Review: Wild Wing Golf Club - Avocet (Part 2)

It's time to take a look at the back nine at Wild Wing, go here to see the front.

The tenth hole is not a particularly long par 4 at 415 yards, but it's a tough one. The fairway is narrow, and with mounding left and a massive bunker to the right, there's really not very much room to work with out there. To makes things even more difficult, the green is best approached from the right, thanks to another big bunker just left and short, which means flirting with that big bunker on the drive. The green is kind of domed, making it that much tougher to hit. Get your par and get out on this hole.

The tenth hole.

Approaching the tenth green.

The tenth green.

The eleventh hole is a pretty short par 5 that reachable in two for quite a few people. Unfortunately it's also pretty boring for the first 400 yards. There are no hazards save for trees on both sides, and while the fairway isn't super wide, it's not narrow either. So basically all you're doing is trying to get far enough to leave a good shot into the green. The second shot (or third if you're not a long hitter) is more interesting, as the green is long and thin, angled diagonally, and sloped in such a way that it sort of goes in waves. There's also water front left and a big bunker right. I like the green, I just wish there was more to do on the hole before that.

The eleventh hole.

Approaching the eleventh green.

The eleventh green.

The twelfth hole is a tough 210 yard par 3 that plays as a sort of reverse Redan. The big slope isn't there, but the green is angled in the right way, and that big bunker certainly discourages direct play at the hole. It's not the best Redan I've ever played, but it wasn't the worst, and of the two that I played down in South Carolina, this one was my favorite. (We'll get to the second one next month.)

The twelfth hole.

The thirteenth hole is a mid-length par 4, but it's kind of an interesting one. The fairway's very wide at first, but it narrows between mounding and a big bunker right where a good drive would end up. That means you either need to hit into a pretty small space or leave yourself a long second shot. And you don't really want that, since the green is undulating and semihidden behind a ridge and cluster of bunkers. It also has a bit of a false front, and there's some massive mounding behind. Not the most natural-looking thing in the world, but it certainly stands out.

The thirteenth hole.

Approaching the thirteenth green.

The thirteenth green.

The fourteenth hole is a short, drivable par 4 that I'd say is the best hole at Wild Wing. It's only 285 yards from the second set up, so it's reachable on the drive for a fair chunk of golfers. To get there, you have to carry 230 yards or so of water and then a line of bunkers. It sounds tough, but it's definitely doable. And you'll probably want to, because playing this hole the long way mean's you'll be adding a 100 yards onto the length of the hole, and you don't have a lot of space left either. The green is big, but it's undulating and there are four bunkers around the back, two of which really come into play if you go left. This is a hole where you're really encouraged to go for the green, and if you find you don't have the length for that, you're probably playing from too far back.

The fourteenth hole.

Looking back on the fourteenth hole.

The fifteenth hole is another short par 5, even shorter than the eleventh, and this one is a lot better. For one thing, there are three bunkers in play on the drive, so that makes this hole automatically superior. If you negotiate those bunkers, you can go for the green in two, but there's sand and water short and left, and the green is noticeably elevated above the fairway to the right. If you lay up out to the right, avoiding the water, you'll still have that abrupt rise to deal with, and the green is significantly shallower from that angle as well. Much like the previous hole, the golfer is definitely encouraged to go with the hero shot.

The fifteenth hole.

Approaching the fifteenth green.

The fifteenth green.

The sixteenth hole is a long par 4, stretching 445 yards from the blue tees, but it's not a particularly difficult hole. The fairway itself isn't very wide, but the playing corridor in general is, and with only two small bunkers on the right side coming into play on the drive, it's a pretty simple drive. The green is small and fairly narrow, with a big bunker right, but there are definitely tougher approaches on this course, and the green itself is one of the flattest at Wild Wing.

The sixteenth hole.

The sixteenth green.

The seventeenth hole is 180 yards, and the second half of the double green we encountered all the way back at the sixth. As such, there's quite a lot of green around, but it's long, not deep. Actually, with a marsh short and a couple of bunkers long, there's really not a lot of room to work with, making this a pretty tough mid iron. There is room to bail out right, however, if you're not comfortable going directly at the flag. Just be aware of the various ridges that run through the green, making putts from the wrong section quite tricky.

The seventeenth hole.

The eighteenth hole is a bit disappointing. It's the classic long par 4 with water in play on both the drive and second shot. It's a bit like the sixth, where the fairway is pretty narrow and the water is left, but here there's a group of bunkers right and few trees, so if anything this hole is a bit more forgiving. Should you thread the needle, you'll have a short iron into a narrow green that slopes sharply from back to front and protected by a bunker left, as well as the last bit of the pond.

The eighteenth hole.

Approaching the eighteenth green.

Looking back down the eighteenth.

I don't think Wild Wing is going to win any awards for being the best golf course ever. Nor will it fool anyone into thinking the big mounds are natural. Of course it won't, this is Myrtle Beach. There's nothing natural about any of these courses. This is the home of generic, cookie-cutter golf, but Wild Wing is definitely not generic. This is a good golf course, full stop. Not my personal favorite, not even close, and not in my top 10 or 20, but it's a solid course nonetheless. It's a good sort of filler course, something you play before or after you play something you're looking forward to. It's not difficult, the water is fairly minimal (for Myrtle Beach), and it's also relatively cheap by Myrtle Beach standards. It also wouldn't be too difficult a walk, though my brother and I just took the cart. I'll also say this: If I lived in Myrtle Beach, I would strongly consider this as my home course. It's a golf course I could play every day and be fairly happy doing so.