<img decoding="async" alt="True Blue Golf Club 16th Hole" src="/media/images/True_Blue_16th_Wildest_600x300.png" style="width: 600px;height: 300px" />
Story by Chris King
Part of the allure of a golf trip is the opportunity to play the type of course you wouldn’t otherwise get to experience.
While many Myrtle Beach golf courses use the area’s coastal beauty and lowcountry landscape to deliver an experience players won’t forget, there are a handful of properties that set out to blaze their own architectural trail and succeeded.
Here are the Grand Strand’s four, let’s say, most independent designs. These are courses that offer an experience that differentiates them from their peers and we mean that in all the best ways.
&#8212; Located in Pawleys Island, <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/founders-club">Founders Club</a> is surrounded by acclaimed courses like <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/pawleys-plantation">Pawleys Plantation</a>, <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/caledonia-golf-and-fish-club">Caledonia</a> and Heritage Club. Instead of replicating what many had come to expect in Pawleys, architect Thomas Walker turned the model on its head. Founders Club, which is almost devoid of cart paths, is defined by elevated fairways that are framed by waste bunkers, design features that make it one of the best draining courses in the Myrtle Beach area (no cart path only!! Woo-hoo). Founders Club presents a unique challenge that will test every part of your game and you won’t forget the experience.(right photo, par three 16th)
&#8212; Water is a common feature on golf courses, but architect Dan Maples took it to the next level at <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/man-o-war">Man O’War Golf Club</a>. Built around a 107-acre lake, water comes into play on all 18 holes. Man O’War is believed to be the only course in the world with back-to-back island greens and it’s home to an island hole (you read the correctly). Daunting as that sounds, Man O’War manages to be home to that much water without being overwhelmingly difficult &#8211; honest.<img decoding="async" alt="Founders Club 16th Hole" src="/media/images/FC11.png" style="width: 200px;height: 200px;float: right" />
&#8212; <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/true-blue">True Blue Golf Club</a>, like Founders Club, is located in Pawleys Island and features a lot of sand, but that’s where the comparisons end. True Blue is a Mike Strantz design, and the Maverick, as he was sometimes called, brought the creativity and audaciousness people have come to associate with his work. What makes True Blue unique is the magnitude of the layout;  everything is big &#8211; fairways, greens, waste bunkers and certainly the fun. For some, True Blue lives in the shadow of its high-profile sister course &#8211; Caledonia &#8211; but it’s an unforgettable design all on its own. (top photo, par three 16th)
&#8212; While the first three courses on the list are the product of an individual architect’s creativity, the work of many is what makes <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/world-tour-golf-links">World Tour Golf Links</a> unique. Inspired by great courses from across the globe, World Tour replicates 18 of the game’s most famous holes, taking golfers to Augusta National, St. Andrews and beyond. The course may not be wild in the traditional sense but it’s certainly unique within the Myrtle Beach market and one your group would be delighted to play.
If you are looking for a different type of golf course on your next trip, <a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/founders-club">Founders Club</a>, <a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/man-o-war">Man O’War</a>, <a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/true-blue">True Blue</a> and <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/world-tour-golf-links">World Tou</a>r should be atop your list.

Myrtle Beach’s 4 Wildest Golf Course Designs

Courses in this Article

Founders Club

Man O' War Golf Club

True Blue Golf Club

World Tour Golf Links

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