Wild Wing Plantation was once one of Myrtle Beach’s most popular multi-course properties, prior to the closing of the Woodstork, Falcon and Hummingbird layouts in 2004, leaving only Avocet to carry the mantle.
Sixteen years later, you’d think the aftershocks of the closures would’ve subsided, but the head pro at Wild Wing, Rick Schultz, still hears from people on a near daily basis who haven’t played at Avocet since the closing of its sister courses.
Folks, it’s time to end the madness!
Woodstork and Falcon are gone (Hummingbird reopened as a 9-hole layout). They were good courses and we all miss them, but Wild Wing is still open and thriving.
If you need a refresher on why Avocet, a Jeff Brauer-Larry Nelson co-design, remains so popular with savvy Myrtle Beach golfers, here you go:
Playability is the Priority
The fairways are generous, Schultz and his staff added an extra set of the tees in the summer of 2019, designed to make the layout even more enjoyable for seniors, and the course is typically in outstanding condition throughout the year. Avocet places a premium on the customer experience, beginning with a layout that is challenging but never too difficult.
Three Holes You Won’t Forget
We asked Schultz for his three favorite holes and what he liked about them. Here is the what the long-time head pro had to say:
No. 11, par 5: “If you look behind the tee box, you will see a big lake that three holes on the Falcon course used to play around. This is a beautiful dogleg right (454 yards/white tees), with water on the left, a big bunker in front of the green, and a two-tiered green. Longer hitters can get there in two.”
No. 14, par 4: “My favorite hole. Guys like to see if they can drive the green (265 yards/white tees) and it’s definitely a scorable hole. There is trouble out there with water and pot bunkers in the fairway that provide definition, but it’s not hard to avoid. The challenge depends on the hole location because there is an elephant hump in the green. It’s a fun hole to play.”
No. 17, par 3: “This is a demanding par 3 (165 yards/white tees) and it shares a double green with No. 6. (pictured right) The wetlands in front of the green give you a Scottish feel and there are no homes, so you feel like you are secluded.”
To Play Well at Avocet …
Make sure your short game is tuned up. The course plays longer than the scorecard suggests (6,658/6,226/5,870/5,230/4,310), so you are going to miss a few greens. Speaking of the putting surfaces, there is a lot of undulation in the greens at Avocet. That combination of factors places a premium on chipping and putting. Play well around the greens and a nice score likely awaits.
What Turn? What Houses?
Like the links courses that gave birth to the game of golf, Avocet plays out and doesn’t turn at the clubhouse, providing the layout a sense of continuity players appreciate. Housing on the course is virtually non-existent as well. You can see homes on the fourth and 18th holes, but they aren’t really in play and otherwise it’s just you and the golf course. Because the layout doesn’t turn at the clubhouse, there is no double-teeing so you can get a tee time at Avocet at any point during the day, a real bonus for groups that want to play at 10 a.m.
