<img decoding="async" alt="Barefoot Resort Dye Club 15th Hole" src="/media/images/Barefoot_Dye_15th_1200.png" style="width: 600px;height: 300px" />
Story by Ian Guerin
The idea that Par 3s are a break from the longer holes of a specific course was lost on some designers.
Even the ones who typically apply that strategy liked to tweak their own philosophy from time to time. At six courses along South Carolina’s Grand Strand, those architects made sure you’d remember their difficult Par 3 offerings.
Each of these six holes have accounted for plenty of double and triple bogeys over the years.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/dye-at-barefoot-resort">BAREFOOT RESORT &amp; GOLF DYE CLUB</a>, NO. 15 
When Pete Dye set out his namesake track at Barefoot, there was often so much going on with specific holes that cutting through the noise was the most difficult part. We offer up No. 15 as a prime example. Considerable undulation and complex bunkering around the target area equates to the smallest of misses leading to inflated scores. (top photo)
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/burning-ridge-golf-club">BURNING RIDGE GOLF CLUB</a>, NO. 12 
The third hole after the turn at Burning Ridge is packaged with the most difficult on the entire course &#8211; the 427-yard Par 4 just prior. On No. 12, distance and precision are again the name of the game. The 200-yard Par 3 is emboldened by water and a tricky front-side bunker on a the tip of a peninsula green can be a saving grace of sorts.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/shaftesbury-glen">SHAFTESBURY GLEN GOLF &amp; FISH CLUB</a>, NO. 8 
The second-longest Par 3s on this list, Shaftesbury’s entry allows players to take a much fuller swing. And while many will appreciate the 185 yards (210 from the championship tees), the visual disturbance of the pond drawing your eye away from the green and then three greenside bunkers forming a triangle around the putting surface do you zero favors.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/tournament-player-club">TPC OF MYRTLE BEACH</a>, NO. 17<img decoding="async" alt="TPC Myrtle Beach 17th Hole" src="/media/images/TPC_171.png" style="width: 300px;height: 250px;float: right" /> 
About the only thing that would push the next to last hole at TPC to the brink would be a little more distance. But for those not playing the blacks, the reprieve of going off at 158 yards is more than daunting enough. The peninsula green cuts ever-so-slightly down toward the water, meaning reaching the right side of the green isn’t always a good thing. (pictured right)
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/wild-wing-plantation-avocet">WILD WING AVOCET</a>, NO. 12 
Welcome to the putt-putt version of a Par 3. At 166 yards from the white tees, more than a fair share of players plunk down in the waste bunker in front of the green. Regulars will tell you to take a bigger swing to avoid that, knowing that the backstop here also allows for a bounce back effect. Think of it as making use of the windmill.
<a href="https://www.mbn.com/courses/world-tour-golf-links">WORLD TOUR GOLF LINKS</a> OPEN COURSE, NO. 3 
“Choose your club wisely,” they said, as you struggled to find something even remotely capable to landing you onto a tiny island green all of 115 yards from the standard tees. Based upon the famed 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, this replica is nearly as dangerous. The oversized pond makes up about 90 percent of this sucker, so there is no room for error.
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>

Myrtle Beach Golf’s Six Toughest Par 3s

Courses in this Article

Shaftesbury Glen Golf and Fish Club

TPC of Myrtle Beach

Wild Wing Golf Club

World Tour Golf Links

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