Gary Player has played and designed golf courses all around the world, but there’s only one Gary Player Signature Course on the Grand Strand — Blackmoor Golf Club. Designed to be challenging, yet fair, Blackmoor features well-groomed fairways and greens and modest elevation changes, primarily through moving earth. The course was built on the historic Longwood Plantation, which runs parallel to the Waccamaw River.
Easily the most memorable hole on the golf course is Number 8, a par 4 that plays 347 yards from the White tees – much shorter with Option B. “A Tale of Two Fairways” would be an appropriate name for this hole. The conventional, aka wider fairway is to the left, making this a dogleg right. You can leave driver in the bag with this route and hit a 3-wood or hybrid off the tee. That should leave a moderate chip shot into the green.
Option B is for the gambler in you. Number 8 gives you an option to go directly at the green, up a narrow alleyway which plays about 270 yards. Be warned, hit it straight or pay the price. Either way, you end up at a gently undulating green protected with bunkers left – or behind the green – depending on your route. Executed correctly, Option B could help you pick up a shot on the field.
The par 3, Number 4 is by no means the longest par 3 on the course – it’s a mere 130 yards – but at the same time this scenic hole is definitely no pushover. With a little bit of intimidation from the pond in front and the long, narrow bunker left of the green, this hole will get you thinking. It also has one of the deepest greens on the course, so proper club selection is essential.
Number 10, the only dogleg left at Blackmoor, is also handicapped as the hardest hole on the course. Favor the left side of the fairway on this 365-yard hole par 4; a well-placed shot of about 230 yards will leave an approach of less than 140 to a kidney shaped green that is well protected by bunkers. This is one of those holes where brains are better than brawn. A back left pin position is best attacked from the front right as the green is very shallow back there. A challenging hole that can be tamed with two well thought shots.
Even without the old slave cemetery that runs down the left side of this hole and dates back to the 1800’s, Number 13 (478 yards from the White Tees) would still be a good hole. Add in the cemetery and good becomes great! Calling this a dogleg right doesn’t do it justice; it’s more like a 45° right turn. A long fade off the tee goes a long way in lessening the burden on your second shot, where, depending on your length off the tee, you’ll have a decision to make. Anyone with a clear shot at the green needs to go for it; there’s not a lot of trouble around the green other than a bunker on the right side and trees on the left if you’re way off. The green slopes from back right to front left, so do your best to keep the ball below the hole.
Blackmoor also has an excellent practice area with a full length driving range where you can hit every club in the bag to your heart’s content, and a putting green. The clubhouse features a well-stocked pro shop with all of your favorite logoed Blackmoor gear and a grill and bar that serves all of your favorite libations and clubhouse food. The burgers are unbelievable.
There’s nothing not to like at Blackmoor Golf Club. From the moment you pull up to the bag drop to the last drink you order at the Grill, Blackmoor’s staff is friendly and courteous. General Manager Bob Zuercher has been at Blackmoor for 30 years and has ridden the roller coaster of Myrtle Beach golf. He is to be commended for having a great staff and for making an enjoyable golf experience that much more enjoyable. It’s no wonder the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association has seen fit to name Blackmoor “Myrtle Beach Golf Course of the Year”.
Nearly half of the holes at Blackmoor are doglegs and will require not only proper club selection but also good placement if you want to score well. Many greens are elevated and require you to fly it on the green as opposed to running it on. All of the greens roll fast and true. If you’re looking for an enjoyable round with some great people, you need to consider playing Blackmoor Golf Club on your next visit to Myrtle Beach.
We’re headed around the corner for the next stop in Charlie’s “Breaking Par” journey: Founders Club at Pawleys Island, formerly known as Sea Gull Golf Club and one of the flagship golf properties along the Grand Strand’s South End shores and the Waccamaw Golf Trail.
We all ask the question about any place we enjoy great golf, and it’s no different when it comes to playing the award-winning designs along the Waccamaw Golf Trail: Where are the best places to get a great pre- or post-round meal in Murrells Inlet?
The Big Timer’s journey begins now. Charlie Rymer launches his quest toward “Breaking Par” by teeing it up at the Grand Strand’s southernmost golf course – Wedgefield Country Club in Georgetown, S.C.
