left and trees to the starboard side that can block your path to the green. The only thing you have to do is stripe the ball 250 yards down the middle with the prospect of trouble on either side. Sounds easy, right?
— A bad drive on Tidewater’s 18th hole (top photo) could result in an ugly finish on arguably Myrtle Beach’s prettiest course. The 410-yard par 4 is a dogleg left bordered on the right by marshy waters from the Intracoastal. If your tee shot drifts that way, the hole effectively becomes a par 5. The ideal drive is a long draw that tracks along with the dogleg but that is easier said than done with pine trees and bushes lurking on the left.
— The third hole at TPC Myrtle Beach isn’t complicated; it’s a 410-yard par 4 that is as straight as an arrow, but you have a 180-yard forced carry over wetlands. I know you are thinking, “180 yards isn’t that long,” but it looks different on that tee box. It’s a tough hole defined by a demanding drive.
— True Blue typically offers ample landing room but when the tees are back and the 18th hole (pictured right) is playing 406 yards, the drive will leave the hardest of men concerned. Water on the left and a waste bunker you want to avoid is to the right. To have any chance of hitting the green, you have to be in the fairway, compounding the pressure.
— Prestwick’s 17th hole is one of Myrtle Beach’s toughest. The 499-yard par 5 is narrow and water runs nearly the length of the hole on the left side. To enhance the challenge, the landing area bottle necks approximately 250 yards from the white tees.
All five holes are manageable but almost any reasonable chance hinges on a good tee ball.
