Story &amp; Photos by Ian Guerin
A few years back, several national publications took turns calling Tradition Golf Club a “hidden gem.”
Well, they were half right.
Nestled on the south end of South Carolina’s Grand Strand, Tradition has succeeded in both competing with and joining its neighbors to complete the famed Waccamaw Golf Trail. But unlike even some of those, this is a course that is only a decade and a half removed from being named the South Carolina Golf Course of the Year.
This Ron Garl design has continued to earn its high-traffic volume season after season, and it isn’t relying on past honors.
Wide landing zones off the tees, fairways where it is a struggle to find a bad lie and greens that  allow players to stay out of their own heads have remained consistent. This is Lowcountry golf done right.
Shaved out of a former rice plantation five centuries in the making, Tradition measures a not-too-much, not-too-little 6,300 yards from the whites. And even from the 6,875-yard championships, those surfaces keep the tough-yet-fair vibes going all round long.
They also allow players to focus on the dynamics.
That includes significant waste bunkers on Nos. 3, 5, 10 and 18; island greens on Nos. 7 and 15, with an additional water carry on 14; and natural grass marshlands on Nos. 9 and 12. From there, massive pines hug the fairways on many of the par 4s and 5s, keeping many errant shots from becoming lost causes.
That’s about as close as it gets for the term “hidden” making sense here.
<img decoding="async" alt="" src="/media/images/TRCL_No._9.jpg" style="float:right;height:263px;margin:6px;width:350px" />TREAD LIGHTLY BEFORE THE TURN
Sandwiched by the top handicap (No. 8) and the longest hole of the day (No. 10), the final hole of the front nine presents its own set of challenges.
No. 9, a 453-yard par 5, has abused many players simply relieved to be through the eighth. But before you get to the clubhouse for that mid-round drink or snack, this distinctive hole stands in the way.
Unlike any other at Tradition, No. 9 utilizes an expansive native grass area that is impossible for the non-Happy Gilmore types to clear from the tee box. That means a lay up on either the first or even the second shot.
Concentrate too much on that marshland, though, and a pair of bunkers or a large elm on the left can be just as tricky.
Altogether &#8211; great results of bad &#8211; and there’s a good chance you’ve earned that halftime beer.

Myrtle Beach Golf Course Spotlight: Tradition Club

Courses in this Article

Tradition Golf Club

Additional Myrtle Beach Golf News