Grande Dunes Resort Club

The golf

Rulewich opened Grande Dunes in 2001 on high ground overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway in Myrtle Beach. It plays to a par of 72 and stretches to 7,578 yards, the longest card in this batch, with a slope of 142 and a hard difficulty rating. Greens are Bermuda. The practice operation is the most complete here, covering a chipping green, driving range, practice bunker, putting green and an on site golf school.

The interesting thing is how rarely players describe it as brutal. One regular called it probably the easiest course they play and always in great condition. Another praised fairways that are fair and wide for all skill levels and green complexes big enough to make for interesting putts. Put those together with the yardage and slope and the picture is clear: length and shot value come from the back tees, but the corridors are generous and the greens accept an approach, so the course scales down cleanly for a mixed group. Reviewers use the words beautiful, challenging and excellent in roughly equal measure, and several describe it as the best course they played on their trip.

With 926 reviews the average is 4.52, the strongest volume backed rating here, built on 632 five star and 204 four star ratings. The negatives are a real minority but not nothing: 51 threes, 20 twos and 19 ones. Conditioning during the turf transition is the sharpest complaint, with one player who paid a premium green fee finding the rye killed off and the Bermuda not yet grown in, leaving the course burnt out. Afternoon overbooking led to at least one group not finishing their round. Set against that, service is praised repeatedly, with the pro shop and clubhouse staff described as patient and accommodating, and several golfers who return year after year say it keeps getting better. The post round amenities also get a mention, which matters when a group wants to finish the trip somewhere comfortable rather than heading straight back to the car.