Arcadian Shores Golf Club- Myrtle Beach, SC

This is a solid golf course that was ranked in the Top 100 in America by Golf Digest in the 70's. The course has lost a bit of luster since then, perhaps the course conditions are not as good as they once were and the designer, Rees Jones, is no longer a preferred name in the design business. The course is a decent combination of holes, but none of the holes are much above average. This is not a bad course by any stretch of the imagination, it just lacks anything better than average and even with it's prior pedigree, likely gets lost in the shuffle of the other courses in Myrtle Beach

Ranking
Variety of Design: This course falls into the rut of many courses built during it's era. All the holes on the course fit nicely in little "safe" yardage groups, none very long, none very short. Directionally, the course is average at best with 4 holes playing left, 2 holes playing right, and 12 holes playing straight. 4 1/4 out of 10

Flow of the Course: This course has little flow. There are no short holes to give the player great chances at birdie or eagle. There are no very long holes to mandate the player hit precise shots in order to make a par. At no point does the course provide anything of real excitement. There is nothing below average here, but nothing to get the blood flowing either. 4 out of 10

Course Conditioning: The conditioning was what one would expect when paying one of the lowest fares in town. The fairways were reasonable and the greens average. 4 3/4 out of 10

Ease of Walking: The course is very flat, most holes are fairly close together and the course is not very long in general, so walking would not be difficult. 7 out of 10

Atmosphere: The course might get a slight boost from those who really take time to research courses and know that it was previously in the Golf Digest Top 100. Other than that, the course has no known significant tournament history and much of it's luster has worn off. 2 out of 10

Total: 43 1/4 out of 100

Holes to Note
Hole #1: Par 5, 527 yards
Par 5's are not often used as opening holes, but this one is a solid hole. This hole plays as a slight dogleg left to a green that is heavily bunkered. The play for those who want to go at the green on the second shot is to play over or as close as possible to the bunkers on the left side of the fairway. That will give the shorter shot to the green. Those players not able to reach in two can play to the right away from the bunkers. For those not going at the green in two shots, the lay-up shot should be played down the far right of the fairway in order to have a better angle to the pin.

 From the tee, the bunker is visible on the left and the fairway is easily seen.

 From 250 yards from the green, the greenside bunkers can be seen. The entire left side of the green is protected by bunkers, but a roll-up shot is possible.

 A closer view shows how protected the green is and the difficulty of the shot awaiting the player.

Hole #2: Par 3, 201 yards
This hole is a perfect example of what the course was and what it has become. This is a fantastic hole, very scenic and provides solid strategic challenge. The lake protects the hole on the right and there is a bunker guarding the hole from the left. Very solid hole. However, look beyond the hole. There is a shopping mall now in the background. At one point in this, this was likely a very solid, secluded hole. Now there is such encroachment from the rest of civilization to make the hole simply average.

Hole #9: Par 4, 376 yards
This is a solid hole to close out the front nine. One reasonable strength of this course is it's shorter par 4's. There are bunkers located down the left side of the hole. It is not known the purpose of those bunkers, they don't seem to be in the range of any golfer playing the proper set of tees, even if playing the course in a strong wind from the south. However, they certainly steer play to the right side of the fairway which will yield a poor approach angle to the green.

 From the tee, the bunker down the left is plainly visible. The player should favor that left hand side in order to have the preferred line to the green.

From the left side of the fairway, the player is able to take the front bunker out of play more so than from the right. This is another hole that will easily accept a roll-up shot.

Hole #12: Par 4, 382 yards
Another solid shorter par 4. Play on this hole is directed by the right fairway bunker. A slightly better line to the green can be had from the right side. The green complex is fairly well designed as well. There is one large fronting bunker that protects the green. The green is elevated and is essentially not accepting of roll-up shots (though that is not 100% the case. My playing partner rolled his shot onto the green from around 180 yards with a hybrid, but that was not intentional, nor was he pleased with the shot)

 The bunker can be seen in this image. Truthfully, the bunker could be removed and no strategic value lost on this hole. A play down the left side will give the player a shorter approach shot with the same angle as the right.

 The green is elevated and protected by this large bunker, making it impossible for the player to see the bottom of the flagstick. The green is well contoured on top of that. This is probably the best green complex on the course.

Hole #13: Par 4, 408 yards
While this hole is not the best on the course, it is certainly the most scenic. The hole plays downhill with a dogleg left. There are no bunkers on the hole, so the best play favors the left side of the fairway, giving the player a shorter approach to the hole. The approach to the green is the most scenic on the course, playing over a lake to a green cut into a hill.

 Nothing major happening from the tee. The left side is preferred, but there will be no harm in finding the right side of the fairway.

The green and approach is quite scenic. Any missed shots short, left or right will find water and long will find a bunker, playing directly back towards the water. 

This course is simply average. This is nothing bad here, but nothing really above average. The course is fun to play and a place I would play again, but it's just not anything special. 4 out of 10

Upcoming Posts

So mostly to keep myself in line, here is a listing of what's upcoming here:

Thursday December 13: Course Review- Arcadian Shores Golf Club
Friday December 14: Template Hole discussion- Biarritz
Saturday December 15: Course Review- Spring Hill Golf Course
Monday December 17: Template Hole Discussion- The Island
Wednesday December 19: Course Review- Stonehouse Golf Club
Friday December 21: General Opinion article

Once those are done, I'll probably take a little break for Christmas and write two or three more posts before the New Year. Keep reading and enjoy.

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club- Myrtle Beach, SC

This is a classic Robert Trent Jones designed golf course, opened in 1949. It is also one of the oldest golf courses in Myrtle Beach. This course shows what Jones could do when given good sites, though it is not up to the level of Peachtree, which opened one year prior. The Dunes lacks the width and overall strategic value that Peachtree has, but features variety, walkability, and flow that many of his later courses lack. Overall, this course is quite nice and deserving of the Top 100 ranking it once had.

Ranking
Variety of Design: The par 3's have modest variety. The longest is 245 yards, which is certainly among the longest a golfer will ever see. However, the shortest is 185 yards, with two in the middle playing 205 and 200 yards. Add in the normal summer wind from the south and the variety decreases even more with both of the 200 yard hole playing the same direction and the 185 yard hole playing exactly opposite. Par 4's have solid variety, ranging from 465 to 365 yards, though the lengths are concentrated more at the upper end around 425 yards. The par 5's have solid variety as well, from the reachable in two 4th hole to the solid 3 shot 13th. Directionally, the course has 3 holes playing left, 2 holes playing right, and 13 holes playing straight, however, only once do two holes play in the same direction back to back, so the wind will come into play differently on every hole. 7 3/4 out of 10

Flow of the Course: Very good. The course starts off gently, before the par 5 4th hole provides a high point early. The front nine continues steadily from there before the back nine starts off with the finest 4 hole stretch of RTJ holes that I have seen. The course then ends with fantastic holes on 16 and 18, with a good par 3 17th sandwiched in between. 7 1/2 out of 10

Course Conditioning: Good. This course was played during the late fall season, after the course had been seeded with rye grass. However, the fairways were still solidly grassed and the course played nicely firm. The bent grass greens were quite nice and ran very true. 7 1/4 out of 10

Ease of Walking: Very good. Most holes have very short transitions to the next tee and the course is not very hilly. 6 1/2 out of 10

Atmosphere: Solid, but nothing special. The course gets a bit of a boost due to being a private club that allows outside play and because it is one of the oldest courses in Myrtle Beach. 4 1/4 out of 10

Total: 71 out of 100

Holes to Note
Hole #1: Par 4, 425 yards
This solid opening hole has a fairway bunker guarding the right side of the fairway. However, the bunker only guards the hole when the hole is cut on the left side of the green. When the hole is cut right, the preferred play is down the left. This is a fair opening hole and with two quality shots, the player should have a reasonable chance to make birdie to start the round.

 From the tee, the fairway bunker is visible as are the greenside bunkers.

 From the right side of the fairway, the flanking bunkers are visible short of the green. This side provides the best angle of approach to holes cut on the left side of the green.

Hole #4: Par 5, 505 yards
This is a fantastic hole with strategic options on all shots. From the tee, the player must decide if he wants to challenge the bunkers and try to go for the green in two shots. If the player desires to lay short of them, a shot of not more than 240 yards is needed. Shots between 240 and 265 yards can be played into the narrow fairway to the right of the bunkers. A player who wants to play over the bunkers will need to hit a shot that carries at least 275 yards. Players who play short of the bunker will certainly be laying up but those who played to the side, might try to go at the green, needing a shot of 240-250 yards to make the center of the green. Players who carried the bunkers are looking at 190-210 yards to the center of the green. This hole provides a great chance to make a birdie early on to the player who plays within his limitations.

 From the tee, the options are clear to the player who is able to see them.

 This is the view from over the bunkers in the fairway, roughly 200 yards from the green. The water short of the green will make even the best player think about going for the green in two.

Hole #9: Par 3, 200 yards
This par 3 surrounded by bunkers provides the player the only view of the ocean on the golf course. Almost a shame, really, that this course wasn't able to be played down in the dunes. The hole itself is a quality end to the front nine, mandating the player hit a quality shot with a helping wind.

 There will certainly be no roll-up shots played here.

 Looking right from the green, the Atlantic Ocean is visible beyond the club.

Hole #10: par 4, 380 yards
This mid-short par 4 starts off the back nine. The hole plays straight off the tee towards a water hazard that cuts the fairway short. The fairway also narrows significantly at around 260 yards from the tee, bottlenecking down then widening out prior to the hazard. The hole then plays significantly uphill to the green. The way the hole is laid out, flat from the tee, fairway the runs out, large, undulated and well defended green, reminds me of the second hole at Pine Valley in New Jersey. This hole is a great starter for the back nine.

 The pond up close in this image is only 75 yards from the tee. The bunkers in the distance are protecting the green. The best play is towards the pair of bunkers in the center of the image.

 From roughly 135 yards from the green, the pond fronting the green is visible, as is the pinch in the fairway. The player must add roughly one club given the uphill nature of the hole.

Hole #11: Par 4, 430 yards
A very solid dogleg right that plays with water down the entire right side. The fairway bunker can be reached from the tee and is there to keep the player from bailing out far left. To the green, the player must be mindful that the green is virtually on a peninsula and that any shot not struck well will likely find the water.

 From the tee, the best line is slightly right of the bunker, but the player has to guard against fading the ball too much off that line, otherwise he will find himself in the water.

 From 200 yards out, the green provides a very small target and the water is especially in play.

 This view, from around 140 yards, shows how exposed the green is.

Hole #12: Par 3, 245 yards
Long par 3, all carry over the water. This hole is very solid and incredibly difficult. A score of 3 here will draw no complaints from any golfer.

Hole #13: Par 5, 590 yards
This is a very difficult par 5 with water coming into play on the tee shot and second shot. From the tee, the player needs to be mindful that any shot to the right will find the water and that the fairway narrows down significantly for players who are capable of hitting tee shots over 300 yards. On the second shot, the hole is basically a Cape hole, giving the player the chance to play as far out to the right as he desires in effort to cut down the length of approach shot to the green.

 The fairway is visible from the tee. Any shot right of the cluster of trees on the right will certainly find the water.

 From the fairway, the player can go as far right as he desires. From here, a shot played directly over the hazard stake will need to carry 180 yards to find the fairway on the other side. Ultra aggressive players who choose to go over directly towards the left greenside bunker will need to carry the ball around 230 yards to find the fairway.

Hole #16: Par 4, 365 yards
The shortest par 4 on the course is also one of the better ones. A fairway bunker 235 yards off the tee pinches down the fairway to only 15 yards wide. Beyond the bunker, the fairway dips down into a fairly deep depression before rising back up to the green. The green is heavily bunkered, being surrounded by 7 bunkers and the greensite strongly resembles the 7th at Augusta National, a course that Mr. Jones renovated just three years prior to the opening of The Dunes. This hole provides a great opportunity for birdie late in the round for the player who knows his limitations.

 From the tee, the bunker is visible in the distance on the right side of the fairway. The safe play is to lay back short of it, possibly 225 yards off the tee.

 From just beyond the bunker, you can see how the hole dips down prior to rising back up to the fantastic green complex. There will certainly be no rolling the ball up onto this green.

Hole #18: Par 4, 430 yards
This is a great closing hole. It is one of the few real dogleg holes on the course and one that will be played into the summer prevailing wind. The player should try to get his tee shot into the left side of the fairway so that he can have a shorter approach shot. From the fairway, the player will need to play a shot to a green surrounded by bunkers with a fronting water hazard. The player must retain his concentration until the final shot here.

 The spot where the trees begin to get shorter in the distance, just left of the center of the image, is the perfect aiming spot from the tee with the right to left summer wind.

The scenic green can be clearly seen here, around 125 yards from the green. This is no easy approach shot with a middle or long iron in your hands. 

Overall, this is a very good course. It has quality in the routing and design features that are sadly lacking from many of Mr. Jones's later courses. It would likely not take much work for this course to find the American Top 100 yet again. 6 out of 10, and a strong 6 at that.