Tidewater Golf Club

Tidewater is one of the few Myrtle Beach courses with genuine waterfront exposure on multiple sides, sitting on a peninsula at the northern end of the Grand Strand where Cherry Grove Beach juts into the Intracoastal Waterway. Ken Tomlinson designed the layout in 1990, and the routing makes full use of the topographic and visual advantages: holes play along the marsh, above the Waterway, and within sight of the Atlantic.

Tomlinson was not a name-brand architect, but the work speaks for itself. The course has appeared on Golf Digest and Golf Magazine top public lists, and the routing moves you through three distinct environments: inland pine forest, tidal marsh, and elevated bluffs above the Waterway. The transitions feel natural, and the variety of settings keeps the round from settling into the visual sameness that affects flatter Lowcountry courses.

From the back at 7,150 yards with a slope of 140, Tidewater plays long and firm. Bermuda fairways run hard in summer, adding distance to tee shots and demanding adjusted approach calculations. Wind is a near-constant factor on this exposed peninsula. An ocean breeze that ripples a flag inland can add or subtract a full club here.

The back nine is where the course delivers its signature stretch. The 12th, a par 3 of about 180 yards, plays from an elevated tee to a green perched above the Intracoastal Waterway with boat traffic occasionally passing during your swing. The 13th continues along the bluff with marsh on the left and a steep falloff on the right of the green. Together, 12 and 13 are as good as any consecutive pair on the Grand Strand.