Golf isn’t an easy game, but even on the “softest” layouts there are holes that test every part of your game. We aren’t talking about the usual challenges, we’re shining a light on Myrtle Beach’s toughest three-hole stretches.

These trios can strike fear into even the best golfers and derail a round for anyone who lacks the skill or mental fortitude to survive the gauntlet. If your group enjoys a good challenge, here are the five most demanding three-hole stretches the Myrtle Beach golf scene has to offer.

Pine Lakes Country Club – Holes 12–14
If long, tough par 4s are your thing, you’ll love this stretch. The 12th is 391 yards (all distances from the white tees or the course equivalent), and that’s the easiest of the bunch. No. 13 is 424 yards and it plays uphill, while the iconic, 425-yard 14th (pictured right) features a downhill tee shot and an uphill approach to a green that offers a view of Myrtle Beach’s oceanfront skyline.

Pine Lakes is a par 70, but after this trio, you’ll feel like you’ve played a par 72.

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club – Holes 16–18
Don’t let the beauty of the saltwater marsh that comes into play on the final three holes at Pawleys fool you, this is the Jack Nicklaus design’s toughest finish.

The 399-yard 16th is a dogleg left that brings the water back into view and is the most difficult hole on the back nine. The par-3 17th (top photo) demands a forced carry to a narrow green with few good places to miss, while No. 18 is a 397-yard par 4 with water looming on the left.

Nicklaus saved his sternest test for last, and plenty of scorecards unravel coming home at Pawleys.

Tidewater Golf Club – Holes 3–5
In addition to providing golfers their first look at the Cherry Grove Inlet, the par-3 third hole marks the beginning of Tidewater’s toughest stretch. The 146-yard one-shooter, which borders the inlet, features a two-tiered green fronted by three daunting bunkers.

The fourth is arguably the area’s best par 4. The gentle dogleg left plays along Cherry Grove, and the large, back-to-front sloping green is one of the course’s most challenging. No. 5 plays a whopping 433 yards, making it a test of both length and accuracy. From the scenic par-3 third to the bruising fifth, this stretch demands power and precision.

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – Holes 14–16
Despite its reputation as one of America’s most player-friendly Top 100 courses, Caledonia can bare its teeth, especially on holes 14 through 16.

Water runs up to the edge of the green on the 363-yard 14th, making it the easiest of the bunch, but buckle up on the par-4 15th, a 441-yard dogleg left that plays every bit its length. The 16th, a 400-yard par 4, requires a carry over water that nearly reaches the front edge of the green.

Nos. 15 and 16 might be the toughest back-to-back par 4s anywhere along the Grand Strand.

Grande Dunes Resort Course – Holes 8–10
The beauty of the Intracoastal Waterway hides the bite in this stretch. The 155-yard eighth (pictured left) requires a carry over water to a sprawling green with two distinct tiers; miss on the wrong level, and you might be happy to three-putt.

Holes 9 (386 yards) and 10 (385 yards) have the Intracoastal running up the left side and both play longer than the scorecard suggests. The tee shot on No. 10, framed by oak trees right and water left, is the course’s toughest.

Each of these trios offers a different kind of challenge – brute length at Pine Lakes, water and wind at Tidewater, and late-round pressure at Pawleys and Caledonia. Survive them with your score intact, and you should post a score to brag about.

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