The Aquaman Trail: 40 Courses, 40 Water Holes to Remember (or Forget!) – Jim Reveals His Top 10
By Jim Maggio
I’ve been living and working in “The Golf Capital of the World” for most of the past two decades now, and have played or filmed at virtually every Play Golf Myrtle Beach member course along the way. Between the imagery I’ve gathered and the wayward shots I’ve attempted to hit, water has come into play much more often than not.
In that spirit I’ve compiled my own ranking of courses that comprise “The Aquaman Trail” – a personal top 40 list, if you will, of Myrtle Beach golf courses and their one water hole that stands out in my mind for reasons either scenic, or for where my golf ball has made one or more splash landings.
We wrap up our countdown this week with my choices of the Grand Strand’s top 10 water holes:
10. True Blue #3 – You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more intriguing hole so early in your round. If the water doesn’t get you, the wraparound beach that feeds into it just might.
9. Heritage Club #18 – It’s the round wrap-up that’s part of a full medley of holes meandering into and around a large water complex. Don’t miss right, or short!
8. Grande Dunes Resort Course #14 – Whether playing 220 yards from the tips or about 150 from the whites, this one will have you fully admiring. And praying.
7. King’s North at Myrtle Beach National #6 – “The Gambler” was a prominent part of King’s North front nine renovations, with this hole now boasting a cool waste bunker wrapping the front of the main fairway. The legendary island fairway remains.
6. TPC Myrtle Beach #17 – The Tom Fazio/Lanny Wadkins masterpiece brings a compelling “sink or swim” element to its penultimate hole. Where do you think they put the pin for final-round competition play?
5. Pawleys Plantation #13 – This par 3 bears the longstanding distinction of being “the shortest par 5 in Myrtle Beach golf.”
4. Tidewater #4 – I debated going with its par-3 12th hole here, but this one is just majestic. And I’d swear there’s a magnetic force pulling every shot I hit here left to the marsh.
3. Caledonia #18 – This one is #1 on a lot of lists, for a lot of good reasons. Someone’s gotta finish third here, though.
2. Rivers Edge #9 – “Arnie’s Revenge.” For what, exactly? Whatever we did to tick you off, Mr. Palmer, we apologize. Now do we get a free drop?
1. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club #13 – “Alligator Alley” wraps up here with its infamous par 5, “Waterloo.” Need I say more?
