Over the years, we have been as guilty as anyone of lumping Prestwick Country Club into the category of Myrtle Beach’s most underrated golf courses, but that needs to end.
Prestwick is a really good course. Period. In a survey of area PGA professionals, it was ranked Myrtle Beach’s fifth best layout and readers recently voted it as their favorite course in a Sun News poll.
Where you rank Prestwick among the area’s best is a subjective matter, but the layout is objectively a good one. Now that the course can be booked as part of the Founders Group All-Inclusive offer, Myrtle Beach’s most popular package, even more golfers will enjoy the P.B. Dye design’s challenge and beauty.
As you plan for your next Myrtle Beach golf trip, here are five things you need to know about Prestwick:
Don’t say you weren’t warned
You will need power, precision and a lot of nerve to best your handicap at Prestwick. Combine Dye’s design work with the wind coming off the nearby Atlantic Ocean and it’s not difficult to understand why this is one of the area’s most demanding tracks. That being said, Prestwick is imminently fair every step of the way.
If you can only do one thing well …
The old adage says you drive for show and putt for dough, but at Prestwick, you won’t have a big money putt if you struggle off the tee. Playing 6,347 yards from the white tees (6,744 from the blues), there is ample length and a premium on finding the fairway.
Unforgettable Finish
Prestwick’s back nine is among the area’s most memorable, highlighted by holes 16, 17 and 18. The par 3 16th demands a nervy tee shot with water looming on the left, while the 17th, a par 5, is the course’s most demanding test. Danger lurks on every swing of this 499-yard three-shotter. The 18th, a 396-yard par 4, plays back toward the clubhouse and is the layout’s most photographed hole.
You will love the par 3s
The ninth and 18th holes, which play parallel to each other separated by water, attract much of the attention, but Prestwick has an unforgettable collection of par 3s. The 164-yard (all distances from white tees) fifth hole features a stream running from tee to green and is a sweat-inducing shot, while No. 13 is just 135 yards but it’s all carry. The aforementioned 16th is equally fun. Only the 193-yard eighth lacks the element of risk off the tee.
Embrace the grind
Don’t be scared by the talk of the challenge at Prestwick. It’s a tough track but so are a lot of other courses. The truth is it’s a treat play but you have to embrace the grind. Don’t get frustrated if you have a bad hole; relish the test at this P.B. Dye design and the thing you will most be looking forward to is your next round here.
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