When visiting the “Golf Capital of The World” with over 90 courses, we had our work cut out for us researching and choosing the best in the Myrtle Beach area with only 3 days in town this time around.
However, one of the names that kept popping up amongst locals…
Prestwick.
A Pete and P.B. Dye design with signature characteristics, excellent conditions, and under 100 bucks? Sign us up!
We didn’t plan on playing the day we arrived in Myrtle Beach, but we’re suckers (aren’t we all?) and wasted no time. Landed at 1, on the first tee box at 2 and we were off.
Located just 10 minutes from the airport, Prestwick was calling our names, so let’s get to it!
First Impressions
Prestwick opened in 1989 as a private club and the clubhouse lets you know it.
Two things stand out when pulling into the parking lot at Prestwick. The clubhouse and the lake flanked by 9 and 18 make it clear that you’re in for a classic day of Carolina golf.
We checked in at the well appointed pro shop and took a walk around the clubhouse before heading out on the course.
While we’ve only been able to hit a few courses in the area so far, the clubhouse at Prestwick has been the most impressive.
The club does a great job of offering private level amenities to the public and that’s apparent walking through the clubhouse area. You’ll find a fully stocked bar with great prices, a restaurant offering fantastic panoramic views of 9 and 18 coming in, locker room, showers, etc. You can tell the place was designed as a private course and the result is a great area to hang out before and after your round.
We could only stare at 9 and 18 out the windows for so long, so let’s see if the course can match the clubhouse!
The Course
Design: Pete & P.B. Dye
Yardage: 7046 (Tips), 6744 (Blue), 6347 (White), 5863 (Green), 5210 (Ladies)
Slope: 140 (Tips), 135 (Blue), 132 (White), 125 (Green), 126 (Ladies)
Accessibility: Public
Cost: $80 (February weekday afternoon)
The Front 9
The 1st at Prestwick is an attackable par 4 but forces you to make a decision right out of the gate. The fairway has friendly width despite being lined by a massive waste bunker on the right side, but driving through the fairway leads to a tough approach shot from thick rough. We played it conservatively with 3 woods and didn’t regret it seeing the thickness of the rough beyond the fairway. Pin placement goes a long way in the difficulty of the approach as bunkers heavily guard the left side of the green.
Another large bunker lines the fairway on the 2nd this time on the left. This dogleg left par 4 is extremely penal for left misses and is the #1 handicap on the course. Bunkers guard the green both in front and to the right, making this hole really tough.
Another long par 4 is the third of four par 4s to start the front nine. A relatively straightforward hole made challenging by distance with a single bunker on the lefthand side.
The 4th is a fantastic par 4. I didn’t grab any photos that captured the full layout of the hole as it deserves to be shown but this flyover does the trick.
As you can see, strategy is key on this short part 4 and precision is required each step of the way. This is the kind of hole you can play 100 times and never be bored.
The 5th is another great par 3 at Prestwick. It can play anywhere from 160 to 185 yards depending on placement and the green slopes hard from back to front leaving nothing but adventurous putts.
Holes 6 and 7 offer rare scoring opportunities. The 6th is a dogleg right par 5 with a wide open fairway and not much trouble to be found. It’s very gettable in 2 and both Shayne and I had great looks at birdie on this hole. Hole #7 is a straightforward tree lined par 4 with a large bunker guarding the right side of the green from about 75 yards in.
Prestwick’s 8th hole is the 2nd easiest hole on the course by handicap, but not on the day we played! Playing 211 from the blues and 246 from the tips to a wide but not deep green, we took this beast on with 20-30 mph winds in our face. Shayne hit his 5 iron as pure as you could it and still ended up in the bunker guarding the front. I was psyched out at this and of course topped it off the tee. In windy conditions this hole is a real challenge!
The 9th is likely the signature hole of the course in my opinion.
Mirroring the 18th on the other side of the pond, the 9th is a fantastic par 5 that we loved closing the round with. Water is in play down the left the entire hole, the fairway is relatively narrow with rolling hills on the right, and the approach into the green is an awesome shot.
Water guards the left, signature bunkers guard the right. It’s a great hole that’s fair but penal with a great view all the way in.
The Back 9
We teed off on the 10th hole, and it quickly became clear that the layout on the back nine is links inspired in contrast to the woodlands tree heavy front.
10 is still tree lined but a relatively benign par 4 with rolling dunes funneling shots into a bowl shaped fairway.
The 11th opens up and is a fantastic risk/reward par 4 dog leg right over a large waste bunker, offering a hybrid/3 wood layup option to the left or attacking with driver over the bunker.
Hole #12 is a classic links style par 5 with a receptive fairway to get after with driver. I’m by no means a bomber, but luck was on my side on this hole as I got on in two with a (lucky!) 3 wood approach that rolled a mile to the front of the green. Stress free birdies are rare and I was thrilled to pick one up on this unforgiving course!
The 13th is the signature par 3 on a course full of noteworthy ones. As we’ll note later the par 3s on this course are all phenomenal and stood out, with 13 being the most picturesque.
At face value this is a simple hole, but the hidden trouble beyond the green makes this par 3 have far more bite than it appears.
Hole #14 is a relatively straightforward par 4 made difficult by its distance.
The 15th will make any player mutter what they think of Dye design trickery under their breaths.
Beyond the 150 yard marker, the fairway slopes hard from left to right funneling long drives or short approach shots into a landing area facing a large wall to get up and over.
A great hole that left us shaking our heads headed to the 16th!
As I mentioned the par 3s on this course were the real standouts in our opinion and the 16th is no exception.
Trouble is all over the place on the left on this par 3. I hooked my tee shot right by the cart on the path there and somehow managed to save par. The ball doesn’t know how it gets in the hole! The 16th plays 199 from the tips,188 from the blues and 175 from the whites requiring an accurate tee shot to avoid real trouble. This hole was a treat to play and take in from the tee.
17 is a great and challenging par 5. It’s a 3 shot hole with water down the left of the fairway and in front of the green.
The final hole is at Prestwick is a beauty.
A stern but fair test wraps up the round at Prestwick. Water is in play for the entirety of this par 4, but a good tee shot offers a strong chance to score well as the hole isn’t overly long.
Final Thoughts
Prestwick is a layout that proved to be really fun while acknowledging how challenging it is. We found it difficult to scramble here and mistakes were easily compoundable. The greens were very quick but in really great shape as was the rest of the course.
Coming from New Jersey and Ontario, the value of Prestwick left the biggest impression with us. This is easily a $100+ dollar course in our opinions. The layout is so interesting, it screams Pete Dye, and the conditions are really solid. We enjoyed refreshingly cheap Blue Moons on the clubhouse porch overlooking 9 and 18 to finish a great start to the Myrtle Beach circuit.
Pros
-Value (Exceptional!)
-Par 3s are great
-Layout and Conditions both excellent
Cons
-Difficult course that higher handicaps may have a tough time getting around
Favorite Holes
Mike: #9
Shayne: #4
What Would We Pay?
Anything under $100 feels like a steal here, would pay up to $125 for the first time.
Final Score
6
See our scoring scale here
What did you think of Prestwick? We’re also looking for feedback on certain criteria you’d like us to share in our posts. Let us know in the comments below!