It’s a relatively rarity to get an entire course to yourself.
Or even for it to feel like you’re all alone.
But with 80 or so courses along South Carolina’s northern coastline, those solo rounds do occur. Maybe it’s during the offseason, or you’re an extra early bird to the bag drop.
You like to tee it up and move, and often your wishes are granted. We’ve played these tracks with nothing other than the birds singing in the background.
It’s a different experience, and certainly not for everyone. But if that’s your thing, you might just get rewarded at any of these.
LONG BAY GOLF CLUB
Depending on your home base for the week (or permanently, for you locals) Long Bay can be a bit off the beaten path. The course, located off Highway 9 some 20 minutes west of North Myrtle Beach, has its fair share of light tee sheet days. For someone looking to play a couple balls on the occasional hole or otherwise try to tackle the Jack Nicklaus bear, Long Bay may give you that opportunity by your lonesome.
ARCADIAN SHORES GOLF CLUB
Courses don’t like to talk about how fast you can get around 18 holes. It creates a false expectation and then all of a sudden that 4-hour round feels long (to some folks, at least). But on colder days, it’s not uncommon for the starter to send you out solo here and let you do your thing and be done in under 120 minutes. It’ll allow you to take that extra shot on the carries into the green on Nos. 13 and 17. Just don’t abuse the privilege.(top photo)
TRADITION GOLF CLUB
The rich Pawleys Island golf scene ebbs and flows with the seasons, and the early birds definitely get their worms often here. Aside from an occasional mower or sprinkler head, we’ve had two different solo rounds here at first light. What’s great about doing it at Tradition is that the course is ultra-playable from the right tee boxes and it’s pretty difficult to lose a golf ball. That’ll give you an opportunity to work out some kinks without a peanut gallery judging away.
WILD WING AVOCET
Maybe our favorite solo round here is the wide-open Avocet Course at Wild Wing. There are grip-it-and-rip-it holes, others where strategy is needed and a few where, well, you’re just sort of hoping for the proper result. What’s more, the straight-line design here takes you all the way around before returning to the club house. If you sneak into one of those sweet spots on the tee sheet, you’ll be able to become one with the course. (pictured right)
