Golf will always have a place for courses featuring tree-lined fairways that place a premium on accuracy as opposed to rewarding raw power, but modern architecture has introduced the virtues of “big” courses.

By “big,” we aren’t necessarily referring to length as much as we are the breadth of a layout and its challenges.

Some of Myrtle Beach’s best courses are among its “biggest” and here are three of our favorites.

— No course is more synonymous with big golf in Myrtle Beach than True Blue Golf Club. The fairways span nearly 100 yards in spots, the greens are on the short list of the area’s largest, and sprawling waste bunkers are among the course’s defining visual features. Did we mention the only thing bigger than the layout is the fun? While True Blue (top photo) features as much room off the tee as any course at the beach, particularly through the first 15 holes, finding the proper spot is vital to scoring. True Blue is a must-play Myrtle Beach golf course and if you can’t find these fairways, it’s time to schedule an emergency lesson.

— When golfers think of the Grande Dunes Resort Course, the Intracoastal Waterway is what often comes immediately to mind, due in no small part to holes like the stunning, par 3 14th. While the beauty of the Intracoastal attracts a lot of attention, Grande Dunes (pictured right) is a big course. Sweeping fairways and expansive greens are among the calling cards on a layout that has been ranked among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest. It’s a course that offers great fun, strategic options and unforgettable views. While a big golf course doesn’t have to be long, Grande Dunes can stretch to more than 7,600 yards.

— Legendary architect Tom Doak’s Heathland Course at Legends Resort was the Myrtle Beach area’s introduction to “big” golf. The links inspired design provides golfers a taste of what the game is like in Scotland and that includes plenty of room to swing away with the driver and massive, undulating greens. On this big golf course, goal No. 1 is to avoid those small, hole-killing pot bunkers.