Four Epic Myrtle Beach Golf Rivalries That You Need on Your Bucket List
Golf course rivalries aren’t exactly the Yankees vs. Red Sox. There is no real animosity, and if there are courses golfers frequently discuss, it’s typically because they like both.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t debates, even if they are friendly ones. Here are Myrtle Beach’s top four golf rivalries.
Caledonia vs. True Blue
The debate between Caledonia and True Blue is a family affair, as the sister courses are located yards from each other. Both are Mike Strantz designs, but the similarities end there. Caledonia is a lowcountry classic, routed through just 120 acres of land. Strantz’s first solo design is defined by the property’s majestic live oak trees and the late architect’s artistry.
True Blue is a more conventional Strantz layout. It’s a boundary-pushing design that helped earn its architect his nickname – The Maverick. True Blue’s fairways are among the area’s biggest, inviting long hitters to swing away, but it’s hard to make par from the sprawling waste bunkers that frame many holes. This one is a tossup, decided by personal preference as opposed to any difference in quality.
Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club vs. Tidewater Golf Club
These are the two layouts that battle for the crown of Myrtle Beach’s prettiest course. Tidewater features eight holes that play along Cherry Grove or the Intracoastal Waterway, highlighted by holes 3 and 12, bookend par 3s along the Cherry Grove.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed Pawleys Plantation is equally unforgettable. The course enjoys a much more natural routing and six back nine holes reside along a stunning tidal marsh, including the par 3 13th, which plays to a peninsula green surrounded on three sides by the marsh. It’s one of the most recognizable holes along the Myrtle Beach golf scene, though the par 3 17th is nearly as memorable. If you have either of these two courses on your itinerary, a great round awaits. (Pawleys Plantation Golf Club top photo, Tidewater Golf Club pictured right)
Legends Resort vs. Barefoot Resort
Myrtle Beach has relatively few multi-course, stay-and-play resorts, but Legends and Barefoot are the most prominent exceptions to the rule. Legends, home to the Heathland, Parkland and Moorland courses, was the area’s initial full-service resort, and it remains among the most popular, offering memorable layouts to value-oriented golfers.
Barefoot, which was named the North American Golf Resort of the Year, is home to the Love, Norman, Fazio and Dye courses. Three of the four layouts – Love, Fazio and Dye – have been ranked among the nation’s top 100 public courses and the Norman course features five holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway. The semi-private Dye Course is the long-time host of the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am.
Grande Dunes Resort Course vs. TPC Myrtle Beach 
These are two of the best layouts in the Founders Group International family, and if either of these is your favorite Myrtle Beach golf course, it’s a more than defensible position. Grande Dunes underwent a 2022 greens and bunker renovation project, and the Roger Rulewich design has been in spectacular condition ever since. Grande Dunes has five holes along the Intracoastal, including the unforgettable par 3 14th, which plays from elevated tee box to a green located along the water. It’s as dramatic a tee shot as there is along the Grand Strand.
TPC Myrtle Beach was built to test the world’s best golfers, and the Tom Fazio-Lanny Wadkins design has more than stood the test of time. TPC has hosted a Senior PGA Tour Championship, an NCAA Division I Regional Championship, and it’s the long-time host of the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship, among many other significant events. This is a big boy golf course from start to finish and a treat to play. (Grande Dunes Resort Club pictured right)
You won’t go wrong no matter which side of these debates you are on, but sometimes groups are forced to make tough decisions.
