<img decoding="async" alt="King's North The Gambler" src="/media/images/Kings_North_6_600x300.png" style="width: 600px;height: 300px" />
Story by Ian Guerin
Shane Bowen stood on the tee box of one of the Grand Strand’s most well-known holes.
He’d never played The Gambler at Myrtle Beach <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/myrtle-beach-national-kings-north">National’s King’s North </a>before, but he knew he only had one option. Bowen was going after the island fairway.
With the wind at his back, the mid-range hitter drilled it through that bonus area and into the water. At least with that hand, the dealin’ was done.
“I thought I might clear that island fairway,” Bowen said. “Which I did.”
And yet, he didn’t have any regrets.
“It’s a beautiful hole. It’s a fun hole,” he continued. “You have to challenge yourself with that island fairway. You don’t get a lot of holes like that. It’s a good experience to play something like that because you don’t get that chance a lot.”
Bowen, like many who find the 360-degree water around that fairway to the left of the standard layout, wasn’t beating himself up over his would-be bogey. And that’s because for much of the rest of the round, even his errant shots weren’t all that big of a deal.
Arnie’s design, as it’s become known over the years, has helped separate <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/myrtle-beach-national-kings-north">King’s North</a> from most of the other top-billed courses in and around Myrtle Beach. The wide-open sight lines, creative spacing between holes and a lack of shot-altering tree lines gives visitor’s to Arnold Palmer’s best local layout a forgiving sense of golf rarely seen at this level.
Myrtle Beach National Head Golf Professional and General Manager Ryan Ruddy has gotten used to hearing exactly that.<img decoding="async" alt="King's North at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club" src="/media/images/KN.png" style="width: 225px;height: 225px;float: right" />
“You hit the driver out there and you’re not too worried,” Ruddy said. “The areas around the green are as penal, as say <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/tournament-player-club">TPC [of Myrtle Beach]</a>. TPC eats my lunch. You have to be precise off the tee and your second shots have to be in the right area or you’re not going to be able to get up and down like you are at King’s North. A lot of people enjoy that. Let’s be real: We’re not all out here banging balls on the range. You can get away with a little long, little right, little left. That’s an asset for King’s North.”
Aside from famous Par 5 No. 6, only a trio of back-side holes really buck the wide-open trend. 
The ultra-short Par 3 No. 12 (you’ve probably seen the “SC” bunkering”, No. 16 with its water up the left and the bunker-heavy 18th squeeze you some off the tee.
Those are very much the exceptions to the rule.
“It plays a little easier to me. You’ve got some space,” Bowen said. “If you mishit, we’ve been in some other fairways and had some shots into greens. There are some short holes where you can take advantage of even if you mishit. You can still have a shot at par. The idea that I can still see some other holes plays into the fact that it’s pretty open. You’re not penalized as much as you are at other courses.”
The smooth-sailing approach brings double meaning, however. With all that unobstructed land comes the trade winds.<img decoding="async" alt="King's North 18th Hole" src="/media/images/KN18.png" style="width: 225px;height: 225px;float: right" />
Take Bowen’s tee shot on The Gambler, for instance.
Ruddy said it was a rare moment in which it played downwind. Typically, it runs toward players or across the island. It’s led to plenty of tee shots ending up in the drink right or left.
Navigate that variable, though, and No. 6 and the rest of <a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/myrtle-beach-national-kings-north">King’s North</a> can leave you wanting more.
“If you go out and pay a rate for a good golf course, and you walk away saying ‘Man, I played pretty good &#8211; I want to go back because I can play a little better,” that’s how we get some repeat business,” Ruddy said. “[Getting beat up] is not fun. If you shell out a good chunk of money, and you [don’t feel defeated], most golfers want another go.”
Ian Guerin has been covering sports and golf in South Carolina since 2004. His game has ebbed and flowed like the Atlantic, but he&#8217;s never had to explain to his kids why his round won&#8217;t be televised. You can follow along with the day-to-day conversation on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/iguerin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@iguerin</a>

`Arnie’s Design` Sets King’s North Apart from Myrtle Beach Competitors

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King's North at Myrtle Beach National

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