Golf Course Review: Prestwick Country Club | 7.8 Score
Location: Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Course architects: Pete Dye and P.B. Dye
Opened: 1989
Par: 72
Tee — Yardage | Rating / Slope:
Black — 7,086 | 74.6 / 140
Blue — 6,744 | 72.8 / 136
White —6,347 | 71.1 / 131
Green — 5,863 | 68.8 / 121
Red — 5,210 | 70.5 / 122
Tan — 4,624 | 67.2 / 112
Saturday morning green fee: $$ ($50-$99)
Caddie service: No
Walker friendly: No
Fairways: Bermudagrass
Greens: Tiff Eagle Bermudagrass
THE REVIEW
Starter: Course architect Pete Dye was already in his 70s when he and his son, P.B. Dye, undertook building the 18-hole Prestwick Country Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The club originally opened in 1989 as a private facility, complete with a plantation-style clubhouse. The country club welcomed public play beginning in 2015. It is one of two Dye courses in Myrtle Beach, and it is highly regarded as one of the top tier golf courses along the Grand Strand.
Play because ... : The course is a fair but challenging test. There is ample room in the drive zones, but approaches and short chipping will be tested time and time again by Dye’s use of greenside mounding, runoff collection areas and his characteristic use of artificially constructed walls that guard at least a half-dozen greens. The greens are large and dramatically sloping. Don’t count on a long putt to roll straight at the hole.
Takeaway: Golf Digest once called Prestwick Country Club one of the Top 5 Best-Kept Secrets in America. The two nines have a distinctly different feel, but both finish with a flair. Holes No. 9 and 18 play toward the stately clubhouse and alongside a large man-made lake, lending a picturesque setting to remember. Many consider them the best finishing holes (9 and 18) on the Grand Strand. The course is always in pristine condition and its TifEagle Bermuda greens are fast and true.
THE RATINGS [1 to 10 scale; 10 being the highest]
Food | Beverage: 6.5
Pro shop: 7.0
Clubhouse: 7.8
Difficulty: 8.0
Pace of play: 7.8
THE COURSE | Scorecard
Best par 3: No 16 (199 | 188 | 174 | 153 | 115 | 111 yards). This hole plays slightly downhill to a long green, bordered on the left by a yawning stream. The bailout area is to the right, but leaves an awkward chip off a severe downhill lie. Judging yardages on the first visit to Prestwick is a challenge, and this hole can create indecision on the tee box.
Best Par 4: No. 18 (441 | 419 | 396 | 373 | 336 | 305 yards). Dye undoubtedly saved his best for last and one of four par 4s stretching to more than 440 yards. Water lurks to the player’s right from tee box to green, and there is plenty of grassy moguls down the left side that will force a layup shot instead of a long approach shot. A four here will be earned.
Best Par 5: No. 9 (537 | 507 | 486 | 454 | 423 | 366 yards). With a couple of reasonable shots and a short but pinpoint approach for your third, the closing hole of the first nine can yield a birdie chance. The hole curls around a large lake on the left, but the real test of this hole is from 90 yards in. The green is narrow and dramatically sloped from back to front.
INFO
Website: www.prestwickcountryclub.com
Phone: 843.293.4100
Facebook:@PrestwickCountryClu/
Instagram: N/A
Twitter:@PrestwickCountryClub
Rater: Craig Smith