Belle Terre Course Detail
This writeup was done from the white tees (6368 yards). There are two more sets of tees behind the whites (blues and blacks). The blacks stretch all the way out to 7013 yards. But the whites are plenty tasty for the bogey golfer. The course has lots of trouble, in the form of water, deep woods, and forced carries. Bring plenty of ammunition!
#1 is pretty much straight away, and plays 412 yards. The fairway is built up from both sides, and if you stray too far to either side, you'll roll off a set of steep burms into the woods on either side (unless, of course, you roll into the massive fairway bunker on the right. Anyplace on the fairway is a good drive, really, but left is better because it keeps you out of the bunker. Your second (or third) shot wants to be pretty accurate -- there are bunkers guarding the front of the green on both sides. Do NOT be long! There's a six foot drop off behind the green. I skulled a lob wedge, which never got off the ground. By the time it reached the back of the green, it was barely trickling, but it still rolled all the way down the incline onto the cart path behind.
The second hole is a par 3 which wraps around the left side of a pond. It's only 146 yards, and ought to be reachable with a mid iron, oughtn't it? Be committed to the shot, and strike it smartly. I came out up out of the swing and topped it into the water...
#3 is a 546 yard par 5. The tee shot is a forced carry over a swamp (the first of many). The carry is not that far (maybe 120 yards), so stay calm and make your regular swing. According to the yardage book, the bunker on the right is 213 yards, and is certainly in play. Keep to the left side for safety's sake. As you come into the green, there are cavernous bunkers on both sides. However, the green itself is huge, so there's really no need to land in either bunker. You can always tell when I say things like that, that I somehow did manage to land in one...
The fourth hole is a 348-yard par 4 which wraps around the right side of a lake, so the left side is all water. The right side is all sand. Accuracy is at a premium here, but if you're going to miss, miss right. It looks like there are lots of bunkers on the right, but it's really a single long bunker wrapped in amongst the burms. Aim at the very end of it, which is about 220 yards out.
#5 is a 169 yard par 3. It wraps around the other side of the same lake from #4, so it's basically a forced carry from the blues and whites. Be aware that the prevailing breezes are always in your face here, and take an extra club. Oh, by the way, there's water behind the green too!
Number six is a short par 4, only 326 yards. Like #4, it also wraps around the right side of a lake. In fact, I thought I'd taken a wrong turn at the green and wound up re-playing #4. Same strategy, obiously -- favor the right side of the fairway in order to avoid the lake. You don't need a lot of distance here, you just need to keep the ball in play.
#7 is a short par 5, playing only 470 yards from the whites. Because of the length, it's a great opportunity for the average bogey golfer to log a solid par. The key is to keep the ball in play, and not go hitting a big slice into the woods. Ahem. But enough about my troubles... There's a lake on the left side, and a Mongo-sized bunker on the right, about 186 yards from the tee. There's another large bunker on the left in front of the green. So hit it anywhere in the fairway off the tee, and favor the right side on your second shot to setup a short or mid iron into the green.
#8 is a long par 4, at 435 yards. It doglegs to the right, and has a fearsome bunker guarding the corner. Take what the course gives you, and hit your first shot down the middle. Because of the length, bogey is a good score on this hole. Keep it in play, and if it takes you three shots to reach the green, that's okay.
#9 is a great hole for someone that likes to hit fades. It's a 397 yard par 4. The fairway wraps around the left side of a lake, and the inclination to haul off and swing from the heels is powerful. However, as you well know, there's a fine line between the perfect fade, and a banana ball slice. Hit a normal swing and favor the left side to set up a long iron into the green. If you're a bit short on the approach, you can still make an up and down par.
The tenth hole has a truly prodigious fairway bunker down the right hand side of the fairway. It starts at 163 yards, and goes all the way to the front side of the green. The tee box sets up to make it look like you have to hit at the bunker. If you can get that thought out of your head, this is actually a pretty easy hole. It's only 339 yards. Stay left of the bunker, and hit a normal ho-hum drive, setting up a short iron into the green.
#11 is another short par 5, at 471 yards. The white tees have a forced carry over a swamp area. Fortunately, it's only there for mental effect -- the actual carry is only about 140 yards. Favor the right side -- there's a pond on the left. Don't go too far right -- there're about a dozen little bunkers sprinkled in amongst the burms on the right. The green has four bunkers around it. Take advantage of the short length, and get close enough to be using a wedge or short iron on your third shot!
The twelfth hole is a bit intimidating as you're standing on the tee box. It has a row of very tall pines running down the right side of the fairway, and thick woods on the left beyond the rough and the fairway bunkers. With all the timber, it gives the hole a very tight, claustrophic feel. On the other hand, I don't think the fairway is actually any narrower than any other hole. At any rate, accuracy is at a premium here. The important shot, it turns out, is your approach shot -- there are a couple of major-league bunkers flanking the green.
#13 is, well, just gnarly... It's 405 yards straight into the teeth of the prevailing winds. I hit a really good drive, and still had 200 yards left. Bogey is a pretty good score here. Try not to overswing to compensate for the wind -- That usually makes bad things happen...
#14 is a short par 3. The scorecard says 125, but the day I played, they had the white tees set up at 148. Make sure you find a yardage marker before you pick your club. This is all forced carry over the junk, into the wind. There's trouble short, trouble long, trouble left, and trouble right. Take at least one extra club, being mindful that going long is no good either, and hit the ball well. (After all, it's an easy game, right?.
#15 plays 359 yards, and has a lake running down the right side. The fairway tilts toward that lake, so you definitely need to favor the left side -- the ball will start rolling right as soon as it lands. The far bunker on the left side makes a good aiming target, although it is reachable (the far side is 261 yards off the tee). Make sure your approach shot doesn't go long -- the back side of the green falls straight off into the water. Also, watch out for those two bunkers greenside.
The sixteenth hole is a short par 4 (319 yards) with a dogleg left. There is a row of little bunkers lining the right side of the fairway. If you're going to hit a driver, you need to pick a line at one of those bunkers on the far right side. If you have a 300 yard drive with a slight draw, heck -- go for it! Otherwise, tee off with a five iron down the middle.
#17 is another par 3 over a swamp. However, this one is a bit longer than #14. The white tees are 176. If there's any kind of a headwind, one extra club won't be enough. (But being long is no good either.) The green is only 23 yards deep, which is pretty shallow by the standards of many of the greens on this course, so if your shot comes in too flat, it could roll off the back. Much as I loathe and despise bunkers, probably the safest shot is to hit to the right side bunker. (shrug).
The finishing hole is a tasty par 5. It plays 537 yards from the white tees. There are huge fairway bunker left and right to gather up errant tee shots. Regardless of what you do with your tee shot, you need to get your second shot to the left side of the fairway for the approach to the green. The green wraps wayyy in behind the swamp on the right side, and is fronted by a bunker to boot. So if you can get inside of a 150 yards, you can go right at the pin with a high shot that lands soft. Or you can bail out front and left and chip on, which might be a saner approach anyway.
With over a hundred courses to choose from in the Myrtle Beach area, Belle Terre would be one that I would be glad to play again. It's a guaranteed good time on a world-class course that's going to be in great shape any time of the year.
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