GolfTravelReviews: The Reviews "Tidewater is Grand on the Strand"

The Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach is getting ever grander. This year, 1998, the Strand goes over the century mark with its 100th golf course in a coastal South Carolina area that stretches over 60 miles from Pawleys Island to the south to Sunset Beach, NC, to the north.

Tidewater's signature 12th and 13th holes

If current growth trends continue, the Highway 17 corridor between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, NC, is likely to spawn even more courses and developments, as retirees and young people with the green to burn pour into this area to plant their roots.

Last year alone, the Grand Strand recorded a staggering 4 million plus rounds of golf and every successive year the count increases. Apparently, for now at least, developers can’t open courses fast enough, the demand is that great. The downside to this is that many courses have a sameness about them, perhaps mildly pleasing to the eye but somewhat gimmicky, not particularly challenging, nor strategically interesting. As one recent visitor from England put it, Myrtle Beach is to golf what MacDonalds is to hamburgers.

Thankfully for the traditionalists, there are some filet mignons that stick out in this fast food golf world. Courses especially pleasing to the discriminating palette include Tidewater, Marsh Harbour, and The Surf Club. On Pawleys Island, one of the fastest growing areas on the Strand, there is The Heritage Club, Caledonia and True Blue, Caledonia's newer 'sister' course.

Tidewater is a magnificent golf course on a stretch of property that rivals in beauty and majesty any on the Strand. Situated in the Little River Neck section of North Myrtle Beach, Tidewater, which opened in 1990, was designed by Ken Tomlinson, a Columbia, SC, tax attorney who worked on the project in partnership with Bill Cassels, CEO and founder of Southeastern Freight Co.

Tomlinson, an amateur course architect whose only previous experience was with Arnold Palmer Design on Musgrove Mill Golf Club, visited some of the great courses of the world, including Merion and Pine Valley, before he moved an inch of dirt. A staunch opponent of artificiality, Tomlinson was entirely faithful to the natural features of the land.

The property lies between the intracoastal waterway and Cherry Grove, a community on a peninsula along the Atlantic Ocean. A magnificent tidal marsh and an ocean inlet borders the course on the east and the waterway flanks several holes on the north and west. The site features thick stands of mature pines and hardwoods reminiscent of Maine. Tomlinson’s genius was that he didn’t try to upstage nature. As he said shortly after it was built, "They [the critics] talk about the beauty of the course. I just didn’t screw it up."

Hole #3 at Tidewater

He certainly didn’t. On a course with virtually no design flaws, several holes stand out. Number 12 is a 185 yard par 3 requiring a treacherous carry over the tidal marsh to a shelf-like green. Thirteen is a relatively short par 5 along the marsh to a well-bunkered green with a vicious back to front slope that has seen many players four putt. The green affords a view of the Atlantic. Equally majestic are the par 3 third hole and par 4 fourth which sit atop bluffs that afford spectacular views of the marsh. The inland holes are also impressive for their beauty and simplicity. Number 10 requires a carry of 185 yards over a pond to an elevated fairway that doglegs around pines to a green protected front right by another pond. Consolation for wayward shots on this relatively short par 4 can be found by taking in the awesome beauty of the hole. Nearly every other hole is as distinctive and is also enclosed by thick woods in a golf course community where the moderate number of homes are situated well away from the areas of play.

While many tracks call themselves "championship," Tidewater is the genuine article. It could easily host a major championship. It’s that good. In fact, according to Head Golf Professional Rick Shoemaker, "His [Tomlinson’s] primary aim was to build a course that could eventually host a Ryder Cup or national championship. At the same time, he wanted a very playable course that could be enjoyed by players of all caliber. He recognized that golf is not just about striking golf balls but about having a total experience."

Though pricey in high season, you get what you pay for at Tidewater -- marvelous bent grass greens, lush well manicured fairways, well maintained bunkers and a practice facility enclosed by woods reminiscent of a college quad or village green. A friendly, efficient staff provides outstanding service. Moreover, Shoemaker plans to add staff including tournament and outings coordinators. For tee times, call 1-800-446-5363.