<img decoding="async" alt="Long Bay Club 11th Hole" src="/media/images/LBC.png" style="width: 600px;height: 300px" />
Story by Ian Guerin
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. | If you come to the Golf Capital of the World, you’re going to get your fill of water. The nearby Atlantic Ocean is hard to miss, of course. So, too, are many of the 90 or so courses in and around Myrtle Beach who based their designs around rivers, streams and ponds &#8211; both man-made and natural. Some players don’t want to mess with all that. With that many courses, though, it’s not impossible to find a few that keep the waterphobic golfer in you from twitching out at the thought of losing ball after ball in the drink or having to navigate long, forced carries.
LITCHFIELD COUNTRY CLUB
Fifty years of golf at <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/litchfield-country-club">Litchfield</a> with only minimal change has taught us that something must have been done right. We know that the Willard Byrd track has been highly popular, and we can attribute much of that to the ease of play and free-flowing design. That goes for the water, too, which is little more than an accent for the majority of the 18 holes here. The one exception for those with anything resembling even a deft touch is the finisher, where the final yards require a carry over a banked segment of a pond.
LONG BAY GOLF CLUB
At Jack Nicklaus’ <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/long-bay-golf-club">Long Bay</a>, you won’t see water until the fourth hole. And until the par-5 No. 7, when a bend around a small pond comes into play, most players won’t even notice the small amount that they’ve come across. There will be an island green on No. 13, a small stream cutting across the fairway on No. 15 and a large dogleg on the finisher. However, Nicklaus had something else in mind here, and that was massive waste bunkers. Those are prevalent on seven holes, and they dwarf the wet stuff.
PAWLEYS PLANTATION GOLF &amp; COUNTRY CLUB<img decoding="async" alt="Litchfield Country Club" src="/media/images/LCR.png" style="width: 275px;height: 225px;float: right" />
Nicklaus himself admitted that <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/pawleys-plantation">Pawleys Plantation</a> is a bit too difficult for today’s golfing public. Water isn’t why. Instead, his design here uses ponds as a distraction, not anything that will really affect too many players who are regularly breaking 100. Some would counter with the argument of Nos. 13 and 17. However, whether those two marsh-laden holes are filled to the brim or dry as a bone (depending on rain fall and water tables), it’s not the water from the <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/pawleys-plantation">Pawleys </a>Inlet that plays any real role since all of it is out of bounds regardless.
SHAFTESBURY GLEN GOLF &amp; FISH CLUB
There are courses where divers make a killing; not at <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/shaftesbury-glen">Shaftesbury.</a> In fact, the Clyde Johnston layout here has really only one hole where water is in consideration. The par-3 No. 8 plays over a small segment of the largest pond on the property for everyone but the most forward tees. And even on that hole, the green is so massive (it is 40 yards deep) it serves as a catch-all for players who choose to put a little extra pop into their swing to avoid the water. After that, it’s all green stuff the rest of the way, minus one hiccup on No. 16 that many will think of as a blip.
TRADITION GOLF CLUB
The peninsula green on the spectacular par-4 No. 7 at <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/tradition-golf-club">Tradition Club</a> is a site to behold. Players are asked to drive into an ultra-forgiving fairway and use a second shot to fly the C-shaped water hazard. It’s among the most-difficult holes on the course. And it’s one of just three where you even need to be cognizant of water. The rest is placed discretely out of play or so far forward in the hole that only mega-duffers need worry. In place of water, much like Nicklaus did at <a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/long-bay-golf-club">Long Bay,</a> designer Ron Garl utilized waste bunkers to garner your attention.
 
Ian Guerin is a DJ and freelance writer based in Myrtle Beach. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/iguerin?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@iguerin </a>and Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/IanGuerinWriter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">facebook.com/IanGuerinWriter/</a>

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Courses in this Article

Tradition Golf Club

Shaftesbury Glen Golf and Fish Club

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club

Long Bay Golf Club

Litchfield Country Club

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