TPC Myrtle Beach

TPC Myrtle Beach is the only TPC-branded public course on the Grand Strand, a Tom Fazio design routed through 300 acres of Lowcountry wetland and Carolina pine forest in Murrells Inlet, south of the main strip. Fazio opened the course in 1999 with natural elevation changes that are uncommon on the Grand Strand's coastal plain, and he used them to build a layout that feels less manufactured than many of his contemporaries.

From the back at 6,950 yards with a slope of 145, this is one of the more demanding courses in the region. The difficulty is honest rather than gimmicky. Fairways are wide enough to accept a moderate drive, but the rough penalises without brutalising. The real challenge lives in the approach. Fazio built green complexes that tilt, shelf, and slope in ways that demand precise distance control. Missing on the wrong side of a pin doesn't just cost a stroke; it can cost two.

The front nine opens with a pair of reachable par 4s that suggest a forgiving day, but that impression fades quickly. The 4th plays over wetland to a green that narrows toward the back-right pin position. The 7th, a long par 4 doglegging left around hardwoods, asks for a controlled draw and a precise mid-iron to a green with a pronounced false front.

The back nine is where Fazio built his signature sequence. Holes 13 through 16 include two par 4s along elevated ridges with wetland views on both sides, a par 3 over water, and a risk-reward par 5 that tempts longer hitters to go for the green in two. The 13th in particular punishes anything short and right.

Conditioning is maintained to the standard the brand demands. Greens are overseeded for year-round play and run at speeds that reward confident, committed strokes. Bunkers are raked and edged with the precision regular TPC inspections require.