Little River Golf Courses Deliver Big Fu

By

Chris King

   

The 16th hole at Glen Dornoch offers one of the most dramatic views in all of Myrtle Beach golf.

Little River golf courses, though part of a small town in the Myrtle Beach area, are a big part of the Grand Strand golf scene.

Squeezed between the good times and great courses in North Myrtle Beach and golf-rich Brunswick County, the name Little River may not jump out for many area players but its courses ring familiar.

There are four Little River golf courses and there is something for everyone in a town known for its fishing charters. Here is a look at Little River's courses:

Eagle Nest: The venerable course was one of the North Strand's first. Located just across the Intracoastal Waterway bridge on the north end of the Grand Strand, Eagle Nest Golf Club features a natural setting surrounded by Carolina pines and sparkling lakes. The course has been renovated from tee to greens with gentle contours and generous playing areas.

Glen Dornoch: One of the most memorable Myrtle Beach golf courses, Glen Dornoch is set on 260 acres that include lakes, abundant live oak trees, marsh and stunning views of the Intracoastal Waterway. Glen Dornoch's finishing holes play along the Intracoastal and they are unanimously regarded as among the area's prettiest and most challenging.

The ninth and 18th holes share a double green sandwiched between the clubhouse and the Waterway.

Heather Glen: Named best new public course in America when it opened in 1987, Heather Glen is a 27-hole facility has been pleasing golfers for more than two decades. Carved amidst 400 acres of oaks and pines, Heather Glen was designed by Clyde Johnston and Willard Byrd.

Individually Heather Glen doesn't have holes that match its sister course, Glen Dornoch, for sheer memorability, but taken as a whole it is at least its equal. Heather Glen is an outstanding layout.

River Hills: A Tom Jackson design, the fairways at River Hills meander though rolling hills, unusual for a coastal course. From the day it opened, this challenging design, with frequent 40-foot elevation changes and non-parallel fairways, has been greeted with acclaim. The course has been named to Golfweek's Top 50 in the Southeast list, and recent renovations have helped keep River Hills a favorite choice for Grand Strand golfers.