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<p><em>Story by Ian Guerin</em></p>
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<p>Golf in real-time doesn’t always mimic the score card.</p>
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<p>The handicap system doesn’t always take in for weather variances, nor does it look at how much rhythm or feel a player has when reaching a specific hole. But what we’ve found is that the tenets of golf design are fairly universal.</p>
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<p>Architects needed to make splashes early in rounds to grab players’ attention, sure. But more importantly, going out with a bang does more for the perception of a course and what players are saying about it, both while walking off the 18th green and hours and days after the fact.</p>
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<p>As such, the finishing stretches needed to shine.</p>
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<p>Here, we’ve highlighted five courses that do just that &#8211; all while not taking it easy on those trying to wrap up their respective rounds. None of these are easy, regardless of what the scorecard may or may not suggest.</p>
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<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="500" src="https://admin.mbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PW18.png" alt="" class="wp-image-14862" style="width:300px" srcset="https://admin.mbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PW18.png 600w, https://admin.mbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PW18-300x250.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure></div>

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<p><strong><a href="https://www.mbn.com/course/prestwick-country-club">PRESTWICK COUNTRY CLUB</a></strong></p>
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<p>The “Picasso of Golf Course Design” &#8211; as the New York Times once referred to Pete Dye &#8211; flexed his creative muscles at Prestwick, and maybe most in the home stretch here. The 16h is a would-be straight-away Par 3, only it’s banked on the left side by a stream that swallows up even the slightest mishit. No. 17 includes another stream that cuts up the left side of the fairway and against making any type of hook a nightmare. And No. 18 brings in a depth-perception problem in that the entire right side opens into the biggest pond on the property. <em>(Prestwick 18th pictured right)</em></p>
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<p><strong><a href="https://www.mbn.com/course/glen-dornoch-golf-club">GLEN DORNOCH WATERWAY GOLF LINKS</a></strong></p>
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<p>As players making their way through the first 15 holes, Nos. 16, 17 and 18 will be waiting, a sort of course within the course. The first part of the final leg is a difficult Par 4 where players need to probably shelf the driver to lay up for positioning. The second is a 164-yard Par 3 with a forced carry from above the green. The final hole is a potentially nasty Par 4 with a pair of forced carries that plays alongside the Intracoastal.</p>
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<p><strong><a href="https://www.mbn.com/course/heritage-golf-club">HERITAGE CLUB</a></strong></p>
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<p>This Dan Maples design pops early, but it brings the thunder late. The only built-in advantage is that No. 15 is the second of a four-hold stretch of Par 4s that at least help you keep the rhythm off the tee box. Still, the final three are a smorgasbord of individual layouts that confound players. No. 16 has a pond smack dab in front of the green. No. 17 is a skinny, tree-lined hole with a dogleg left. And No. 18 is the course’s third and final Par 5. It bends back to the left while a ton of water is in play on virtually every shot.</p>
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<figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="500" src="https://admin.mbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PP17.png" alt="" class="wp-image-14861" style="width:300px" srcset="https://admin.mbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PP17.png 600w, https://admin.mbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/PP17-300x250.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></figure></div>

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<p><strong><a href="https://www.mbn.com/course/pawleys-plantation">PAWLEYS PLANTATION GOLF &amp; COUNTRY CLUB</a></strong></p>
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<p>Remember all that stuff we said about handicaps? Yeah, forget all that for a moment. Because the second-hardest hole at Pawleys Plantation is a beast of a Par 4 that features a massive dogleg left, a marsh, a massive waste bunker and a green that is anything but forgiving. Make it through that, and it’s on to one of the course’s two super-short Par 3s and then a finisher that employs a bailout bunker because it can get a bit hairy. <em>(Pawleys 17th pictured right)</em></p>
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<p><strong><a href="https://www.mbn.com/course/tournament-player-club">TPC MYRTLE BEACH</a></strong></p>
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<p>Go ahead and take advantage of the wide landing zone off the tee at No. 16. Because it’s the last freebie you’re going to get. The final stretch at TPC cranks up the intensity from there by asking players to get into the green on the second shot &#8211; something that is no easy task. Don’t reach it, and all of a sudden bogeys and doubles start to feel like a win. No. 17 is a no-slouch Par 3 highlighted by a peninsula green, while No. 18 is a long Par 5 that tempts players to muscle up on their last non-putt of the day. Therein lies the problem for many. It’s much further than you’d expect, and even more trouble awaits. <em>(TPC Myrtle Beach 17th Hole top photo)</em></p>
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<p><em>Photos for this feature from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/myrtlebeachgolftrips/">MyrtleBeachGolfTrips</a> Instagram Account</em></p>
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Myrtle Beach’s Courses with the Hardest Finishing Stretches

Courses in this Article

Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links

Prestwick Country Club

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club

TPC of Myrtle Beach

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