Story &amp; Photos by Ian Guerin
Two days after heavy rains drenched the area, and just hours after South Carolina’s Grand Strand was universally enduring freezing temperatures, one of Myrtle Beach National’s clubhouse employees unknowingly dropped a gem.
“We’re under a bit of a frost delay,” he said. “Give us five-to-10 minutes.”
After some sporadic spraying earlier that morning, the <a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/myrtle-beach-national-west-course">West Course at Myrtle Beach National</a> was ready to go even though the thermostat still read 37 degrees.
That sort of dependability has lasted for more than four decades of operation. While West Course &#8211; one of Myrtle Beach National’s three home courses &#8211; may not have the overall luster of King’s North, it has served as a home track for many others for years.
The reasoning is clear-cut.
The West Course has playability every bit as reliable as any in its price range. It won’t dupe first-timers with tricks only the regulars have learned through trial and error. And it allows for some experimentation in a relatively wide-open environment.
Measuring 6,966 yards from the blues, 6,114 from the whites and 5,127 from the ladies, the length here isn’t going to scare off even the shortest of hitters. Add in some convenient attention to detail off away from the fairways, and new visitors will find another forgiving aspect of the course.
Underneath the rows of towering trees that once dominated the Carolina Forest section of Horry County lies little more than pine needles. The remaining trees are reasonably spaced, leaving those whose tee shot was off the mark to continue to advance forward.
That strategy goes for the major doglegs &#8211; Nos. 1, 12, 14 and 17.
Three of the par 3s have water in play, but again, it’s little more than added scenery. 
All those combinations propel players through the round and leave them raving about the conditions &#8211; at least those related to the golf course.
FICKLE FINAL YARDS MAKE NO. 5 FORMIDABLE
<img decoding="async" alt="" src="/media/images/WEST_No._5.JPG" style="width: 350px;height: 263px;margin: 6px;float: right" />It isn’t that the 421-yard No. 5 is one of the longest par 4s the West Course has to offer. Or that a relatively narrow tree line on both sides of the fairway can force you to take some distance off your drive out of fear of going into the pine needles. While all of that matters, the approach into the green makes the rest of it seem almost inconsequential.
Long hitters off the tee going for the green in two &#8211; something that would otherwise be opened to a wider variety of player &#8211; are blocked by a bunker that covers the area spanning the right two-thirds directly in front of the green. Go to the left, and a long, narrow bunker awaits you.
Hit long, and you’ve likely made a donation to a scuba diving ball retriever.
It’s the primary reason this hole is the No. 1 handicap for most players.

Myrtle Beach Golf Course Spotlight: West Course at Myrtle Beach National

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West Course at Myrtle Beach National

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