Three Golf Courses Guaranteed to Provide a (Pleasant) Surprise on Your Next Myrtle Beach Golf Trip

As we age, surprises, more often than not, bring bad news, but that’s not always the case, especially when taking a Myrtle Beach golf trip.

A destination with 90 golf courses that are always evolving absolutely has the capacity to provide the most pleasant of surprises. If you are looking for a layout that will exceed expectations on your next Myrtle Beach golf trip, here are three tee times you will want to book.

— Founders Club is the area’s southernmost course, making it an unknown to many Myrtle Beach golfers. With its elevated fairways framed by waste bunkers, Founders doesn’t feature the coastal, lowcountry landscape that defines Pawleys Plantation, Caledonia and its other neighbors. Instead, the Thomas Walker design, which is nearly devoid of cart paths, is different, interesting and oh-so-fun to play. If you haven’t teed it up at Founders, which is Myrtle Beach’s youngest course, having opened in 2008, give it a try because you will be delighted by what you find. (pictured right)

— Carolina National, located in Bolivia, N.C., is a long drive from Myrtle Beach – 51 miles from the middle of town, to be exact. Too often that distance prohibits groups from playing the course and the hesitation is understandable, but a real treat awaits at Carolina National. The 27-hole Fred Couples design includes the Egret, Heron and Ibis nines and plays along the Lockwood Folly River, making it one of the area’s prettiest courses. Golfers that complain about the drive on the way to the course, leave talking about how much they enjoyed the Carolina National experience. (top photo)

— Burning Ridge located not much more than a Dustin Johnson 7 iron from Myrtle Beach National, largely Burning Ridge Golf Club flies under the radar. The Gene Hamm design is regarded as a value layout and it certainly delivers on that front, but it’s much more than an economical round of golf. Burning Ridge is a good course that delivers a stern but fair challenge, particularly on the back nine. A round at Burning Ridge will provide a pleasant surprise for your group. (pictured right)