Myrtle Beach is possibly the best place to golf in all of North America. At this one location, there are dozens of great golf courses to play, many of which have been designed by legends of the game. To play in Myrtle Beach is to play in the mecca of golf. It is a pilgrimage every golf lover should make at some point in their lives. To play a game of golf at some courses in Myrtle Beach is to play in golf heaven.

It was not always this way for Myrtle Beach. In fact, it wasn’t until 1927 when the first golf course in Myrtle Beach opened that the entire region took a different turn and became the one-stop shop for the golf enthusiast. Myrtle Beach has grown from that first golf course and become the golf capital of the world. In all, there are 120 golf courses, where 4.2 million rounds of golf were played last year, an increase of 500,000 over 2007 alone!

What was the golf course that started it all? It was the Pine Lakes Country Club, the oldest course in Myrtle Beach. In the 1920s, several businessmen got together to begin building an upscale beach tourist destination called Arcady. This would eventually become known as the Pine Lakes Country Club and Ocean Forest Hotel when it opened in 1927. This golf course has seen many great players, including the legendary Sam Snead, regarded as possibly the greatest golfer who has ever lived. Even the high profile families of the Vanderbilts and Rockerfellers have played there, as has Gene Sarazen, who has a plaque dedicated to him on the 10th hole.

The club has a strong Scottish tradition, and you can even get a lesson in the history of the club from a starter in a kilt, who will tell you everything you want to know before you tee off. For its history and its legend, this course has become a favorite of golfers in Myrtle Beach, even 81 years after it opened.

Built upon natural dunes, and using freshwater lakes and rolling fairways, legendary architect Robert White, who also was the first president of the PGA, created a course that has been played by generations of golfers, all of whom were left in awe of this course.

While it has gone through many renovations, the Granddaddy of Myrtle Beach golf continues to be the golf course every golfer must play at least once in their lives.