Simple, don't play it. How this course got included into the Top 100 Public Access courses behooves me. While the greens were well kept and at times very hard to read the fairways were a mess and except for a few holes I wouldn't say there is anything spectacular about this course. If this is how the remaining course play out this is going to be a very disappointing week. And it didn't help having to drag and lady who'd maybe played five times in her whole life in my group. Ouch!
Barefoot Resort & Spa (SC) - Fazio Course - 11/10 - #92
What a difference! Whew! I was really worried after I'd played Tiger's Eye. Barefoot, keeping mind that I haven't played the Love course yet, is very much a top notch resort and Fazio is both beautiful and immaculately manicured. And even though I played a short course (under 6000) it was in drizzling rain and the course still played long. Enjoy the pics:
River's Edge (NC) - 11/12 - #62
What an absolutely beautiful course! I arrived just in time to be sent off to the course. No other golfers were there so was left to play alone. I hate playing alone but that I suppose has to happen on occasion. I was paired up with a two-some on the back nine. Its been raining here of late so the fairways were very, very soggy. In fact all of the people at the clubhouse were laughing and talking about what my brand new shoes would look like after I finished my round. I'm happy to say I played very well so my shoes survived.
What surprised me was the greens. Generally when its been raining a lot the greens will be soft; well not here. Seems they had replaced all of there greens within the last year. New fangled stuff that drains really well. Dang it! The greens were as hard as nails and I bet were still as fast as some dry greens I've been on. And on most greens were my ball would stop, not here. Unbelievable! The good thing - I'm finally getting the handle on my new irons. And know no one will believe this (I should have had the pair sign my card) I hit 12 out of 14 fairways. Wow! Have never done that. But the course with wet fairways proved to be too long for my short play.
If you ever get to the Mrytle Beach area this is one course you have to play.
Tidewater Golf Club & Plantation (SC) - 11/13 - #41
I have to be honest, Tidewater doesn't leave up to its billing itself the Pebble Beach of the East Coast. I mean its a nice course an all, probably not worth the high price they are asking but there is no comparison between this course and Pebble Beach. Now to be fair, I haven't played Pebble Beach but I have been on the course. Pebble Beach has several holes right on the ocean; Tidewater isn't even on the ocean and has few holes on the actual inlet. My expectations certainly played apart in marking this course down a notch although I again want to say is was a fair and well-designed course. But The East Coast Pebble Beach it is NOT!
Barefoot Resort & Spa (SC) - Love Course - 11/14 - #53
The Love Course at Barefoot gets my second highest rating from all of the courses I've played in this posting (including The Dunes) with the River;s Edge still coming out as the most exciting and beautiful course.
That being said if I were to ever come back to the Mrytle Beach area I would want to stay at the Barefoot Resort. Both the Love and Fazio courses were immaculately well cared for. And I might even have rated the Love course above River's Edge except for one thing, Love's design hides all its beauty (and danger). Seriously! You look at the card or the picture of the whole on the cart monitor and think WOW! Then look down the whole and you can't see anything. All the hazards and spots you don't want your ball to end up seem to always be "just over that ridge". Makes you either want to laugh or cry when you find your ball. I kid you not, I think ever fairway was built on a plateau and every green on a mesa. You miss either and your balls just rolls and rolls and rolls. Reminds me of couple of Mickleson flop shots that didn't quite make the green. Back to his feet it rolled. Yeah, I know the feeling. lol
Definitely come to play the Barefoot courses - Love, Fazio, Norman and Dye.
Dunes Golf & Beach Club (SC) - 11/15 - #28
What a let down. I think they just bought their way into the top 100. I'm serious. Maybe I'm just spoiled but this course was touted as the best and had the price tag for it. What a disappointment. Save your money and play the Barefoot Resort courses or River's Edge. Now if you want to play this course just to have access to the clubhouse and the beach, well, that might be worth it. The beach is of course, private and beautiful. But the course was just an above average resort course, nothing near worth the money.
I will attest that the first picture, Hole #9 was a beautiful hole with just the slightest view of the shore. Just the slightest!! Ha!
Harbour Town, Sea Pines Resort, Hilton Head Island, SC - #15
I must be really jaded. Spent a whole week on HHI leaving the last day for my trek onto Harbour Town. I think I set myself up for failure. The course was nice and pretty typical of a lot of upper tier courses but nothing I would go back to play, especially at the price they are asking. And I even got a November discounted price!! Yikes!
The real disappointment was there were only two holes on the ocean. In fact, that was my biggest disappointment on all of the courses in South Carolina. I came here expecting to see a little more of the ocean only to learn very few of the courses are even on the ocean. I learned later that the reason for this is that the hotels came to the South Carolina beaches long before the state became a mecca for golf courses. Since the hotels had already take the ocean what was left were the inlets, any rivers leading to the ocean and the occasional resort that squeezed a hole or two onto the ocean for their course. So don't come to South Carolina shores expecting to see anything like Pebble Beach, not going to happen.
Enjoy the pics.
I hit a shot through the 2 and 3 trees onto the
green in the background.
