Pine Lakes Country Club has a genial nickname – “The Granddaddy” – and a welcoming reputation, but once you put the tee in the ground, Myrtle Beach’s first golf course can turn salty in a hurry.

Pine Lakes is always a good time, but it’s also a challenging track, and here are five tips that will help you play your best.

Look Past the Yardage on the Scorecard
When deciding what tees to play, most golfers focus almost exclusively on total yardage. Don’t make that mistake at Pine Lakes.

The Granddaddy is a par-70 that plays significantly longer than the scorecard suggests. A good rule of thumb is to add a little more than 200 yards to the listed distance and ask yourself if that’s a number you’re comfortable with. If it’s not, move back a set of tees.

It’s Okay to Ignore Par, Sometimes
Pine Lakes is home to some of Myrtle Beach’s most demanding par 4s, so unless you’re a stick, bogeys are coming.

Holes 3, 12, 13, 14 and even 18 play like par 4.5s, especially when the wind blows. If you shoot 80 at Pine Lakes, that’s not much different than posting eight-over on a par 72 course.

Need proof? Check your Course Handicap in the GHIN app. You’ll get extra strokes here. The bottom line: don’t beat yourself up mentally if you string together a couple bogeys. Stay in the fight.

Don’t Skip the Warm-Up
Pine Lakes doesn’t have a driving range, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get loose before the round.

The course has two practice putting greens, and players can chip around both surfaces. Considering the length of the par 4s, you’re going to miss some greens, so take a few minutes to sharpen your short game before heading to the first tee.

Get Off to a Fast Start
The front nine is the easier side, playing 142 yards shorter than the back.

Holes 1, 4 and 9 are all short par 4s, so take advantage early because the Granddaddy stiffens considerably coming home.

Wide Fairways, But …
The fairways at Pine Lakes are generous, but that doesn’t lessen the importance of playing to the proper spots.

The best example is the daunting par-4 third. The fairway is wide, but drives favoring the left-center provide a better angle into the green while minimizing – though certainly not eliminating – the danger posed by the water running up the right side.

You shouldn’t be playing from the trees very often at Pine Lakes, but your goal off the tee should be more ambitious than simply finding the short grass.

Photos for this feature from MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account