Par 5 Tips
We pride ourselves on our great design and layout at Prestwick Country Club. We feel we have one of the best courses on the Grand Strand. We have received many accolades and awards over the years that back up our thoughts. That being said we want to help our golfers to play our golf course, so we are going to talk about how to play the outstanding par 5s we have. The tips and yardages will come from the white tees since that is what most of our golfers play. We have 4 great holes to discuss so let’s get to it!
The 6th hole is the first par 5 on the course. It is only 459 yards long but do not let the yardage fool you. It is not an easy hole. The tee shot calls for a ball down the left side of the fairway as the right side has trees and out-of-bounds. The 2nd shot can be a “go for it” shot for long hitters but for most it should be a layup to a distance that puts a wedge in your hand. The green is guarded by a deep bunker front right and run off areas around the rest of the putting surface. This tiered green is tough to putt so be sure to hit the approach on the proper side where the pin is located or it will make for a tough time putting. Birdie is possible but par is a good score.
The 486 yard 9th hole was recently named to the “Myrtle Beach Dream 18”. The beautiful yet demanding hole runs back to the clubhouse with water all down the left side of the hole. It is a 3-shot hole for sure as the green is heavily guarded by pot bunkers consisting of both grass and sand. Layup to a wedge shot and once again be sure to hit to the appropriate part of this back to front tiered green. Par is a very good score on this hole.
At 504 yards the 12th hole is the longest of the par 5s at Prestwick. The fairway is wide off the tee but then it narrows the closer you get to the hole. Trees run along the left and a long waste bunker protects the right side of the hole down the second half of the fairway. A solid 2nd shot should leave a wedge or short iron into a large, mostly flat green. The easiest green to putt of all the par 5s by far. We should be disappointed if we do not make par here.
Finally we come to a very challenging hole. The 16th hole is 499 yards long with a creek that winds and twists down the left side of the fairway before crossing over in front of the green. Three good shots are required no matter how you want to play it. There is a small amount of fairway to the left of the creek close to the green, but we do not recommend taking that approach. Getting the second shot inside the 150 markers is paramount to setting up an approach shot. The putting surface is narrow and slightly tiered and of course it slopes to the water. Count your round a success if you walk off this green with a 5 on the scorecard.
We hope these tips help. Click the “Make a Tee Time” tab or call the golf shop at 888.250.1767 to make a tee time. We look forward to seeing you on the course soon!