By Ian Guerin
One part precision. One part feel.
No parts driver.
For as much as pulling out the big dog and letting it rip is fun and all, there is nothing like placing a par 3 tee shot on the green. South Carolina’s Grand Strand has some extremely memorable &#8211; and often difficult &#8211; short holes that warrant plenty of attention.
<a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/grand-dunes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grande Dunes Resort Club</a>, No. 14
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The number of par 3s lining the Intracoastal Waterway can be counted on one hand.
It would be hard to suggest any of the others have the pop of Grande Dunes’ No. 14. When the hole was designed, it included a small inlet off the waterway that separates the bluff-top tee boxes and green with a deep valley.
Among the 220-yard hole’s other points of contention are large amount of marsh grasses and a front right bunker, not to mention a sloping green. It’s not uncommon for a shot that initially lands near the pin to roll into waterway.
<a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/true-blue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">True Blue Plantation</a>, No. 11
We’ve all seen island greens, and as aesthetically pleasing as they are to the eyes, green pops nearly as much off of light brown as it does blue.
One of True Blue’s three back-nine par 3s is an oasis in the middle of a waste bunker surrounding the target nearly 360 degrees. The lone portion not covered in sand &#8211; the area directly behind the green &#8211; is an ultra-thick grassland that remains unplayable most of the year.
The hole itself is not particularly long, measuring anywhere from 119 to 184 yards. But all that sand is enough to blot out even a larger-than-normal green.
<a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/pawleys-plantation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pawleys Plantation Golf &amp; Country Club</a>, No. 17
While No. 13 gets plenty of love, the par 3 a few holes later is just as influential to the back nine.
Playing as far as 201 yards, the tee boxes line up perpendicular to a short landing area for those who shoot right of the green. That’s the only true safe spot, though. In front of the green lies the marshland. Go left, and a bunker seems like a sanctuary. Going long is also no good, as a thick tree line can be reached.
And even though those trees cut down on some of the wind issues that plague golfers on 13, the breeze can still cause problems.
<a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/tidewater-golf-club-plantation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tidewater Golf Club</a>, No. 3
It takes all of three holes at Tidewater to remind you exactly where your love of the game has taken you.
One of the most renowned par 3s locally, Tidewater’s third hole is a perfect combination of natural and artificial design. Up the left side is the marsh associated with the Cherry Grove inlet and a clear view of the oceanfront hotels.
Once you’ve re-focused on the hole itself, it’s time to find a way past three huge bunkers directly in front of the green. If that’s not enough, the landing area is a three-tiered adventure waiting to happen.
<a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/tournament-player-club" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TPC Myrtle Beach</a>, No. 17
Consider the elevated tee box here your ultimate eye opener.
Without it, players approaching TPC’s next-to-last hole would have no clue what they’re up against.
On the 193-yarder, the initial vantage point allows a sightline of the water that starts in front of the green, wraps up the right side and then around to the back. It also gives players a shot of the left-side bunker.
Most importantly, the two-tiered green is, well, intimidatingly clear. Reaching the green in one is no guarantee of a birdie or even a par.
Ian Guerin is a DJ and freelance writer living in Myrtle Beach, S.C. His golf game ebbs and flows like the Atlantic, and he once did the worm after breaking 90 at a top-100 course. You can follow him on Twitter @iguerin.

Five of Myrtle Beach Golf’s Best Par 3 Holes

Courses in this Article

True Blue Golf Club

Tidewater Golf Club

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club

TPC of Myrtle Beach

Grande Dunes - Resort Golf Club

Additional Myrtle Beach Golf News