By Myrtle Beach golf standards, Heather Glen Golf Links is one of the area’s older, more respected courses. While many layouts sprang up during the 1990s golf boom and some closed after the 2009 recession, Heather Glen predates that era, opening in 1987. When it debuted, Golf Digest named it America’s No. 1 New Public Course, and it still ranks highly in many player surveys. Heather Glen is part of The Glens Group, alongside Glen Dornoch, Shaftesbury Glen and Possum Trot.
The facility features 27 holes arranged as three nines — the Red, White and Blue — and includes several of the best holes in the Myrtle Beach area. A tree-lined driveway of live oaks gives the clubhouse a true Southern plantation feel. On the course, tight fairways framed by tall pines demand accuracy; stray shots often end up in trouble rather than among the scenic trees.
Willard C. Byrd, a World War II veteran who served on a Navy minesweeper, designed the course. Byrd created or renovated nearly 100 courses over his career, including notable designs around the Southeast. His layouts are known for strategic bunkering, demanding shot placement and thoughtful routing — traits apparent at Heather Glen.
I played Heather Glen with friends Mike Donahue, Bobby Hancock and Gerry “Gerbils” Patrick. We left hopeful we’d be invited back despite the evidence we provided to the contrary.
WHITE COURSE
Hole 1 | 430 yards, par 4 “The Redan”
A strong opening hole, “The Redan” tests every part of a player’s game. Tee shots that miss left or right can find water or a strategically placed waste bunker, a particular temptation for those who tend to push or pull drives. Even well-struck tee shots can leave a long iron into the green, and a large fronting bunker — jokingly called “Hacker’s Haven” — waits to catch approach shots. It’s a hole that frustrates and rewards in equal measure.
Hole 4 | 165 yards, par 3 “The Pot Hole”
Named for a distinctive pot bunker guarding the green, this short par 3 is tougher than yardage suggests. The deep, penal bunker here — nicknamed the “Devil’s Mistress” by local players — swallows many approaches and creates a demanding up-and-down. The hole is also part of Heather Glen lore: Jimmy Whelehan famously recorded two aces here in one day on March 1, 1992, using the same club and the same ball — a rare feat.
Hole 8 | 409 yards, par 4 “The Spectacle”
This dogleg left tempts long hitters to take the corner over water and waste bunkers, but doing so requires clearing a pond and several hazards. The safer play down the right still leaves an awkward lie from which to attack the green. Our group provided plenty of entertainment as drives found the pond or surrounding bunkers, a testament to Byrd’s clever use of water and sand to punish overly ambitious lines.
Blue Course Hole 8 © Francis X. Gallagher
BLUE COURSE
Hole 8 | 525 yards, par 5 “Perfection”
A demanding par 5, this hole requires a precise drive to clear a drainage ditch and reach a generous fairway. The second shot must be placed carefully to avoid water guarding the green and to navigate the ditch once more. The green angle and left-side protection make reaching it in two a risky proposition. On our round, Mike Donahue produced a remarkable sequence: his ball hugged a steel storm pipe, struck a rock, and then spun inside the pipe in a corkscrew motion before settling — a shot both bizarre and unforgettable.
Hole 9 | 410 yards, par 4 “Bunker’s Hill”
Named in reference to the famed Revolutionary War site, this finishing hole on the nine is protected by a series of bunkers that form a defensive line approaching the green. The bunkering starts about 100 yards out, continues along the right side of the approach and encircles the green, creating a fortified target. Mounding and contouring produce a valley effect into a redan-style green, making the approach demanding and strategic. It’s a fitting, challenging close to the nine.
Heather Glen Golf Links
650 Heather Glen Way
Little River, SC 29566
tel 843 249 9000
glensgolfgroup.com