New Greens, Good Times Await Golfers at Moorland Course

At one point, Golf Digest ranked the Moorland Course at Legends Golf Resort as one of America’s 50 most difficult layouts, a diabolical P.B. Dye design that pushes your game to the limit.

Sometimes reputation and reality never intersect.

One of a trio of wildly popular courses at Legends, Moorland challenges players, but it’s not impossibly difficult. With fairways and greens that are among the Myrtle Beach area’s largest, Moorland is, dare I say, a fun layout to play.

With that mind, what do you need to know before teeing it up?

— Arrive early and spend some time on the practice putting green. The new Champion Bermuda grass greens at Moorland really are that big and they have ample undulation. Unless your iron game is dialed in, long putts will be the norm, but if you have a good day lag putting, a solid score should await.

— The front nine demands more length, playing 3,263 yards from the white tees, while the back side is shorter at 2,940 yards and places a premium on accuracy and decision-making.

— Speaking of decisions, Moorland is home to one of the best short par 4s in the South, the 223-yard 16th hole, better known as Hell’s Half Acre. The 16th is legitimately drivable for nearly everyone who plays the course, and who doesn’t dream of making an eagle putt? But (and there is always one) missing the green can turn dreams of birdie or better into a nightmare. An assortment of gnarly grass swales and daunting bunkers that surround the green complicate the best risk-reward decision in Myrtle Beach. What do you do? The choice is yours.

— The par-3 fifth and 13th holes offer the best opportunities for birdie. Both are short – No. 5 plays 150 yards (white) while No. 13 is just 130 yards, begging players to challenge the pin with a short iron.

— The best way to play Moorland is the Legends 5-fore-4 package, a five-night, five-round deal that includes breakfast, lunch and two beers (or soft drinks) each day. The package, one of the nation’s most popular, allows you to play all five Legends group courses – Moorland, Parkland, Heathland, Heritage Club and Oyster Bay. The quality and value of the package are hard to top.