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Arcadian Shores | Barefoot
Resort (Dye/Fazio/Love/Norman) | Dunes Club
International World Tour | Myrtle Beach TPC | Pawleys
Plantation
Pine Lakes | The
Reserve | Tidewater | True Blue | Wild
Wing-Avocet
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Barefoot
Resort Seeks Status
As Major Southeast Golf Destination
The promoters are calling it "a city within a city" and
describing it as "reminiscent of " Savannah’s Riverfront, Charleston’s
Market, and New Orleans’ French Quarter. Encompassing 2300 acres directly on the west
bank of the waterway in north Myrtle Beach, Barefoot Resort will have 23 different
residential communities with an eventual population of 12,000. The homesites, being
developed by Centex, include waterfront villas and golf view homes, comprising 1100 single
family homes and 2,000 multi-family complexes.
 |
Artist's rendition of the
Clubhouse and Lodge to open
in 2001. They will be adjacent to the Dye Course. |
In a mixed-use development, Barefoot Resort will feature a Town
Center comprised of hotels with meeting facilities, boutiques, sidewalk cafes and a host
of service businesses including restaurants, laundries, pharmacies and supermarkets. The
plan also calls for parks, soccer fields, an equestrian center, an outdoor amphitheater,
indoor and outdoor pools, parks and playgrounds, and a recreation center featuring
racquetball and tennis courts. If that weren’t enough, water enthusiasts will be able
to enjoy beaches along the waterway or enjoy boating from a full-service marine.
Barefoot Resort lies across the waterway opposite the retail park,
Barefoot Landing, which stands to benefit from the market that will be created by the
large influx of new residents. Accessible from Highway 17 North, the resort property is
connected to the east side of the waterway by an historic drawbridge that was imported
from North Carolina.
In keeping with Barefoot’s grand conception, no less than four
very good, high-end courses wind through the trees, along the waterway and up and down the
rolling hills of this expansive unspoiled site. Opened in the spring of 2000, the courses
are designed by Davis Love, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio and Greg Norman. I played all but the
Norman course on my visit to Myrtle Beach in mid-June (2000), as it was temporarily closed
for maintenance at that time.
The Dye Course
The Dye course is set off from the others in the north end of the
property. It will eventually be completely private with its own clubhouse. Adjacent to the
clubhouse will be a 79-room lodge, a joint venture between Barefoot Resort and Golf
Lodging, L.L.C., based in Englewood, Colo. The lodge will include meeting space and 10
deluxe residential condo units. A limited number of ultra-high-end homesites are sprinkled
around the course. Access to the Dye Course will be limited to the projected 400 club
members, who will have priority tee times, and to resort guests.
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The Dye Course challenges even
the best |
The Dye Course, in two words, is very hard, no matter what tees
you play from. Mid to high handicappers may not enjoy playing this course repeatedly, so
it will be interesting to see how much success the club has in recruiting or retaining
members. As with all Dye creations, there is plenty to test your shotmaking prowess and
your nerves. Stretching from 5021 to 7343 yards and playing to a par 72, this course will
eat players alive if they don't bring their "A" games. The slope from the
tournament tees is 149, 132 from the Championship tees (6634 yards) and 124 from the
member tees (6005).
Visually arresting as all Dye courses are, this track is filled with
enough pitfalls to snare a fox. A premium is placed on extreme accuracy, particularly off
the tees. This is pure target golf from tee to green on a course that lies on originally
flat terrain. However, Dye, a terror with a D-9, has sculpted elevations. His creation
features plenty of water, impossibly high rough of centipede and zoysia and a dizzying
number of fairway and greenside bunkers. You can measure some of his frequent waste
bunkers in acres. They seem to engulf some holes, like on the 380-yard 2nd. In
addition, the greens have nerve-jangling slopes and hogbacks. If you don’t land on
the right side of some pins, you are headed for a sure 3-putt.
The course is under top quality management, so in time the
course’s conditions will be outstanding. However, in mid summer 2000, a few greens
were adversely affected by dry weather and some kind of fungus. The greens are L-93, a
disease-resistent hybrid species of bent. The fairways are GN-1 Bermuda, developed by Greg
Norman Turf.
Dye uses mounds liberally to frame most holes and to pose an enormous
inconvenience for those hitting on or around them. Some mounds, such as the "mountain
range" between the #1 fairway and the outstanding practice tee are out of play and
were created strictly for visual effect. Two large continuous wetland areas come into play
on holes 2, 3, 5, 9 and 17. Pine and hardwood forests lie around the edges of the course
but within the course itself, the route is open save for sprinklings of palmettos and
other native vegetation.
The course looks like it could have been designed by Salvador Dali. It
has some intricate sight lines and no less than 14 doglegs! These include two double
doglegs, the 543-yard 8th and the 574-yard 16th. Both are majestic.
The 8th starts from an elevated tee box and runs out at an
angle over a portion of a huge waste bunker on the right to the landing area tightened by
bunkers and mounds left. The second shot must be long and accurate, as a lake left flanks
the fairway some 400 yards out and runs all the way to the green. A sliver of a waste
bunker stands between the lake and the fairway until just before the green. The left side
of the green is also guarded by two bunkers. A cluster of four fairway bunkers lie in the
middle of the fairway directly in front of the green about 40 yards out. The green has
enough slopes and contours to mystify a physicist. The day I played the course the pin
location was smack on a ridge, making my 2-footer very nervy.
On #16, the drive must carry a corner of a waste bunker right and avoid
mounds left. The landing area of the second shot is guarded left by another large waste
bunker. A high mound juts into the fairway some 60 yards from the green, obscuring the
putting surface from the right side.
The par-4 9th plays 493 yards from the tips (410 from the
Championship tees) and features a carry over a wetland and a waste bunker to a
right-to-left bending fairway lined on the right by a ridge that is high enough to hide
the large lake separating #9 from #18. My partner hit slightly right over the ridge and
rudely discovered that her ball had gone down the steep slope into the lake.
The finishing hole is trademark Dye. It is a right-to-left job very
similar in shape and appearance to #18 at Sawgrass, only it plays 475 yards from the tips
instead of 444 yards. It has a very narrow landing area guarded left by the lake and right
by wide bunkers. The green sits on the edge of the lake and is surrounded by mounds on the
right. There is no bailout except short and straight.
Hole 10 is possibly Dye’s best here. It is only 344 yards but it
puts enormous pressure on your drive, as there is a lake on the left virtually from tee to
green. The hole doglegs left to an elevated green (there are many elevated greens here).
The entire right side of the fairway is banked and has three large bunkers.
On a course with intriguing visuals and shapes, the par 3’s stand
out. They are also very hard. The sixth has a lake on the right from tee to green. The
green sits right on the lake and has mounds left. At 195 yards, it presents a Maalox
moment. The 227-yard 15th has no water but then it doesn’t need it.
Hardwood plantings line the left side of this hole stretching from an elevated tee box to
an elevated green with a high bank behind. The green is wide but very narrow. A hogback
separates the green into two halves, creating severe down slopes on both sides of the
ridge. The hole is very difficult with the hole in front, but back left, it is virtually
impossible to get your tee shot anywhere near the pin. The 17th is a fine hole
over a wetland to a narrow green front to back that looks even narrower from the tee.
Sometimes Dye takes his diabolical tendencies too far. For example, the
461-yard 11th is hard enough because of its length. Defying understanding, he
has put a high-mounded pot bunker smack in front of the green, totally nullifying the
option of a bump-and-run approach. Even with a good drive, you must hit a high medium to
long iron or a wood to reach the green, and if you are playing this one into the wind,
take your bogey and walk quickly to the next tee box.
Save for the 18th, I played the Dye Course from all the way
back. I played very well and only managed to shoot one over on the front 9. I continued to
hit the ball solidly on the back but a series of wayward drives into the bunkers or rough
left me scrambling for too many bogeys. Worn out physically and mentally, I let a good
round slip away. The course will do that. It presents an uninterrupted challenge from the
first tee to the last green. The course will dazzle you with its unusual holes and I
suggest you try it for that reason. But don’t feel discouraged if you shoot 10
strokes over your handicap. You won’t be the first.
The Love Course
The Love course is more user friendly. It has a wide open feel save for
a few holes on the back. It has been described as a traditional course with a Lowcountry
character. Stretching up to 7200 yards with a par of 72, the Love Course features several
greens with false fronts similar to those on Pinehurst #2.
 |
The 'ruins' at the Love Course |
The course, which has A-1 bent on the greens and 419 Bermuda on
the fairways with fescue and zoysia rough, has seven lakes, and wetlands on almost every
hole. On several holes, Love has presented alternate routes to the green. The most
interesting of these is the 412-yard 16th with a large mounded bunker splitting
the fairway in two. A tee shot right of the bunker leaves an open shot to the green but
your drive must negotiate a long wetland carry and avoid a lake on the right. The safer
play to the left leaves a totally or partially obscured approach shot.
There are more elevations on this course than the Dye track, and on
some holes hardwood and pine forests come into play and make for a contrasting visual, as
well as golfing, experience. On the long par-5 finishing hole, the tee shot must land
safely on the narrow alleyway through the trees. From there, the hole doglegs left to a
green sitting directly on a lake. The second shot must avoid both a lake and a wetland
area. The best of the fine set of par 3s is the 235-yard (207 from the next forward tees)
9th, featuring a forced carry over a large wetland. The best hole on the course
is arguably the 552-yard 8th to a fairway marked by a bunker some 275 yards out
in the left center of the fairway. A good safe drive to the right of the bunker leaves a
very long second over an environmental area to an elevated well-bunkered green. It’s
a marvelously designed hole with strong visuals and challenging features.
In a design decision that I think was misguided, Love has built a ruins
of a southern plantation complete with columns (some of which are toppled over) directly
behind the 4th green and beside the 6th green. A portion of the
structure’s brick wall comes right up to the edge of the 4th green, so
that a slightly off line approach could result in an unplayable lie. The "ruins"
was put there because Davis wanted to have the feel of a Scottish links, which typically
have ruins on them. However, this is not Scotland, and the attempt here seems hokey and
artificial. The two adjacent greens sit in an open area that needs framing, but putting an
artificial ruins there is contrived. Framing the greens with mounds and/or trees and
vegetation would have served the same purpose and created and more natural look.
Even so, the Love Course offers an enjoyable trek over crests and vales
and through lovely forested terrain with lots of lakes and sand.
 |
The Norman Course |
The Norman Course
Though I did not get to actually play the Norman course on this trip,
here is an overview. Distinguishing it from the others is seven holes on the waterway,
resulting in its being the most "scenic" of the four. Also, Norman has worked
with the natural contours of the land as he found them. Abundant waste areas and natural
vegetation frame many holes of a course which in places resembles some of the desert
layouts of the Southwest. It also features McKenzie style bunkers with sloping white
faces. There are a few sod-wall bunkers. The greens slope gently and are designed to
receive bump-and-run approaches. Norman employed a variety of turf grasses to add color to
the scene. The tees and fairways consist of GN-1, a hybrid Norman turf. The approach areas
are Tiff Dwarf, the rough areas are zoysia and GN-2 and the greens are A-1. The course
plays to par 72 and stretches to 7200 yards.
The Fazio Course
At 6834 yards from the tips, the Fazio course has a slope of 133 with a
par of 71. There are five par 3’s. As with all of his designs, this course is very
fair and visually satisfying. Fazio frames his holes magnificently, using the natural
contours of the land and the landscape features unselfconsciously. The course has a lot of
created elements, yet it doesn’t seem contrived. That is a tribute to Fazio’s
ingenuity because he worked with a tract of land with widely varying characteristics.
Pines and hardwoods come into play on many holes and water occurs on 15 holes, though some
of these water features are out of play. Several holes on the back have a savanna look
with lots of exposed sand that lies near the surface.
 |
The Fazio Course |
The course starts in a parkland setting. The opener is a 390-yard
dogleg right to an elevated green through the live oaks and pines. This is followed by a
458-yarder over a lake and wetland from the tee to a bend in the left-hand dogleg that is
guarded by large and steep fairway bunkers. The 4th is a majestic sweep of a
hole, measuring 548 yards, most of which are uphill. Here the terrain becomes more
elevated and less wooded. The open setting continues on the equally magnificent 5th
of 499 yards (467 from the next forward). It is a par 4 all uphill. The fairway is quite
wide and guarded by wide bunkers. On the green you are on the higher elevation of the
course.
The par 5’s measure between 533 and 558 yards. The best of these
is the double dogleg 10th veering out to a wide fairway with a large sprawling
lake and a waste bunker on the right. The fairway turns left around the lake and back
right again toward the lakeside green. The second shot landing area is very tight between
the lake and a set of bunkers.
Water is the predominant feature of all of the par 3’s. The
191-yard 6th starts from an elevated tee and requires a carry over a lake to a
huge two-tiered green. The 198-yard 16th is one of the most visually appealing
on the course. The lake, which also comes into play on the 170-yard 2nd, wraps
around half of the green on #16. A waste bunker runs from the green’s edge down to
the lake, creating a colorful visual texture that is worthy of your camera. A palm tree in
the waste bunker adds interest to the hole.
The back 9 features three successive short par 4’s. Holes 13-15
measure 379, 380 and 346 yards, respectively. In this portion of the course, sand lies
just beneath the surface of the ground and, as with the 16th, Fazio has taken
advantage of this feature by exposing a lot of the sand. The finishing hole of 453 yards
is dominated by water. The drive from the two back tees must carry a lake, and the entire
left side of the fairway and green are guarded by another lake. The hole is a back-breaker
and stunning.
At Barefoot, Fazio brings out his best instincts, weaving a stirring
set of holes through terrain of different characteristics. His deft use of water, sand,
and vegetation and his varied elevations result in a course that has excellence written
all over it.
A single clubhouse and practice facility will serve the Love, Norman
and Fazio courses. Barefoot Resort is a development of Silver Carolina, a private
partnership led by Sam Puglia, a local businessman and real estate developer with
substantial holdings throughout the southeast. The partnership originally had visions of
building a small retail operation on a modest piece of property west of the waterway.
Then, an opportunity came up to buy a much larger tract of land.
For tee times and more information, call 877-237-3767. 
Photos courtesy Brandon Advertising
Click On A
Course Below To Continue:
Arcadian Shores | Barefoot
Resort (Dye/Fazio/Love/Norman) | Dunes Club
International World Tour | Myrtle Beach TPC | Pawleys
Plantation
Pine Lakes | The
Reserve | Tidewater | True Blue | Wild
Wing-Avocet
Myrtle Beach Intro
Alan B. Nichols is
a professional golf-travel writer residing in Bethesda, MD.
He is the featured golf-travel writer
for GolfLink. Alan appreciates your
comments on his features and the courses he has written
about.
E-MAIL ALAN NICHOLS
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