RANDALL HILL/The Sun News

Review participants walk around the hazard on the right side of the green on the par-3 17th hole on the way to their carts after finishing the hole.

Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links, 4840 Glen Dornoch Way, Little River, SC 29566

DIRECTIONS | From Myrtle Beach, take U.S. 17 North through Little River and look for the entrance to Glen Dornoch on the right, just before the North Carolina border. Turn right on Glen Dornoch Way and follow straight to the clubhouse.

YARDAGE
------------Out------------In------------Total
-------PAR 36----------36----------72
BLACK-------3433-------3457-------6890
BLUE-------3190-------3256-------6446
WHITE-------3004-------3031-------6035
GOLD-------2830-------2787-------5617
RED-------2514-------2488-------5002

FACILITIES
-- CLUBHOUSE | Pro shop, bar and grill, restrooms with showers, upstairs meeting room
-- PRACTICE FACILITY | Driving range, practice putting green with chipping allowed
-- SPECIAL AMENITY | Complimentary yardage book

RATINGS
-- COURSE RATINGS | Black: 73.1, Blue: 71.2, White: 70.2, Gold: 68.5, Red: 69.8
-- SLOPE RATINGS | Black: 145, Blue: 137, White: 127, Gold: 116, Red: 129

Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links (July 2007)

Clyde Johnston design part of a unique setting

By Alan Blondin - The Sun News

LITTLE RIVER | With a clubhouse and first hole overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links will first overwhelm you with its stunning scenery. Then the 11-year-old Clyde Johnston layout will prove itself during the round.

"There isn't a more pretty course on the Grand Strand," said Mullins High girls basketball coach Fred Senter, who was part of a review foursome that played the course in mid-July. "The views of the Waterway are great."

Fred and I were joined by West Florence High teachers Ricky Roland and Jason Brewer, who is also the school's boys golf coach.

The Waterway is visible from the first, eighth, ninth, 12th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes. "I just liked all the holes on the Waterway," said Jason, a 5-handicap playing the course for the second time. "They were all just really picturesque and the water accentuates everything.

"... Glen Dornoch is definitely in my top 25 [on the Strand] and I've played 92 courses. It's a good challenge from the tips."

The course has rare coastal elevation changes of up to 35 feet, forced carries and trouble lurking just off the fairway on many holes in the form of water or wetlands. There are also a number of large overhanging trees that come into play on drives or approach shots.

"It's hard but fair," Fred said. "Shot placement is very important. You have to play target golf. You have to pick a spot and put it there."

Because the course has so many protected wetland areas, it institutes a local rule that any lost ball off the fairway is played as a red stake lateral hazard. "You get punished because you can't go in there and hit the ball," Fred said "Of course, I don't want to go in there and hit the ball."

Players have options off the tee because a driver isn't necessary on at least five of the course's par-4s and par-5s.

Glen Dornoch's greens are generally large, though they're shallow on a few of the course's shorter par-3s and par-4s.

The course includes an impressive three-hole closing stretch along the Waterway. "It's a great course layout and the majority of holes are in good shape," Ricky said.

Likes

Ricky and Jason enjoyed the variety of the par-4s. "They have a lot of character to them," Ricky said. "They're not all straight or dogleg right or dogleg left. There's a good mix, and they all have some extra natural hazard. ... A great mix of shots are needed to manage these holes."

Jason and Fred enjoyed the shot-making demands of the layout. "When we got to No. 5, we got the meat of the course with target golf," Jason said. "I really enjoy courses that you have to think around. I like having forced carries, lay-up holes and greens that you have to hit or you're in trouble. If your shot-making is on, you're in good shape."

Dislikes

While the entire course was well manicured, the group thought the greens could be spruced up, and some holes had aerated chipping areas. "The greens seemed kind of old and may need to be redone," Jason said.

The cups were also dark as opposed to white, and some had grass overhanging the hole. "I don't know if they change them out every day," Jason said. "Some of them look a little ragged."

Fred thought the course had too many wetland areas to engulf balls, and Jason thought the course, with a top rate of $155, could have been a better value.

While the yardage book is complimentary on every cart, it isn't descriptive or specific.

Par-3s

The 168-yard fourth and 192-yard seventh holes are straightforward, and the 183-yard 14th measures 147 from the white tees and has some wetlands to its right.

"I think the par-3s are the weakest part of the front nine," Jason said. "They have large greens but there isn't much to them."

The 17th, measuring 212 from the back tee and 164 from the white, is by far the most interesting and difficult par-3 on the course. It has the Waterway as a backdrop, wetlands surrounding three-quarters of the green, and a tall hill to the right side of the green featuring wooden planks down its face and bunkers in front and behind it, leaving no real bailout area.

"[No.] 17 has a lot of character," Ricky said.

Par-4s

The first three holes are short par-4s that don't require driver off the tee and offer birdie opportunities with accurate shots, though the first hole has a large tree impeding shots from the right side of the fairway, and the second hole has an uphill approach shot.

"They put two of the easiest holes among the first three," Jason said. "It gets a lot more difficult after that."

The sixth hole is a sharp dogleg right around trees with an uphill approach over wetlands and thick clumps of love grass, with bailout room to the left of the green. "I like blind tee shots where you can't see the green," Jason said. "It takes two good shots to get it on the green."

The front doesn't finish easily, with the Waterway along the right side of the 460-yard, par-4 ninth leading to a deep double green that connects to the 18th green.

The 386-yard 11th, 350-yard 12th and 380-yard 15th have wetlands or large waste bunkers to carry on either the drive or approach shot. The 431-yard 16th is both difficult and attractive a drive to the crest of a hill overlooking the green still leaves more than 170 yards with wetlands at the base of the hill, water to the right and behind the green, and trees to the left of the green.

"[The par-4s] are a good mix with some short and some long," Jason said. "They all required a good tee ball."

The 18th is a pretty but funky par-4 measuring 455 yards from the black and 427 from the blue, which are on a back peninsula. The 367-yard white and 350-yard gold tees are on another peninsula. The drive can be played toward the hole on the left but requires a carry over wetlands of between 150 and 260 depending on the tee box. An alternate fairway to the right of the wetlands still requires a long iron approach to a green to the right of the Waterway.

"[No.] 18 was a great risk-reward hole but laying back gave you a long second shot into the green against the wind," Ricky said.

Par-5s

The 590-yard dogleg-left fifth hole requires a second shot over wetlands and approach over a creek, and the 570-yard eighth hole has an attractive downhill tee shot toward a green protected by a myriad of bunkers with the Waterway as a backdrop.

"It's a good-looking design, and kind of a typical Clyde Johnston design where they have par-5s with fairways separated by pompous grass and some force carries," Jason said.

The 535-yard 10th requires a second shot over wetlands, and the 525-yard 13th is a dogleg left that can be reached in two with water down the left side.

Fred liked them all, while Jason and Ricky showed how a player's preference can affect how they perceive holes. Jason liked them because of their length. "They're plenty long, and I like three-shot par-5s. This eliminates the 'bomb and gouge' mentality," Jason said. "They're kind of target golf but it forces you to think about every shot."

Ricky, conversely, would have preferred the opportunity to be more aggressive. "There are not enough par-5s that allow you to reach the green in two," Ricky said. "Most are target golf and only one allows you to attempt to go for it. It's a risk-reward opportunity missed here."

Favorite holes

Jason liked the par-5 fifth, and par-4 sixth, ninth, 15th and 18th holes. "These demanded good tee shots, long approaches and made you think," he said. "You just can't show up and play."

Fred enjoyed the two closing holes on the front nine and three closing holes on the back, and Ricky liked the tough 16th and 18th par-4s down the stretch. On 16, "an accurate tee shot is required and a nice second shot will make the hole manageable." The 18th "has a great view, and a nice risk-reward decision to carry the marsh," Ricky said.

Least favorite holes

The two par-3s on the front nine were easy targets, both for tee shots and criticism. "The front side par-3s are bland and have very little character," Ricky said.

Jason threw in the 183-yard, par-3 14th hole as well. "None were very interesting, save the 17th," he said.

Fred also wasn't overly fond of the par-5 10th, which has wetlands crossing the fairway between 250 and 180 yards from the green.