4. The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Myrtle Beach
Nestled a few hundred yards from the beach atop surprisingly rolling terrain in this mostly flat region of the state, the Dunes (No. 118 on Golfweek’s Best list of classic courses) is one of the granddaddies of the Grand Strand. Built by Robert Trent Jones in 1949, the course has hosted the PGA Professional National Championship, the PGA Tour Champions’ Tour Championship and multiple USGA championships including the U.S. Women’s Open.
Rees Jones, Robert’s son, completed a renovation in 2013 that changed the greens from bentgrass to Ultradwarf Champion Bermuda. Even late in the summer heat just days after Hurricane Dorian dumped significant rain on the coast, the putting surfaces were among the best a player could expect to find in the South. The starter warned that downhill putts easily could race past the hole, but he failed to mention how even uphill putts could get away from you. Summer greens in the South simply aren’t supposed to be this good: smooth, grain-free and speedy.
The front nine plays inland through fairly wide corridors, but don’t mistake all that grass out there for fairway. The targets can be somewhat tight as bunkers pinch into the landing strips, and while the rough was not extreme on my trip, the potential for tall grass is there for championships.
The early holes on the back nine play along a salt marsh before reaching No. 13, a love-it-or-hate-it par 5 shaped like a boomerang around and across a lake. A long tee shot is nearly meaningless as the water slices into the fairway before the hole nearly doubles back on itself to the right – I hit a 4-hybrid tee shot, a 3-wood across the lake, then an 8-iron into the green. There is no safe way to avoid a forced carry here – the elder Jones called it one of his best examples of “heroic architecture.”
The Dunes is mostly a members club with a great vibe focused on the golf itself, but public access is granted to players staying at select hotels with which the course has arrangements. That limited-access policy is enough to grant it a spot on the Best Courses You Can Play list.
Rater’s comments: A wonderful, traditional Robert Trent Jones course. The green complexes (often elevated) and surrounding bunkers steal the show. The greens are subtle yet challenging. The chipping areas and bunkers frame each green well. The course is home to one of the most unique par 5s I’ve ever played … every player will remember No. 13 after they leave the property. – Eric King, Lexington, Ky.