5 Things You Need To Know About Grande Dunes

Grande Dunes is the longest Myrtle Beach golf course, playing 7,618 yards from the tips, and it offers stunning views of the Intracoastal Waterway, but that information is easy to come by. Here are five things you need to know before playing the Grand Strand’s only Roger Rulewich design.

1. Don’t be Intimidated by the Distance – Yes, the course is 7,600+ yards from the tips but few people play from the back there. Grande Dunes has two set of tees between 6,000 and 7,000 yards, so if you exercise good judgment, the course will not play too long.

2. Bust Out the Driver and Swing Hard – The fairways at Grande Dunes are generous and trees are minimal. If you love to hit driver, you will love Grande Dunes.

3. Be Ready For Long Putts  – Everything about Grande Dunes is big and in keeping with that theme, the course’s greens are among the area’s largest, checking in at an average of 9,500 square feet. To put that in perspective, that isn’t much smaller than the clubhouse.  The smallest green – No. 13 – is 35 yards deep.

4. Trust the GPS – Every morning the Grande Dunes staff gets the pin sheet from the course superintendent and punches the flag location into the GPS.  The GPS is accurate to within two yards of every hole. Because of the size of some of the greens, your eyes can play tricks on you, making the flag appear closer than it is. Don’t believe your lying eyes.

“You have to trust the yardage on your approach,” Mike Buccerone, the course’s senior director, said. “If (the GPS) says 150 yards, it is. If the pin is back right and you see a little ridge, get it over the ridge.”

5. Eat! – Grabbing a hot dog or a deli sandwich at the turn is as common as a mulligan off the first tee for many players, but the recommendation here is to enjoy a meal in the clubhouse. The Grande Dunes Resort Course has an on-site culinary staff, serving Kobe burgers, blackened tilapia and crab cakes , among many other offerings.  This isn’t a “regular” clubhouse meal. If you want post-round lunch, eat at the course. You won’t be disappointed.