Review: Wild Wing Golf Club - Avocet (Part 1)

It's September in Maryland, my favorite month of the year. The edge is gone from the summer heat, and there's no better time to go and play golf. Soon though, winter will come to the Northeast, and the whole sport is put on deep freeze (well, not so much here in Maryland but it's not exactly nice either). And so it is that many of us Northern golfers gaze southward with envy, working out ways to clear our calendar so we can indulge in this infuriating yet irresistible sport. This was especially the case this past winter, as February was quite cold and snowy. So I planned a bit of an escape.

This is not the first time I've gone south to play some golf during the winter (go back to early 2018 for my reviews of four different Florida golf courses), but it is the first time I've gone to Myrtle Beach. And I have to say, for being in South Carolina, it was aggressively not great weather there. Sure, it was better than back home, but 60, windy, and cloudy isn't my idea of prime golfing conditions. Such is the vagaries of the weather, I suppose.

Anyway, on to the golf. My brother and I played three courses down there (it was supposed to be four, but the last round got canceled because of the threat of bad weather), and the first was at Wild Wing Golf Club. Now, Myrtle Beach has a reputation for offering, shall we say, less than compelling golf, but I hoped Wild Wing would be one of the few exceptions. It was designed back in the 90s by Jeff Brauer, who designed a couple of the top public courses in Minnesota, both of which seem to be well liked by people who know what they're talking about. Also, when I looked at Google Maps, there wasn't much water in play and the course seemed relatively easy, perfect for two people who hadn't played on a golf course in months. I should note that the course can stretch over 7,100 yards from the tips, but the distances I talk about will be from the next set up, which is a more reasonable 6,650 yards.

As for the whole Avocet name, this facility originally had a lot more golf; 72 holes, in fact, and the Avocet course was the last one added. The 2008 recession hit the place hard, and so the owners converted 45 holes into housing, leaving the Avocet, which was the most liked of the bunch, and 9 of the old holes. Side note, I'm not even sure you can play those nine right now. We saw them driving in, and while they were definitely being maintained, there were no flags in the greens. It's a mystery I'll probably never find the answer to.

The first hole is a relatively straightforward mid-length par 4. There's quite a bit of room to work with, though a bunker about 250 yards from the tee does narrow things up a bit right where many people would want to hit their drive. Either you challenge that bunker by skirting around or clearing it or you'll have to lay up and leave a fairly significant iron into the green. And that's not a big target, with the small, shallow green protected by hollows short right and left and by three bunkers beyond. I wouldn't call it an easy hole, but it's not too tough an opening.

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is another mid-length par 4 that's also not particularly complicated. There's a line of trees right and more trees left, along with a pond beyond that, but there's plenty of room to work with so long as you can hit a driver mildly straight. If you've hit a good drive, you'll have a wedge or short iron into a green with a significant back-to-front tilt guarded by a large bunker to the left. 

The second hole. That's not a bunker right of the green, by the way.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a bit of a backbreaker from the whole way back, but from the blue tees it's a more manageable 425 yards. Like the previous hole, the drive is fairly straightforward, with trees on each side being the only obstacle. The second shot is a different story. After crossing a small native area, the green is nestled amongst a series of mounds and surrounded by three fairly significant bunkers. The green itself is sloped from back to front and has a noticeable false front. Sure, it's not the most natural green site I've ever seen, but I like it. It's tough, but it's not overly difficult.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is the first par 5 at the Avocet, playing a not short but not long 525 yards. If it's downwind, you could consider going for the green in two if you can thread a drive between the trees right and the large fairway bunker to the left. If you can't get there, then a lay-up to 100 yards is the play, since a small native area crosses in between the green and fairway, just like the previous hole. Note, however, in both cases that the carry is short and completely reasonable for all golfers, so they're not annoying to deal with. The green is the real party piece for the hole; it's very shallow and separated into a left and right section by a formidable tier. Good luck judging the speed of your putt if you're not on the correct level.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green, with quite the tier running through it.

The fifth hole is a mid-length par 3 that plays over water. It was only a matter of time before a hole like this showed up. To make matters even tougher, there's a cluster of bunkers to the right, and if you bail out over there, the green also slopes vaguely from right to left. So it's a tricky proposition to get a chip to stop close from the right. 

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is, in my opinion, the toughest hole at Wild Wing. It's not the longest par 4 from the tips, but it is from the blues, coming in at just over 450 yards. The pond runs most of the way along the left side, the fairway is not particularly wide, and there's dense forest just to the right. Ordinarily this would be a time for accuracy, but since the hole is so long, playing safe would almost mean turning the sixth into a short par 5. And honestly, that might not be the worst idea in the world. A 5 here is a perfectly reasonable score. If you do hit the fairway and are in a good position, the second is to a long, thin double green guarded by a bunker right and mounding left. The green is segmented into several sections, separated by tiers, and if you're in the wrong place you'll have a tough putt. Like I said, not an easy hole here.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green. The pictures of the double green didn't come out, unfortunately.

The seventh hole is the longest hole at Wild Wing, weighing in at a fairly hefty 550 yards. Now that's not so impressive, compared with the back-breakers at Bedford Springs that we saw last month, but still, not too many people will be reaching this green in two. Though if you want to give it a try, there's nothing on the drive to stop you, so feel free to let loose. Most people can't do that, so the second shot becomes an issue of positioning. The green is protected by two bunkers, with the one on the left being especially large. The hole is actually called "Pork Chop" because of the resemblance that bunker has to the aforementioned piece of meat. (Yes, the holes all have names, but this is the only interesting one.) And when you look at it from Google Maps, yeah, I do see it.

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The left bunker does look a bit like a pork chop.

The eighth hole is a par 3 that I wish was about 30 yards shorter. There's a lot going on when you step onto the tee: A pond short, a pair of bunkers on high mounds behind and a couple more bunkers right, and a green with a noticeable plateau on the back. It's a busy hole, and I think 165 is just too much. That green's not big, especially with it being divided into sections, and it's a tough ask getting an 8 iron (or more) into it with any accuracy. At 135, it would just be a wedge, and that's a lot more possible for most golfers.

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is definitely one of the more striking and unique holes I've seen. At 350 yards, it's a pretty short par 4, though definitely not reachable. And it has dual fairways, which is something you don't see every day. Those two bunkers are separated by mounding and six small bunkers. The right fairway is wider and the easier play, but you can use a 3 wood or long iron if you go that way, leaving quite a long second shot. A third option you could go for is to carry all the bunkers completely, a tall order but one a few golfers could reasonably pull off. The green is on the larger side and bunkerless, so there's no obvious best option from the tee, and that's the good thing about this hole. Most holes with alternate fairways have an option that's clearly better, but not this one. 

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green from totally the correct fairway. Yeah, two fairways and I couldn't hit either of them.

That's it for this week, next week we'll take a look at the back nine.