What would you say

[M. Shea Sweeney]

What would you say to a guy who says: “Friars Head reminds me of a golf course that would be in Myrtle Beach”?

I am serious-- for those of you who have played Friars Head and like the golf course, how would you defend it?

Discuss.

Thanks,

Mike
(not the Mike Sweeney your thinking of)

[Philippe Binette]

I guess what you mean, buddy, is that Friar's Head has 18 holes just like the course you're talking about in Myrtle Beach

[M. Shea Sweeney]

Philippe-

No thats not what I mean.

I mean for those out there who feel the architecture at Friar's Head is strong, and someone said to you that Friar's reminds you of a course from Myrtle Beach--you might take that as saying the golf course isn't very good.

Well now how would you defend it?

Thanks.

[Jim_Kennedy]

You shouldn't encourage morons, don't say anything to them.

[Tom Birkert]

My initial thought would be "I need to get to Myrtle Beach!"

However, my understanding of the courses in Myrtle Beach is that they look very fake compared to the wonderfully natural look at Friar's Head. I doubt many courses in Myrtle Beach have such features as the "Hell's Half Acre" rugged bunker on 7, the extraordinary green on the same hole, or indeed holes like 10, 15 and 16.

[Chip Gaskins]

Delete

[J_ Crisham]

Chip,  Is that the Long Bay Club- a Nicklaus signature course? It looks familiar and not in a good way- that is a fairly hard uninspiring track. Not sure if it is still around as I've not been to MB in 10 yrs or more.           Jack

[Bill_McBride]

Mike, the rap on Myrtle Beach golf, with some exceptions, is that it's flat, featureless, weak designs for golfers more interested in price than quality, and generally boring.

By contrast, Friars Head is not any of those.

How's that?

[Garland Bayley]

Myrtle Beach is way better. There are far more drinking establishments around, not to mention other amenities.

[M. Shea Sweeney]

Bill-

That sounds about right.

I am just trying to see if anyone can actually explain why the architecture is superior to your generic Myrtle course.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Personally I like Jim's comment!... but...

I would ask him to point out one hole that looks forced upon the land.

I would ask him to point out the waste areas that are natural and the ones that were created.

I would ask him if he has every played any more imaginative holes than 4, 7, 9, 10, 17.

And I would ask him to name all the courses where the overall golf experience was better.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill-

That sounds about right.

I am just trying to see if anyone can actually explain why the architecture is superior to your generic Myrtle course.

Also, there are no holes, not one, with water left and condos right at Friars Head.

There are a few of those at Myrtle Beach.   

[Stewart Abramson]

Mike, the rap on Myrtle Beach golf, with some exceptions, is that it's flat, featureless, weak designs for golfers more interested in price than quality, and generally boring.

I don't think that is a fair description of Myrtle Beach. MB has as at least as many decent public venues as most 70 mile non-links strips of land. MB is no longer a cut rate low cost destination, although it does still offer that.  These courses may not be world beaters and are not cheap, but provide a decent enough two weeks of golf without getting bored. They aren't Friars Head, but here are 20 MB courses off the top of my head that I would play again. From South to North:

Caldeonia (Strantz)
True Blue (Strantz)
Willbrook (Maples)
Founders Club
TPC
Prestwick (Dye)
Moorland (PB Dye)
Heathland (Doak)
Wildwing (Brauer)
Dunes Club (RT Jones)
Grande Dunes (Rulewich)
Tidewater
Barefoot Dye
Barefoot Love
Barefoot Fazio
Oyster Bay (Maples)
Tigers Eye (Cate)
Leopards Chase (Cate)
Rivers Edge (Palmer)


There is a hole at Moorland (which is hardly a boring, featurelsees layout) named after Hell's Half Acre

[Ben Sims]

I would ask that individual if they had as much fun at the Myrtle place as Friars. If they said yes, I would make a mental note of how "fun" to many of us on this site is exactly the opposite of "fun" for the majority of golfers out there.

My wife tells me her favorite part of many of the videos on youtube and other venues of various architects, is watching them throw a ball down and see how it reacts to the ground.  It goes back to the theory about "fun" equating to ball interaction with landforms.  How many recreational golfers feel that way out there?  10%?  Maybe less?

[Bill_McBride]

Mike, the rap on Myrtle Beach golf, with some exceptions, is that it's flat, featureless, weak designs for golfers more interested in price than quality, and generally boring.

I don't think that is a fair description of Myrtle Beach. MB has as at least as many decent public venues as most 70 mile non-links strips of land. MB is no longer a cut rate low cost destination, although it does still offer that.  These courses may not be world beaters and are not cheap, but provide a decent enough two weeks of golf without getting bored. They aren't Friars Head, but here are 20 MB courses off the top of my head that I would play again. From South to North:

Caldeonia (Strantz)
True Blue (Strantz)
Willbrook (Maples)
Founders Club
TPC
Prestwick (Dye)
Moorland (PB Dye)
Heathland (Doak)
Wildwing (Brauer)
Dunes Club (RT Jones)
Grande Dunes (Rulewich)
Tidewater
Barefoot Dye
Barefoot Love
Barefoot Fazio
Oyster Bay (Maples)
Tigers Eye (Cate)
Leopards Chase (Cate)
Rivers Edge (Palmer)


There is a hole at Moorland (which is hardly a boring, featurelsees layout) named after Hell's Half Acre

Stewart, there used to be a lot more mediocre courses at Myrtle Beach, but many of them have closed.

You list some good courses (love the Stranz), but many are of the water left / condo right variety.

The original question was why some golfers would prefer Myrtle Beach courses to Friars Head.  Have you played Friars Head?  (I always hate that question but it's pretty key to this comparison!)  I listed the features where I think Friars Head outshines MB courses, you want to tell me I'm underrating MB courses.  It's two different things being compared, not a general putdown of Myrtle Beach courses.

[Mike Sweeney]

What would you say to a guy who says: “Friars Head reminds me of a golf course that would be in Myrtle Beach”?

i would say that Sweeney has become a golf snob on Long Island and is drinking too many Long Island iced teas.  

If his perspective is narrow tree lined courses of say Westchester, of course wide open courses would seem similar. Mike Stranz was an artist. C&C are more like historians who expose the land. Both seem to focus on the strategic/visual balance with C&C typically getting the better properties.

I once played with Maxie the Captain of Enniscrone GC in Ireland and his favorite place to travel was Myrtle Beach because of the contrast. Maybe FH and Caledonia are similar in comparison to your friend's home course.

I have never played Caledonia, but it looks pretty good to me:

[Bill_McBride]

Caledonia and its next door neighbor, True Blue, are terrific courses, some of Mike Stranz' best work.

Neither is at the level of Friars Head.  There is much less variety of terrain and topography, there is some repetition, the greens are not as interesting.

They are the best I've played at Myrtle Beach, but not up to the standard of Friars Head.