TPC Myrtle Beach remains a must-play course for any serious golfer visiting the Grand Strand. It hosted the Senior PGA Championship won by Hall of Famer Tom Watson and was designed by Tom Fazio in 1999. Fazio is widely regarded as one of the leading golf course architects working today, and many of his designs consistently rank among the top courses in the country. As a Philly native and a graduate of Lansdale Catholic High School, Fazio’s connection to the Philadelphia area resonated with our mostly Philadelphian foursome. Lansdale Catholic even honored him in 2007 by inducting him into the school’s Hall of Fame.
We began our round on the 10th hole on a beautiful April day in Myrtle Beach. Our group included Mike Donahue (president, GT Advisory Board), whose tee shots produced plenty of action; Jimmy “The Cop” Spratt, serious and focused but occasionally distracted (the Blue Angels flying overhead for the Myrtle Beach Air Show didn’t help); my brother Gerry “Gerbils” Gallagher, who warmed up to the course as we went along; and me, playing my usual mix of double bogeys, bogeys and pars. Gerry later admitted to taking some lessons back in Dallas — it showed, especially in his drives.
HOLE 11 | 425 yards, par 4 — “A New Way to Tee Off”
Hole 11 produced both a par for me and a birdie for Gerry, but the most memorable moment was Mike’s wild tee shot. In an effort to show off, he swung hard, caught the ball on the hosel and sent it low and right. The ball hit a white PVC tee marker with such force that the marker spun like a top and was nearly launched into the air. The ball bounded off the marker and continued forward; the whole scene had us roaring with laughter. Mike, unfazed, followed with a powerful 3-wood.
The rest of us took a steadier approach. I drove slightly right, leaving trees more in my head than in reality, and managed to take the ball left into position for the green, then two-putted for par. Gerry landed left-center, hit a perfect iron to the middle of the green and one-putted for birdie. Jimmy, still rattled by the spinning marker incident, found the trees on the left and carded a double bogey.
HOLE 18 | 538 yards, par 5 — “Who’s on First?”
Fazio designed a dramatic finishing hole that can make or break your card. The fairway appears to have drainage issues, and carts are often restricted to paths, though the course was in fine shape the day we played. I ignored the cart-path warning to help keep pace with the group.
My drive was solid but not as long as Gerry’s. While preparing for my second shot, Gerry — in his own world — walked toward his ball, which distracted me and led to a shank into the water left. The fairway is split by a stream that only exceptionally long drives can clear. The second fairway runs alongside a large pond on the left and leads toward the green and the attractive clubhouse beyond. After taking my penalty, I advanced the ball and chipped onto the green for a bogey, choosing to forgive Gerry for his habitual distractions.
HOLE 1 | 377 yards, par 4 — “Off the Bat”
We teed off on Hole 1 next, which is rated as the ninth-hardest handicap hole on the course. Mike, Jimmy and I hit well-placed drives that set up second shots toward a deep green protected by bunkers left and right. Gerry’s tee shot went left and short, bouncing among the trees before coming to rest. He battled back into play only to find a bunker, while the rest of us settled for bogeys and hurried back to the carts.
Hole 2 © FRANCIS X. GALLAGHER
HOLE 2 | 547 yards, par 5 — “Wally and Gerbils”
If you enjoy seeing wildlife, this hole delivers: we spotted a large alligator near Gerry’s tee shot. Gerry elected to take a drop rather than risk a close encounter. This beautiful par 5 demands three precise shots to reach the green as the hole curves around water on the left. The group recorded a mix of bogeys and double bogeys — a reminder that even after a few holes you’re still getting into your rhythm. “You’d think by now we would be warmed up and scoring better,” Mike observed, and he wasn’t wrong.
HOLE 9 | 472 yards, par 4 — “Relief”
Hole 9 is the toughest hole on the front nine by handicap. It requires two solid shots to reach the green while avoiding hazards. A big drive must clear swampy brush beyond the tee and still leave enough distance for a favorable approach. A small pond lies to the right within driving distance, so accuracy off the tee is rewarded. Fortunately, all four of us found the left side of the fairway and avoided the water. My approach encountered a lone bunker, and we all made bogeys — one over par — which felt like a relief rather than a triumph.
Tom Fazio’s routing at TPC Myrtle Beach includes several memorable and distinctive holes that test every part of your game. Whether you choose to attempt a dramatic tee shot that might send a tee marker spinning or take a cautious approach around the wildlife, a round at TPC is well worth the visit. For our Philadelphia crew, the day felt like a homecoming and a fine way to experience one of the Grand Strand’s premier courses.
TPC Myrtle Beach
1199 TPC Blvd.
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
tel 843 357 3399
tpcmyrtlebeach.com