The short game makes Long Bay Club one of Myrtle Beach's most difficult golf courses
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| The island green at the Long Bay Club is a tricky, little par-3. (Tim McDonald/GolfPublisher.com) |
LONGS, S.C. - The Long Bay Club is nearly always mentioned when the conversation rolls around to the hardest golf courses in Myrtle Beach and along the Grand Strand.
Because of its name, you might think the difficulty lies in its length. You'd be wrong. True, some of the holes have decent length, but it isn't sheer distance that makes this quality track one of the more muscular in the area.
It's the green complexes architect Jack Nicklaus drew up. Nicklaus has always been known for his cozy relationship with his bulldozer, and they definitely had a hot affair here, out in the hinterlands north of Myrtle Beach, west of Little River and more than a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
( This interior section of the Lowcountry is as flat as it gets, but Nicklaus pushed up so many little hills and mounds, it looks like the earth sprouted pimples. He must have been using his little dozer that day.
The landing areas off the tee can be tricky, but the course gets very busy and nasty as you near the greens, with water, pot bunkers, vast waste areas and those little knobs and hillocks guarding the green zones - nothing like a nice downhill, side-hill lie, huh?
It's a course where your approach shots must come in long, high, soft and accurate. Even then, it's not a money-back guarantee.
"With some of the more difficult pin placements, you can get double - or even triple - bogey and not feel like you hit that bad a shot," said Head Professional Jim Fellner.
That's because many of the greens fall off drastically on varying sides to deep, grassy swales and more of those pot bunkers. Long or short or left or right - these greens are so well-guarded, they should be part of the Federal Witness Protection Program.
But, wait! Let's say you do make it safely on. You still have your chores. Some of the greens have deep valleys cutting through them. Others are merely sloped and rolling.
The Verdict: Long Bay Club
Of course, the green complexes aren't the whole story. Long Bay has an excellent, imaginative layout, with double fairways, some good water carries, an island green and some visual deception off the tee.
Nicklaus made great use of the natural sand, shaping waste areas as both hazard and cart path; one fairway, the 10th, is a peninsula surrounded by sand, which runs up in front of the green.
That part of the course is a little reminiscent of Scotland, Nicklaus' holy land, with its tree-less look and fairway perimeter mounding. Most of the other fairways are tree-lined, though most every hole has waste areas to one degree or another.
Green fees range from $51 to $117. This is one course where you'll feel like you've earned your scorecard.
Myrtle Beach resorts
The Island Vista is where you want to be if you love the sound of waves crashing on the beach, right outside your room. The property has been in Myrtle Beach since the 1980s under various names, its newest incarnation opening last year.
It's right smack dab on the beach, in a quiet, affluent neighborhood - no loud honking on Highway 17 to interrupt your beauty sleep.
"We're very fortunate to have such a location," said Island Vista Controller Julia Singleton. "It's a residential neighborhood, and even in the summer, the beach is never really crowded."
All of the more than 500 units are individually owned and most are available for rental. The Island Vista has one, two, three and four bedroom suites, perfect for families or golf groups.
All of the units have their own private balconies and all have ocean views. There is daily maid service, something that can't always be counted on with condos of this sort. The larger units have granite countertops, full kitchens and Jacuzzis. Each bedroom has private bathrooms and a TV. The units also have high-speed Internet access.
The property caters to golfers with an on-site golf director and has a meeting room that can hold up to 160 people, decorated with antique flourishes.
There is an excellent restaurant, the Cypress Room, which serves breakfast and dinner. Lunch options are available on the patio and pool bar during summer months.
The Island Vista has a large, indoor/outdoor pool, including a "lazy river," and over 500 feet of beach. There are children's activities and a small fitness room.
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January 11, 2008
Veteran golf writer Tim McDonald keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.
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The short game makes Long Bay Club one of Myrtle Beach's most difficult golf courses
It's the green complexes architect Jack Nicklaus drew up that makes the Long Bay Club so difficult. Nicklaus has always been known for his cozy relationship wit [...]
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