|
|
Capital Region
Great Lakes Region
Mid-Atlantic Region
Midwest & Great Plains Region
Mountain Region
New England Region
Pacific Region
Southeast Region
Southwest Region
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. – If anything stood out to Tod Cox after playing The Founders Club at Pawleys Island, it was his need for a well rounded bag.
Cox, a Greenville, S.C., native, won a week's worth of golf on the Grand Strand through a raffle. And one of the golf courses he picked was like something he'd never seen before.
"I would definitely play this course again," said Cox, a 3-handicap. "It's fair, you just have to be ready. Don't let the sand intimidate you, because there's sand everywhere."
He wasn't talking about traps.
Like many of the golf courses in Myrtle Beach and the surrounding area, The Founders Club doesn't fight the sandy ground it has to work with. Approximately 85 percent of the Classic Golf Group course's cart paths are sand. Likewise is much of the rough.
It's only one area of concern for players of every handicap level on this challenging course.
The Founders Club at Pawleys Island: The course
For well versed players like Cox, The Founders Club plays at 7,007 yards. Average players are set at 6,394 and 6,708, respectively, while the women's tees play at 4,805.
Regardless, all levels of golfers better be ready for just about everything.
Take the 10th hole, for instance.
After teeing off, players can go from a carefully groomed Bermuda grass tee box to either a fairway or challenging rough to that aforementioned sand even before they get to the par 5's green, which is a specialty Bermuda variety (emerald). Should a player overshoot the green, he or she can even be forced to hit off a much firmer zoysia grass.
All that diversity, General Manager and Head Professional Rick Taylor said, leads to an individual look.
"The sand was here. They made the decision on the aesthetics of it," Taylor said. "We are very, very rarely cart-path only. It was about the challenge of it."
The challenge also comes in the form of where the longer holes are positioned. The par-72 golf course features four par fives: No. 6, No. 9, No. 10 and No. 12.
"The back nine, you start on 10, you have two par fives two out of three holes. You're playing 11 holes or so until you play a par five again," Cox said. "The golf course definitely plays easier from the front to the back. On 10, if you have a bad hole, you've got four par 5s, and one of them is gone, there's not much room to escape out there."
The Founder's Club's fairways are -- for the most part -- not terribly difficult to hit. And while there are several holes affected by water and trees, it's the sand that sets this course apart.
Cox immediately ponied up for the replay rate, as he wanted to see how he would do a second time around.
That approach is typical. Many players who set foot on The Founders Club have never played a course like it.
It's exactly what Taylor and Co. are hoping for.
"I think with 100 golf courses (in the Myrtle Beach area), you need to do anything different you can to stand out," Taylor said. "It's nice when people come, and they're looking for something to give them a good memory. I think that does that."
Facilities and golf instruction at The Founders Club
The Founders Club at Pawleys Island offers individual golf instruction. It also includes a wide driving range and two putting greens, one of which is coupled with the black tees on the front nine.
The clubhouse offers a full-service restaurant and bar that overlooks the 18th green.
The Founders Club at Pawleys Island: The verdict
One of the lone critiques of Founders Club is also one of its advantages.
The course, approximately 45 minutes south of the heart of Myrtle Beach, is the furthest of the Classic Golf Group courses. While Pawleys Island is no slouch when it comes to golf, the course does not receive much local notoriety, especially since it is positioned near two of the best courses on the Grand Strand.
During some months, The Founders Club is sending out fewer than 80 people per day. The golf course, already in prime condition, isn't forced to sustain the wear and tear of other similar courses most months out of the year. The prime months at Founders Club are March-May and October and November, when more than 200 golfers per day are playing.
It was awarded a top-30 public access nod from the South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel. Still, the traffic on this course – given its location – seems lighter than deserved.
That is a mistake that benefits players who do find their way there.
PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. – If anything stood out to Tod Cox after playing The Founders Club at Pawleys Island, it was his need for a well rounded bag.
Cox, a Greenville, S.C., native, won a week's worth of golf on the Grand Strand through a raffle. And one of the golf courses he picked was like something he'd never seen before.
"I would definitely play this course again," said Cox, a 3-handicap. "It's fair, you just have to be ready. Don't let the sand intimidate you, because there's sand everywhere."
He wasn't talking about traps.
Like many of the golf courses in Myrtle Beach and the surrounding area, The Founders Club doesn't fight the sandy ground it has to work with. Approximately 85 percent of the Classic Golf Group course's cart paths are sand. Likewise is much of the rough.
It's only one area of concern for players of every handicap level on this challenging course.
The Founders Club at Pawleys Island: The course
For well versed players like Cox, The Founders Club plays at 7,007 yards. Average players are set at 6,394 and 6,708, respectively, while the women's tees play at 4,805.
Regardless, all levels of golfers better be ready for just about everything.
Take the 10th hole, for instance.
After teeing off, players can go from a carefully groomed Bermuda grass tee box to either a fairway or challenging rough to that aforementioned sand even before they get to the par 5's green, which is a specialty Bermuda variety (emerald). Should a player overshoot the green, he or she can even be forced to hit off a much firmer zoysia grass.
All that diversity, General Manager and Head Professional Rick Taylor said, leads to an individual look.
"The sand was here. They made the decision on the aesthetics of it," Taylor said. "We are very, very rarely cart-path only. It was about the challenge of it."
The challenge also comes in the form of where the longer holes are positioned. The par-72 golf course features four par fives: No. 6, No. 9, No. 10 and No. 12.
"The back nine, you start on 10, you have two par fives two out of three holes. You're playing 11 holes or so until you play a par five again," Cox said. "The golf course definitely plays easier from the front to the back. On 10, if you have a bad hole, you've got four par 5s, and one of them is gone, there's not much room to escape out there."
The Founder's Club's fairways are -- for the most part -- not terribly difficult to hit. And while there are several holes affected by water and trees, it's the sand that sets this course apart.
Cox immediately ponied up for the replay rate, as he wanted to see how he would do a second time around.
That approach is typical. Many players who set foot on The Founders Club have never played a course like it.
It's exactly what Taylor and Co. are hoping for.
"I think with 100 golf courses (in the Myrtle Beach area), you need to do anything different you can to stand out," Taylor said. "It's nice when people come, and they're looking for something to give them a good memory. I think that does that."
Facilities and golf instruction at The Founders Club
The Founders Club at Pawleys Island offers individual golf instruction. It also includes a wide driving range and two putting greens, one of which is coupled with the black tees on the front nine.
The clubhouse offers a full-service restaurant and bar that overlooks the 18th green.
The Founders Club at Pawleys Island: The verdict
One of the lone critiques of Founders Club is also one of its advantages.
The course, approximately 45 minutes south of the heart of Myrtle Beach, is the furthest of the Classic Golf Group courses. While Pawleys Island is no slouch when it comes to golf, the course does not receive much local notoriety, especially since it is positioned near two of the best courses on the Grand Strand.
During some months, The Founders Club is sending out fewer than 80 people per day. The golf course, already in prime condition, isn't forced to sustain the wear and tear of other similar courses most months out of the year. The prime months at Founders Club are March-May and October and November, when more than 200 golfers per day are playing.
It was awarded a top-30 public access nod from the South Carolina Golf Course Rating Panel. Still, the traffic on this course – given its location – seems lighter than deserved.
That is a mistake that benefits players who do find their way there.
Introducing the best new golf course to open in the Myrtle Beach area in a long, long time: The Founders Club at Pawleys Island. This course offers stunning visuals that only the Pawleys Island area can provide.
The Beach is abuzz about the addition of the new Founders Club at Pawleys Island, created by Thomas Walker, former lead designer for Gary Player Design. Walker engineered the estimated $7 million redesign of the former Sea Gull Golf Club into a magnificent new Lowcountry layout with 18 masterfully designed holes that are visually stunning, giving the illusion that it is harder than it really plays. Walker's team took advantage of the natural gold-and-orange sands to serve as transition areas, and moved over 250,000 cubic yards of dirt - a good amount being on the flatter front side to make it resemble the more rolling back nine. The fairways are Emerald Bermuda grass and the greens are 419 Bermuda. Founders Club is a sensational addition to the Waccamaw Trail collection of courses, and one that deserves a special place on your golf vacation itinerary.
The Verdict: Eighteen uniquely designed holes give golfers an experience they are sure to remember. Conclude your day with a drink and something to eat in the Lowcountry-style clubhouse overlooking the 18th green. The Founders Club at Pawleys Island is certain to be a "must play" when visiting the Grand Strand.
The Founders Club anchors the South Strand as the southernmost course on Pawleys Island, just down Highway 17 from Pawleys Plantation, Caledonia and True Blue. It is the highest-end course in the Classic Golf Group and also a member of the Waccamaw Golf Trail.
Package Notes:
Prices are per golfer based on 4 persons sharing a 2 bedroom condo - includes all taxes. Prices are subject to change without notice. Accommodations and golf are subject to availability.
| Package Rates 2011: | |
| Jan 20 – Feb 16 | $350 |
| Feb 17 26 – Mar 2 | $430 |
| Mar 3 – 16 | $475 |
| Mar 17 – Apr 24 | $520 |
| Apr 25 – May 8 | $490 |
| May 9 – May 22 | $470 |
| May 23 – Sep 7 | $420 |
Originaly Opened:
1965
Re-Opened:
February 2008
Course Type/Style:
Semi-Private/Parkland
Number of Tee Boxes:
5 sets
Total Number of Sand Bunkers:
100 +
Number of Water Hazards:
10 of 18 holes
Most Challenging Hole:
No. 10
Most Memorable Hole:
No. 18
Sinature Hole:
No. 9
Acreage of Course:
! acres
Average Size of Greens:
6,400 sq. ft.
Primary Grasses
Fairways:
Emerald Bermuda grass
Rough:
Emerald Bermuda grass
Greens:
419 Bermuda grass
Months Open:
January – December
High Season:
March – May
October – November
Aerification:
Overseeding:
Rounds per year:
Green Fees:
Low: $70 High: $126
Walking Options:
Mandatory Cart
Director of Golf:
Richard O. Taylor II, PGA
Superintendent:
, GCSAA
Golf Digest 
rating
By Chris King on May 4, 2010
The TPC-Myrtle Beach is one of the Grand Strand's bluebloods.
It enjoys the benefit of a premium brand, superior design (the team of Lanny Wadkins and Tom Fazio is tough to beat), and it's the home course of Dustin Johnson, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour. Throw in a bevy of national honors, and it's not hard to see why the facility is so highly regarded.
Identifying the three best holes on a course that has hosted what was then the Senior PGA Tour Championship and gets a regular workout from Johnson is a challenging task, because the candidates are plentiful. We asked course owner Chip Smith to identify the best of the best at TPC-Myrtle Beach and he complied, with an assist from Johnson.
The three best holes at TPC are:
No. 5, 158-yard, Par 3: Despite being TPC's shortest hole, the fifth is one of its most challenging, particularly from the tips where the tee shot requires a long forced carry over water. The green is wider than it is deep, so your margin for error is limited. A bunker in the right front looms for players not playing from the tips, as does a bunker in back of the green.
"There is almost a false front on the front of the green," Smith said. "It's a tough little shot because the green is narrow. The right side of the green is always better than short because of the lake."
No. 17, 193-yard, par 3: The words island green and TPC have almost become synonymous because of the famed 17th at Sawgrass, and No. 17 at TPC-Myrtle Beach is a reasonable approximation. The primary differences? The 17th in Myrtle Beach is a peninsula green surrounded by water on "only" three sides and it's approximately 50 yards longer. The 17th is TPC-Myrtle Beach's signature hole and with an almost constant wind, it represents a significant challenge. "Because of the distance, I think it's a little tougher than 17 at Sawgrass," Smith says. "Now I've never stood on 17 at Sawgrass on Sunday with $1.4 million on the line either (laugh)."
No. 18, 538-yard, par 5: The 18th, with a creek running along the right side of the fairway and a large lake on the left, is Johnson's choice as the course's best. It's a classic risk-reward hole. Players that can snuggle up to the creek before it runs out to the lake can get home in two, but there is considerable risk. Half of the green is exposed to water and with the rough surrounding it shaved, it's not an easy green to hold. One person who doesn't have to worry about length is Johnson. What does one of the PGA Tour's longest hitters use to reach the green on his second shot? "Depending on which way the wind is blowing, anywhere from a 5 or 6 iron to a 3-wood," he said. For the mere mortals among us, an iron on the second shot when attempting to reach the 18th green is out of the question!
