MB National West
4900 National Dr, Myrtle Beach, SC, 29579The West Course at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club is one of three layouts spread out around the familiar 1970s clubhouse on site. The course opened in 1973 and has been a favorite among locals and annual visitors alike ever since. Like the other two courses on site, the West Course was designed by Francis Duane in consultation with golf legend Arnold Palmer.
Unlike many Myrtle Beach golf courses, the West Course is a complete “core” golf experience. Houses do not come into play, meaning golfers need not worry about out-of-bounds stakes and fences lining most every hole. Players can swing with confidence off the tee in order to find the course’s tree-lined fairways that, while generous, need to be hit in order to leave birdie opportunities.
With a Rating and Slope of 73.0 and 119, respectively, from the back Blue tees, the West Course is one of the more playable golf courses in the Myrtle Beach area. Water hazards are not ubiquitous and bunkers are placed in a largely strategic, rather than penal manner. This, plus the course’s relative proximity to the Myrtle Beach International Airport, makes the West Course an ideal first course of one’s ultimate Myrtle Beach golf vacation. Especially for visitors from the Northeast and Canada during the winter and early spring, the West Course is a great place to shake the rust off.
Do not confuse playability with blandness, though. The finishing hole at the West Course, in fact, is one of the tougher holes in the area. a par three that can play longer than 230 yards from the back tee, a pond lurks to the left of the large, undulating green. Meanwhile, a bunker lies to the right. Short and right is the safe play and players who want the chance for a closing birdie will need to execute an excellent fairway wood shot in order to be successful.