Barefoot Resort in North Myrtle Beach and Caledonia/True Blue in Pawleys Island were named among the Top 25 Courses for Buddies by Golf Magazine.
This ranking comes as part of Golf Magazine’s inaugural Golf’s Top 100 Resorts in North America. The comprehensive list was broken up into four distinct categories: Luxury, Buddies, General Excellence and Families. After dividing the courses into four categories, the publication turned to 3,700-plus golfers to rank each resort in an online poll based on five key variables: golf experience, accommodations, service, food, and ambiance. The poll results were then weighed against the opinions of a select group of Golf’s Top 100 Courses panelists and those of internal travel and editorial teams to list destinations in each category.
Opened in 2000, Barefoot Resort made history by opening four signature golf courses at the same time. Of the golf experience at Barefoot Resort, Golf Magazine referred to the courses at Barefoot resort as “a solid foursome,” great for families and friends alike. Each course at the 2345-acre resort is named after the four renowned architects that designed the course: Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Davis Love, and Greg Norman.
The Dye Course is the only semi-private venue of the four and hosts the wildly popular Hootie and the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Tournament. The Fazio Course–with its spacious fairways lined with live oaks and Carolina pines–offers the most traditional experience of the four courses. Golfers playing on the Love Course can experience the timeless elegance and beauty of the South Carolina coast as they play through the recreated ruins of an old plantation home along holes 3 through 7. Last but certainly not least, the Norman Course features seven stunning holes along the Intracoastal Waterway that at times are reminiscent of the breathtaking desert-style courses of the American Southwest.
To the far south in Pawleys Island, golfers will find the second Grand Strand golf course recognized by Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Resorts List, Caledonia/True Blue. Golf Magazine referred to Caledonia/True Blue as, “a pair of engaging layouts by the late, great architect Mike Strantz.”
The resort’s first course, Caledonia Golf and Fish Club, was Strantz’s first solo design. Twisting fairways and large, wild greens cleverly defended by stunning water hazards and expansive bunkers perfectly encapsulate the famed architect’s trademark creativity. While playing on this par-70 masterpiece, golfers are encouraged to take a quick break at the 10th tee’s comfort station for a complimentary bowl of savory fish stew.
Equally enticing is Caledonia’s sister course, True Blue Golf Plantation. Built on the site of an antebellum era rice and indigo plantation, True Blue Plantation is one of the most decorated courses on the Grand Strand. In addition to its most recent recognition on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Resort’s List, True Blue has also been named “South Carolina’s Best Public Golf Courses for 2018/2019”, “#1 Public Golf Course You Can Play in the Myrtle Beach Area”, and “America’s Best Modern Courses.” Beautiful fairways wind through dramatic elevation changes, rolling terrain and natural vegetation leading to large undulating greens. For an added element of danger, natural sandy areas have been incorporated into the course’s design to challenge wayward shots.
Other illustrious South Carolina resorts recognized in the Top 100 list include Kiawah Island Resort outside Charleston and Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island in the Top 25 Golf Resorts for General Excellence, as well as Montage Palmetto Bluff/May River Golf Club in Bluffton in the Top 25 Golf Resorts for Luxury category.
Interested in adding any of these stunning courses to your golf group’s line-up? Get the most bang for your buck when you book your tee time as part of a Myrtle Beach Golf Authority Custom Golf Package. Give us a call or shoot us an email today. Our friendly staff of local golf experts is ready and waiting to help you with all your golfing needs.
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