Barefoot Resort & Golf Courses in Myrtle Beach

The 2,377 acre Barefoot Resort & Golf of Myrtle Beach, SC offers one of the most sought after golf courses in all of North Carolina. And no wonder. Barefoot Resort has four fantastic golf courses in Myrtle Beach, each with its own stellar reputation. The combination of designers for the Barefoot courses is very impressive. They include Pete Dye, Davis Love, Greg Norman and Tom Fazio. These talented architects have created phenomenal opportunities for some terrific golf excursions.

Barefoot Dye Club
The Dye course, the only semi-private course on the resort, is bordered by the beautiful white sands of the Carolina Bays. It is set off from the other courses on the northern end of the Barefoot property. Designer Pete Dye, famous for his notorious pitfalls that create difficult angles and ambitious shots, does not disappoint with his Barefoot course. As would be expected from Dye, the course is challenging, memorable and considered by many to be the most difficult course of the four at Barefoot Resort. The Dye Club is the only Barefoot course that has its own clubhouse. The other three golf courses all share a clubhouse and practice facility.

Golfers must take care not to be carried away by the incredible beauty of the Dye, as there is a beast lying in wait at every turn. The waste bunkering and impressive pitfalls will consistently sneak up on the golfer and generous sculpted elevations are evident throughout the course. Fairways on the Dye are GN-1 Bermuda grass that was developed by Greg Norman Turf. The greens are L-93 Bentgrass and the approaches are Tifdwarf Bermuda grass. The Dye is a 7,343 yard course with a par of 72 and slope of 149. Golf Digest honored Dye with a spot on its “Places To Play” list and also ranked them in the Top 10 of “Top 50 Courses of Myrtle Beach.”

Liberal use of mounds throughout the golf course are just the beginning of the obstacles that will be encountered. Wetland areas come into play on five of the holes, while numerous hardwood and Pine trees surround the outer edges of the course. Players will encounter an impressive fourteen doglegs that include two double doglegs on the 8th and 16th holes. Hole #18 is typical of Dye’s designs as it is guarded by a lake on the left and wide bunkers on the right. The 344 yard 10th hole is often thought to be the best hole of the course. It has a continuous lake on the left, an entirely banked right side, three sizable bunkers and a left dogleg to a raised green. Turn after turn, the course brings about demanding play. Visitors can enjoy fabulous views of holes 9, 10 and 18 from the clubhouse.

Bring your best game to the Dye course as extreme accuracy will be demanded, especially from the tees. From beginning to end, the demand for creative strategies are never ending. For an unforgettable round of golf, Dye is the place to play.

Barefoot Love Course
As a means of meeting the challenges brought on by the other great Barefoot designers, Davis Love chose to focus on individual style with impressive visuals and very fun play. He grasped the low country tradition of creating a course that would provide a great game for players of all abilities. Love even integrated replica 17th century plantation ruins on holes 3-7 to offer a taste of the great courses of Scotland and Ireland.

With a par of 72 and over 7,000 yards, the course has generous landing areas and greens to give a wide open ambiance. These features help to make the course very playable for all golfers. You’ll find more elevations here than on the Dye course and there are seven lakes throughout, so wetlands come into play on most holes. Alternate routes to some of the greens bring added interest to several of the holes including the 16th that uses a large bunker to split the fairway. Make your choice of a more challenging game by taking the right side or play it a little safer by going to the left.

Hole #9 is a par-3, 187 yard hole that requires great accuracy. A large landing area in front of the huge and fairly level green of this hole provides a great spot to pitch the ball onto the green. Though this hole may appear fairly easy so far, there is a waste bunker on the right that could cause a problem and the left side is not much easier. Shrubs, large trees and sawgrass provide obstacles and great scenery. The 18th hole is the perfect finale for this round of golf. It is a par-5 with a 560 yard dogleg left. The combination of this dogleg, waste bunkers, water and hills create quite a feat.

Golf Digest bestowed the Love course with the great honor of its #1 spot in their “Top 50 Courses in Myrtle Beach.” They also took the #6 spot of the “Best New Upscale Public Courses in America” in 2000. In 2005-2006 they ranked #38 in “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.”

The Love course promises a wonderful game of golf. Its designer had the ‘love’ of the game in mind when constructing this one. Much fun and enjoyment are in store when you play this beautiful course..

Barefoot Fazio Course
Live oaks, sand, pine trees, native grasses and nature are all extremely evident in this creation by Tom Fazio, winner of “Golf Course Architect of the Year” for five consecutive years. This is an honor that is well deserved by Fazio with his terrific ability to make each and every one of his 18 holes a unique experience to be remembered. Golf Digest ranked the Barefoot Fazio course at #81 in “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” for 2005-2006 and 6th in “Top 50 Courses in Myrtle Beach” for 2006.

Fazio’s Barefoot course is one of his finest works. It makes its home on an prominent piece of land in the heart of the Barefoot Resort between the Dye and Love courses. Fazio used as much of the natural landscaping as possible, but also added a considerable amount of dramatic elevation changes. Several lakes and abundant trees are very prominent to this course. Though not always a hindrance to players, water will at least be seen on an impressive 15 holes. The GN-1 hybrid turf lies on the tees and fairways, while the greens present A-1 Bentgrass. With a par of 71, the Fazio has 6,834 yards and a slope of 133.

Fazio of Barefoot is a very fair course that begins with a dogleg right that travels through live oak and Pine trees before opening to an raised green. The 2nd hole takes the ball 458 yards from the tee as it travels over wetlands to a dogleg left while being protected by steep bunkers on the fairway. Hole #5 is a tough par-4 with a mighty 499 yards. Making par on this hole will set a great precedent for the rest of your game. The first shot from the tee demands the ball to land on the fairway so that the second shot can make its uphill climb in search for the highly elevated green. The 16th hole has a great deal of sand exposure in contrast to the 18th that has amble amounts of water. Hole #13 is a par-4 hole with many notable stories of victory and defeat. The left side is covered with extensive water, trees and sand, as opposed to the more inviting right side. You’ll still need to stay more towards the middle in order to avoid the steep slopes on both sides.

Barefoot Norman Course
Greg Norman, not a great fan of artificial landscape, did a wonderful job of maintaining much of the natural landscape when designing this course. Significant attention is placed on the sensational waste areas and natural vegetation, leaving only sixty acres of mowable grass. A great deal of undisturbed trees and wetlands are found at every single hole. The Intracoastal Waterways are also prominent on seven of the magnificent holes. The waterways make this course the most scenic of all four of the Barefoot courses.

No expense was spared in the development of Norman’s course that Golf Digest rated in their list of “Places to Play” of 2004. They also made the 28th spot in the “Top 50 Courses of Myrtle Beach” and achieved 4 stars in “Places to Play.”
The GN-1 grass can again be seen on this Barefoot course on the tees and fairways. Approaches offer tifdwarf and the greens are A-1 bentgrass. Zoysia grass presents a striking contrast in texture and color on the rough areas. The Norman course that opened in 2000 is 7,035 yards, with a par of 72, rating of 73.5 and slope of 137. Sod wall bunkers will be seen throughout the course and bump and run shots will often provide an effective and necessary means of getting the ball onto the green.

The 10th hole is a par-3 that presents a downhill tee shot towards a sizable green. The wind conditions here will determine the club to be used. The green is bunker abundant with three on the back and one on the left. Be careful. If you shoot this one too long, your ball will take a swim in the Waterway. The right side of this hole sits against the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway while four bunkers surround the other sides. The par-4 hole #6 offers a narrow fairway towards a green protected by a waste area. Hole #9 is terrific with great design and spectacular views. Avid golfers always hope to be greeted by a special 18th hole and Norman brings it. The hole is reachable by the stronger players in two shots, but a crowned green will hold only the very best of shots. This par-5 is a pristine finish to a magnificent game of golf.

Summary
For a great one stop shop with dazzling golf, visiting the Barefoot courses is a must. Whether you tackle one, two, three or all of the golf courses, none of them will disappoint. Opinions are strongly varied as to which one is the favorite. You’ll just have try them all yourself and decide which one you think comes out on top. Though playing the Barefoot Resort golf courses in Myrtle Beach is a bit on the expensive side, golfers 17 and under will enjoy a more reasonable half price rate.

If you’re looking for more Myrtle Beach golf courses, be sure to visit our list of the best Myrtle Beach golf courses.