Wizard
4601 West Leeshire Boulevard, Myrtle Beach, SC, 29579The Wizard Golf Club is one of three Mystical Golf courses—along with the Witch Golf Links and Man O’War—located in the Myrtle Beach area. Like those other two, Dan Maples designed the Wizard, which opened in 1996. Maples and team moved more than a million cubic feet of land in order to create the windswept, links-like aesthetic that predominates at the course. The result is an engaging, though not overly taxing golf experience that pleases Grand Strand locals and frequent visitors alike.
Part of the Wizard’s appeal is its playability for all levels of golfer from all four of its sets of tees. Playing 6,721 yards from its Championship set of tees with a Rating of 71.7 and a Slope of 129, the Wizard will yield up some birdies after well-played shots, especially given the smoothness of its bentgrass greens. Forced carries are minimized and, when they occur, short. The course closes on consecutive island greens but in both cases, there is ample room to miss, preserving for many players the opportunity to complete the round with the same ball they started with. Most other water comes in the form of a winding stream that provides more strategic than penal drama. The presence of options on golf courses is what multiplies the “fun factor” for players of all skill levels and the presence of such options abounds at the Wizard.
Recent renovations to the course have updated the look in the form of sod-walled bunkers that call to mind the famous hazards on Great Britain and Ireland’s famous links golf courses while preserving a characteristic Carolina feel.