The Princeton campus has a fabulous course created by students in the '70s. Starting just above the Dinky station, its diverse hole placements include throwing a disc up the Blair Arch steps, through a Henry Moore, and hitting sculptures by Noguchi, Picasso, and George Rickey (the latter moves in the wind). It's a tough choice whether to go over or around Dillon Gym: save a stroke or risk losing a disc. Regular campus construction can wreak havoc on a bucolic 18, but the price is right. Highly recommended.
My old home club in Smithfield, NC, The Country Club of Johnston County, is an Ellis Maples design. it's on Hwy 301 south of town, between I-95 exits 90 and 87, sitting next to Holts Lake. (Excellent BBQ and fried chicken at Holts Lake BBQ, which is next to the entrance road on 301!) It used to be strictly private, but now it's semi-private. A typical round only takes 3 1/2 hours, even on the weekends!
It's relatively short, ~6100 yards from the white tees, but a fun course to play. Fairways are a bit narrow (lots of trees) and the greens are tricky, especially #1, (here's a tip!) where everything breaks towards the lake, even uphill putts from the front if the pin is on the back left side of the green. Par 72 and the only long holes are the par 3's - from the whites #3 is ~200 yards, #14 is 175 and #16 is also 175. Only #6 is a "normal" length of ~130 yards. My only hole in one came on #14 back in 2007.
Ozzie, your paradigm of optimism!
Go To Hell carolina, Go To Hell!
9F 9F 9F
https://ecogreen.greentechaffiliate.com
Although I posted to help a friend make course choices, I have been taking a group to MB for many years. Of course I call my golf trip the Elvis Invitational and we first went in the fall of 2003, then the Spring of 2005 and have been every Spring since...until last year (Covid). We will be back this year as well. Myrtlewood-Palmetto is our favorite place to play our last round. I have so many fond memories of playing that 18th hole along the water and gathering behind the green with the other 11 guys. We are going in 2 weeks and once again Palmetto will be our Sunday round. I have not played the other 3 courses you list, however. Now, I have to get rid of the pull-hook that's in my game before the 29th or this years Elvis Invitational is going to be Elvis donating $$ and pride to his golfing buddies!
Ozzie, your description of this course makes me want to take a day off work and take a short road trip! And I'm a guy that plays from the whites...
Must be my day to play travel agent.
The Dunes is a great course, but I think its private and only a few hotels still have playing privileges.
Surf Club is a favorite; old traditional cc-type course.
Favorites include Tidewater (north Myrtle) and Caledonia (south Myrtle - Pawleys).
We've found the easiest way to deal with Myrtle golf and avoid the crappy traffic is to just stay at Barefoot Resort and play the courses there.
Yes, Myrtlewood-Palmetto is my favorite MB golf course as well. I love the 18th hole that runs along the International Water Way. I think there's a sign across the waterway that says Miami 600 miles(or something like that). You will need to get rid of that pull hook or you'll be hitting balls into the waterway. I used to go to Myrtle Beach every May with about 28-32 golfers and we played there most every year. When we first began to go on that golf outing, there were 2 courses. The Palmetto and the Pines. We only played the Pines one time because the greens were the old Bermuda grass type. Slow as molasses. I'm pretty sure the greens have changed over the years.
The second Myrtlewood course is called Pinehills. We prefer Palmetto but I remember one year when we played Pinehills and the fairways were just spectacular. I always thing that you should be rewarded if you hit the ball in the fairway...Pinehills was the perfect example of that that year (Arrowhead was another course where the fairways were truly rewarding). One of my biggest issues with the courses around here (Raleigh) is that you don't really get rewarded for hitting the ball in the fairway because they are either cut very short or are just not occupied by much grass.
Fairways that are cut very short requires the player to really hit down through the ball. Some of the guys I play with are notorious for "picking" the ball off the turf and when we play a course that has cut the turf short(tight lie) they are in real trouble. The old golf saying "hit down on the ball to get it up" is hard for some players to understand.
Fore!
As someone who grew up on munis with shaggy fairways and driving ranges with mats only, I resemble that remark! When I play on nice courses that have fairways faster than most greens, I’d much rather be in the first cut. It’s been a lifelong journey to try to hit down and through iron shots.
I call myself a 'sweeper' and to tend to pick it sometimes. My mistake is hitting behind the ball. So when I have a tight lie I find that trouble of which you speak. If I'm off the fairway (too often) and hitting off of pine straw or hardpan, I use a hybrid (I generally have always hit hybrids well). When I'm playing a course and the ball sits up nicely on a cushy fairway that feels like a sponge...I'm loving life.
You and me both, Ozzie, you and me both!
Southeastern golf courses in azalea/dogwood season are beautiful things. That is all.
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"Amazing what a minute can do."
Because it's the 50th, and you purists aren't taking the bait, as Sgt Hulka said, "Lighten up Francis."
http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/201...princeton.html
https://relisten.net/grateful-dead/1...7?source=89347
Sorry to hijack the golf thread (last post, promise) but the accompanying article talking about "long-hairs" and Princeton being "conservative" make me laugh -- plus Pig Pen going off being termed a "rap" -- and the Dead getting $10K seems like a ton of money for '71.