Story &amp; Photos by Ian Guerin
Not many courses can transplant players so far away from their nearby surroundings.
Architect Willard Byrd found a way to do it at <a href="http://www.mbn.com/courses/meadowlands-golf-club">Meadowlands Golf Club</a> near Myrtle Beach.
For the golf club located in Calabash just a few miles from the South Carolina border, Byrd took an empty canvas and crafted 18 holes that take players onto the farm, toward a lake and then back again, often on the same hole. 
Together, it encompasses a golf course that has been highly regarded by those taking chances or others simply asking for another one.
For many, the fun is shooting for Meadowlands’ oversized greens. Only five of the greens on the par 4s and 5s have a depth of less than 30 yards. The others are, for the most part, at least that wide.
Getting to those greens can be accomplished using a similar strategy.
The par-72 Meadowlands has a 2,000-yard range between the tips (Raven) and the ladies tees (Cardinal). But whether you’re playing the aforementioned tees or the three in-between &#8211; Heron, Egret or Hummingbird &#8211; the open design panders to fast play that can make a sub-four-hour round typical.
Strategy can be conducted quickly because the fairways are kept immaculate; the cultured roughs can be just a shot-happy whether you’re on the the back nine or a front side that increases in difficulty because of the opening three holes.
After an 85-degree dogleg left on the 416-yard No. 1, a 45-degree left turn awaits on No. 2, a 430-yarder. Next up is the hardest handicap on the course at No. 3. The intimidating 480-yard hole has a stream and pond sandwiching the landing zone off the tee. The three par 4s &#8211; all among the toughest seven holes at Meadowlands &#8211; can be vexing.
Get through those, and the rest of the day can be a lesson in salvaging some extra early strokes.
NO. 18 THE QUINTESSENTIAL MEADOWLANDS FINISHER
<img decoding="async" alt="" src="/media/images/Meadowlands_No._18b.jpg" style="float:right;height:225px;margin:6px;width:300px" />There may not have been a better way to wrap up the round at Meadlowlands than with the 502-yard par 5 No. 18.
Following a drive that needs to have some distance, the final third of the hole is cut off by a water hazard that cuts across the fairway and then stretches up each side of the fairway. Wayward shots prior to that point have a chance of ending up in the drink, especially given the wind tunnel effect that comes out of nowhere as you bend around a dogleg to the right.
However, avoid the water, and you can utilize either a bump-and-run style or go after the green on the fly. The two green-side bunkers are on the left and right, leaving the final yards prior the flag open and accessible.

Myrtle Beach Golf Course Review: Meadowlands Golf Club

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Meadowlands Golf Club

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