Golfing in Myrtle Beach

There are vacations golfers can take that are also great for families. Go to Florida, California or Arizona if you want a place for your family to have fun while you golf. However, if you are going to play golf with your friends or your wife and the kids are staying at home, Myrtle Beach may be the ideal destination. The South Carolina golf haven (some courses are over the border in North Carolina) is loaded with 117 courses, many of which are among the best in the country.

This course is spectacular from a visual perspective, incorporating the ruins of a Southern Plantation among 18 gorgeous holes. Designed by Davis Love III, this course can be somewhat forgiving because there are many inviting landing areas for tee shots. However, you need to realize you are playing a 7,000-yard course that requires consistently solid shots.

Most of the best golfing experiences happen on older courses that have been around for decades. However, every once in a while a new course will open to unanimous raves. That describes the Leopards Chase course on the Plantation that opened in 2007. If you are looking for more mature courses, try the other big cats-- Lion's Paw, Tiger's Eye or Panther's Run--for significant challenges.

This is a spectacular coastal golf course that features the great oaks, magnolias and pines of the South. Unlike many coastal course, Glen Dornoch has significant elevation changes that slope 35 feet to South Carolina's Intracoastal Waterway. The course requires long and tight driving because of its numerous hazards. The 5th hole, a 590-yard par-5, is the course's longest and one of its most difficult holes. In addition to requiring a long drive, golfers will need to avoid the wetlands on the second shot and the water hazard that guards the green.

Modeled after the great British courses, Heathland creates spectacular imagery for any golfer lucky enough to have an opportunity to play. In addition to modeling holes from classic courses such as St. Andrews, Heathland also borrows from Cruden Bay and Lahinch. South Carolina golf courses are noted for tall plants and vegetation, but this unique course goes against that grain.

This is a spectacular Dye-designed golf course that offers six sets of tees so that golfers of all levels can play and enjoy this beautiful layout. Lakes, streams, wildflowers and berms highlight this courses beauty. Be prepared to hit a very accurate driver if you choose to play from the championship distance of 7,058 yards.

• http://www.golfdigest.com/rankings/courses/greatest/2007/top50myrtlebeach1105 — Golf Digest's top 50 Myrtle Beach courses