Myrtle Beach Municipal Golf Courses

Load up on Power Bars, Red Bull or whatever it is you use to get ready before setting foot on this 7,047-yard course. Barefoot Resort has four dynamic courses, but this one, designed by Carolina native David Love III, demands bombs from every tee box. At first glance, monstrous landing areas and wide fairways allow golfers to let their guard down. It's those pesky approach shots, though, that make the Love course the No. 1 destination in Myrtle Beach, according to "Golf Digest." All but a handful of holes require players to make a critical decision from the tee or fairway. Take the 412-yard, par 4 16th, which has a massive bunker that almost splits the fairway in two. The safer play is to the left, but risk-takers will try to squeeze it down the right side, avoiding water to set up a birdie opportunity. More times than not, the risks are not rewarded.

Barefoot Resort
4980 Barefoot Resort Bridge Road
North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
(843) 390-3200
barefootgolf.com

Tom Fazio must have been engulfed in one of Henry David Thoreau's philosophical readings when he designed this Tournament Players Club. Fazio's usual dizzying elevation changes are mostly flat lined on this course, while the natural terrain is left in place. Towering pines are in abundance on this 6,950-yard course, which is one of the only courses in the state to earn a 5-star rating from "Golf Digest." Pines creep up to overshadow the tee box, closely line the fairways and hover over the multi-tiered greens. Wetlands also come into play here, occupying 10 of 18 holes. Accuracy is the key to posting a low score; be prepared to get peppered with sounds off balls bouncing off pines and into the marsh along the way.

TPC of Myrtle Beach
1199 TPC Blvd.
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
(843) 357-3399
tpc-mb.com

Caledonia has put a new spin on Plantation style golf. From the upscale landscaping to the Antebellum charm, everything on this course screams easy-living and Southern hospitality. That is, right up until your first drive veers off course. Approach shots--from the well-groomed fairways or the rough--travel over wetlands and marshes. It's one of the few courses on the Strand to produce PGA Tour-like approach shots, with deep bunkers to prove it. You'll certainly feel the pressure of the pros when you finish your round on the 383-yard, par 4 18th. Crowds of more than one hundred can often be found gathered on the clubhouse patio to watch players carry the water to the final green, which is flanked by four bunkers.

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
369 Caledonia Dr.
Pawleys Island, SC 29585
(834) 237-3675
fishclub.com