Myrtle Beach: Best Holes Ranked
The Grand Strand accommodates more than 80 courses across a 60-mile coastal corridor, and no two architects have read the same Lowcountry terrain the same way. The result is an unusually deep collection of individual holes, from strategic par 5s shaped by marsh and tidal creeks to short par 3s that test nerve over water. What follows is a ranking of the best among them, judged not by scenery alone but by the quality of the strategic question each hole asks.
1. Dunes Golf and Beach Club — No. 13, "Waterloo" (Par 5, 590 yards)
Robert Trent Jones Sr. built the Dunes Club in 1948, and the 13th remains the single most celebrated hole on the Grand Strand. The par 5 bends sharply left around Singleton Lake, and the decision it presents on the second shot is one of the purest risk-reward propositions in Lowcountry golf. Laying up right leaves a wedge into a well-bunkered green. Cutting the corner over water shortens the hole by 60 yards but demands a carry that tightens progressively as the player's ambition grows. Jones understood that great holes offer proportional consequences, and "Waterloo" delivers exactly that. Many rounds at the Dunes are defined by what happens here.
2. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club — No. 18 (Par 3, 175 yards)
A par 3 finisher is an uncommon choice, and Mike Strantz made it count. The 18th plays over a pond toward the antebellum clubhouse, framed by the same corridor of live oaks that greets players on arrival. The shot demands are specific: a mid-iron that must carry the water cleanly and hold a green that slopes subtly away from the landing zone. Under tournament pressure or with a match on the line, the visual of water between the tee and the flag tests composure as much as technique. It is one of the most photographed finishing holes on the East Coast, and one of the few that earns the attention.
3. True Blue Golf Club — No. 14 (Par 3, 195 yards)
Strantz's other Pawleys Island design is architecturally bolder than Caledonia, and the 14th illustrates why. The island green sits in a waste bunker that extends in every direction, leaving no safe miss. At 195 yards from the back tee, club selection is straightforward, but the exposed setting amplifies every swing flaw. Wind off the marsh compounds the difficulty. The hole functions as a litmus test: players who commit to a target and trust the swing are rewarded. Those who steer the ball find sand.
4. Caledonia Golf and Fish Club — No. 1 (Par 4, 380 yards)
The opening drive at Caledonia threads through an avenue of live oaks draped in Spanish moss. The fairway is generous enough to accept a confident swing, but the canopy frames the target so precisely that the tee shot feels more demanding than its yardage suggests. A mid-iron approach plays to a green that tilts gently from back to front. As first impressions go, it sets a standard the rest of the Grand Strand struggles to match.
5. Tidewater Golf Club — No. 3 (Par 3, 180 yards)
The third at Tidewater plays from an elevated tee toward a green perched on the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway. The drop from tee to green alters club selection by at least half a club, and prevailing crosswinds off the water make a precise number difficult to pin down. The panoramic views of Cherry Grove Inlet are a bonus, but the hole would rank on strategy alone.
6. TPC Myrtle Beach — No. 13 (Par 4, 420 yards)
Tom Fazio routed TPC Myrtle Beach through wetlands and hardwood forest, and the 13th captures both. The tee shot must avoid a waste area that runs the length of the left side, while the approach plays over a creek to a green protected by deep bunkers at the rear. The hole rewards a controlled fade off the tee and a precise distance on the approach. It is the defining hole on a course that consistently appears in Myrtle Beach best courses discussions.
7. Barefoot Resort (Love Course) — No. 15 (Par 3, 185 yards)
Davis Love III designed the Barefoot Love Course across a landscape of sandy waste areas, and the 15th uses that terrain to full effect. The tee shot carries a broad waste bunker to a green that falls away on three sides. Anything short rolls back into sand; anything long finds rough that makes an up-and-down improbable. The hole demands a committed strike with a precise yardage.
8. Heritage Club — No. 8 (Par 4, 405 yards)
The Heritage Club's 8th plays over a salt marsh crossing that splits the fairway from the green complex. The drive is straightforward enough, but the approach must carry the marsh and hold a putting surface angled away from the line of play. Dan Maples designed a hole where the penalty for a marginal approach is severe, but where a well-struck iron into the correct quadrant leaves a makeable birdie look. The marsh crossing lends a visual intensity that sharpens concentration at exactly the right moment.
Eight holes across eight courses, and no two ask the same question. The Grand Strand's depth is its distinguishing characteristic. A full Myrtle Beach destination guide and course-by-course breakdowns are available for those planning a trip built around these and the region's other strongest designs.