Separating yourself from the pack is no easy task.
Getting a Par 4 – the most populous range in the game – to stand out is that much more of an ask. Yet, here are seven in the Carolina Forest section of Myrtle Beach right on out to Conway who add interest in droves.
We’ve got forced carries and super-short holes, focal-point bunkers and even one hole where a straight roll will do the trick. None of these are the same, and all of them impress in their own special way.
MYRTLE BEACH NATIONAL, SOUTHCREEK, NO. 5
Flash forward to the final 90 yards of this 341-yard Par 4 and you’ll find a dogleg, a bit of water, some natural grass cutting off the fairway from paradise. We can’t stress to you enough not to hit driver here – because once you’ve come face to face with the water, you’re going to need every bit of a great placement off the tee to attack with any sort of confidence.
MYRTLE BEACH NATIONAL, WEST COURSE, NO. 12
At a mere 338 yards, this hole is a true 85-degree dogleg waiting to break off your hopes and dreams. Because no matter how hard you try, tuning your eyes into the right spot past the bend is all sorts of depth perception hell. The bunker at the top of the key is backed up only by a spattering of trees, where golf balls come to a rest daily.
SHAFTESBURY GLEN GOLF & FISH CLUB, NO. 12
In many ways, the straight-line Par 4 is a lost art. Yet, the relatively new Shaftesbury Glen pulled it off brilliantly with its 12th hole. No joke, you could hit the ball 125 yards dead center three times and find yourself putting for par. Shaftesbury pulls it off by incorporating running waste bunkers on either side of the entire hole.
WILD WING AVOCET, NO. 14
The first of our two Short Par 4 kicks off with this downright variant of an approach to golf. With inconsequential water up the right of the tee boxes, most players can take a measured swing to the green. Big deal, right? Well, at all of 265 yards from the whites, all it takes is a direct hit and maybe a light breeze to find pay dirt.
MYRTLE BEACH NATIONAL, KING’S NORTH, NO. 14
There’s one spot and pretty much one spot only where you can land your tee shot and still have a legitimate chance of reaching the green in regulation. We’ll save you the hassle of looking up the yardage book; it’s directly on the other side of a massive waste bunker in a sliver of fairway between some water and a tree line. Give it your best. (King’s North 14th top photo)
LEGENDS RESORT & GOLF, MOORLAND, NO. 16
You’ve probably already heard of Moorland’s version of Hell’s Half Acre. Until you’ve seen it, you can’t possibly comprehend its short but ferocious teeth. At just 223 yards from the white tees, No. 16 presents with pot bunkers, a large waste bunker, a disappearing ball act known as super thick natural grasses and a green nestled not-so-flat on a small ridge.
BURNING RIDGE GOLF CLUB, NO. 16
Getting to one of the bigger greens on the property quickly is all about avoiding three bunkers – two up the right and one between the furthest edges of the fairway and the putting surface. The slightest of hiccups always awaits in the form of a quick twitch bending the green back to the right at the last minute. Pay heed to the pin placement. It will matter from the start.
