Wicked Stick Golf Course, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

A lot of the golf courses here at Myrtle Beach are out of range of our budget but now that we're into December, Denny was able to play at John Daly's Wicked Stick in Myrtle Beach.   I have to admit that this would be a golf course I would like to play but my back still isn't in the proper condition to swing a golf club, so I just went along for the ride.

During the first week of December, it cost Denny $27 (tax included) to play 18 holes of golf using a riding cart after 12PM.  The cost before noon is $32 plus tax.  Since we weren't paired up with anyone, the staff did not charge me a fee to ride, although there is a $10 fee normally.

The layout of the golf course itself is pretty wide open being a links style course, but since we're in Myrtle Beach there are a lot of holes that have water running beside them or in front of them or around them.  Play the ball straight and you'll find this course quite easy.  If you tend to turn the ball a bit, be prepared to have a few spare golf balls with you.  Out of bounds in the areas of houses means no going after your ball--if it lands out of bounds in someone's yard it is now their golf ball.  Just to let you know.

 Denny likes to play from the longest tees, which in this case are the yellow "Daly" tees.  The yardage from these tees is 6913 yards with a slope/rating of 72.2/129.  The blue tees have a yardage of 6507 yards and a slope/rating of 70.0/122.  The white tees have a yardage of 6080 yards and a slope/rating of 68.2/117.

Many of the senior and women's tees are set well ahead of the men's tees; the black tees have a yardage of 5040 yards with a slope/rating of 69.2/109.  The red tees have a yardage of 4911 yards and the same slope/rating as the black tees.  

 

 As you can see in the photos there are water hazards galore on this course although any trees are set well off the fairways and the greens aren't surrounded by sand traps, although Denny did manage to find a few of them anyway.

 This time of year there may not be a beverage cart making the rounds so the course will allow you to bring your own cooler, but call first to confirm that.  They do have coolers available.  

 There had been some rain recently so on four of the holes the score card was marked "cart path only" but normally the rules are 90 degree for most of the holes.  If you were in good shape and on a cool day like we had you could certainly walk this course since it is basically a flat course, but you do have to navigate a bit around the plats of homes making for a longish walk in addition to the course itself. 

 For the amount of play the course gets it is in very good condition.  The golf carts are supplied with sand for your divots and most players seemed to be good about fixing their ball marks on the greens.  Each golf cart is provided with a ball cleaner and golf club cleaner which is nice. 

 

Denny and I were surprised and pleased by the lack of Canada geese on the golf course since there are so many ponds on the course.  The geese can create a heck of a mess with their droppings at time.  Instead we found cormorants, herons and egrets which for the most part stayed right around or in the water.  They weren't a problem at all.

I hope to have a chance to play here before we leave in January; the golf course wasn't crowded, it was open and it looked like a lot of fun to play.  Or it was according to Denny.