<img decoding="async" alt="Grande Dunes Resort Club 14th Hole" src="/media/images/Grande_Dunes_14th_aerial_600x300.png" style="width: 600px;height: 300px" />
Story by Ian Guerin
The dozens of architects who crafted Myrtle Beach golf prove how little of a template exists when it comes to crafting a beautiful Par 3.
They’re all the shortest holes on their respective courses, yes.
But that’s where the tree starts to branch out.
From different uses for water and bunkering and elevation, these Par 3s each prove their beauty in their own special way.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/blackmoor-golf-club">BLACKMOOR GOLF CLUB</a>, NO. 4 
We don’t frequently suggest common folk to play the back tees, but on the fourth hole at Blackmoor, it opens up the door to see this hole how Gary Player did when he and his team laid it out prior to opening. That elevated tee box gives you the full view of a hole in which the five different tees form a semicircle around a pond that is nearly twice as wide as the elevated green. Soak it in from up top, even if you don’t hit from there.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/caledonia-golf-and-fish-club">CALEDONIA GOLF &amp; FISH CLUB</a>, NO. 11 
Right in that sweet spot of 150 yards from the whites, Caledonia’s third Par 3 of the day (there are five on this Par 70 track) is relatively subtle looking from a design perspective but pops like crazy in real life. The slender blue stream sucking up anything short cuts from right to left across the hole into a pond. That blue sets up quite a differential from the rest of the tree-hugged and purely green set-up.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/grande-dunes">GRANDE DUNES RESORT CLUB</a>, NO. 14 
While the elevation change at Grande Dunes wasn’t intended to be played by everyone, there’s no way around it on this one. The tee boxes for the 158-yard Par 3 are all set atop one of the highest bluffs overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, with the green significantly lower. Add in the overflow pond from the inland portion of the course, a banked backstop and a bunker to the right of the hole, and the visual is right up there &#8211; much like your tee shot. (top photo)
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/myrtle-beach-national-kings-north">KINGS NORTH</a>, NO. 12<img decoding="async" alt="Tradition Golf Club 15th Hole" src="/media/images/tradition_15th.png" style="width: 250px;height: 250px;float: right" /> 
We get why so many folks fly Arnold Palmer’s “SC” hole. Those bunkers on the left side of the true island green in the shape of the state’s initials take your mind off the fact that this hole plays at 110 yards or less for the vast majority of players here. What they also do is add to the originality of the hole. Pure island greens are few and far between, and this is one of our favorites.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/tradition-golf-club">TRADITION GOLF CLUB</a>, NO. 15 
The peninsula green on Tradition’s 157-yard 15th is packed full of problems &#8211; and they all make the target that much more stunning. Two traps, a handful of trees and a 340-degree downward slope give the illusion of an elevated putting surface; in reality, there is a slight dip from the tee boxes to the green. Either way, the look from start to finish is a perfect moment to snap a few pictures of you and your group &#8211; or just the hole by itself. (pictured right)
Ian Guerin has been covering sports and golf in South Carolina since 2004. His game has ebbed and flowed like the Atlantic, but he&#8217;s never had to explain to his kids why his round won&#8217;t be televised. You can follow along with the day-to-day conversation on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/iguerin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@iguerin</a>

Five Stunning Par 3’s Along The Grand Strand

Courses in this Article

Blackmoor Golf Club

Caledonia Golf and Fish Club

Grande Dunes - Resort Golf Club

King's North at Myrtle Beach National

Tradition Golf Club

Additional Myrtle Beach Golf News