Review: Barefoot Resort - Dye Course (Part 1)

We return to Myrtle Beach itself for the third and final course in this little South Carolina foray, though that wasn't a decision made willingly. As you may have noticed, the weather was less than ideal the whole time we were there, and our fourth round (at the Legends-Heathland, an early Tom Doak design) got canceled because of the threat of thunderstorms. Thunderstorms which never came, I might add. So now my brothers and I have to go back to play there and to hit the two Mike Strantz courses in the area. So there's something to look forward to in the not particularly near future.

Anyway, Barefoot Resort. Specifically, the Dye course there. My previous Pete Dye experience at Bulle Rock was a bit of a mixed bag; the course was okay, but it hardly seemed worthy of Pete Dye's reputation. I wasn't expecting to play another Pete Dye golf course so soon, but here we are, at the Dye course at Barefoot Resort. This is also not one of his better known courses, in fact, I would say Bulle Rock is more famous, since that course held a professional golf tournament. This course is just one of dozens of Myrtle Beach golf courses, and just one of four courses at the Barefoot Resort, which also features courses by Greg Norman, Tom Fazio, and Davis Love III (I use the word "by" incredibly loosely). That's pretty low-key, compared with most other Pete Dye courses, which usually have no problem announcing their existence. Was there a good reason this course goes under the radar, comparatively speaking? Let's find out. 

Since the very back tees stretch past 7,300 yards, we'll be using the next tee up, which makes the first hole a 375 yards par 4. It's not the easiest opening hole, though it isn't a long one; the fairway is very well defended by bunkers right and a sandy waste area left. You'll be tempted to aim away from the waste area because it's more threatening then the far bunkers, but the second shot is easier from the left side of the fairway since the green is protected by a big bunker short and right. There's also a decent amount of fairway left of the green, which is small and fairly undulating considering the size.

The first hole. It felt a bit awkward taking a picture from the tee while there were ten strangers standing around, but you're not missing anything spectacular.

The first green.

The second hole is a fairly short par 4 at 350 yards that plays over a marshy area and a long waste area to a fairway that swings right. If you play out to the left, the drive will be easier, but the second shot will be tougher, since the green is narrower from that angle and there's a big bunker short and left. Hit your drive right, challenging the marsh and waste area, and you'll have a much better angle. Once again, the green is not large but it's got quite a bit of undulation, so two putts aren't easy.

The second hole.

The second green.

The third hole is a par 3 that's not quite short, but at 165 yards it's definitely not long. The big hazard on this hole is the large bunker left of the green, but something less obvious is a noticeable bump taking up real estate in the back middle portion of the green. When the flag is in the back, that bump is absolutely going to make putts tricky if you're not right next to the hole. You can birdie this hole, but you can quite easily three putt it as well.

The third hole.

The third green.

The fourth hole is another fairly short par 4, but this is the end to this course's mild start. The massive waste bunker right of the fairway is something you want to avoid, but you'll also want to flirt with it to get the best angle into the green. The second shot will hopefully be a wedge to a small green (which feels tiny considering it's surrounded by a lot of fairway) with a single tiny pot bunker protecting the left front section of the green. 

The fourth hole.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is where things start to get really Pete Dye like. This is a massive par 5 in every sense of the word, sprawling over 565 yards across the landscape, making it Barefoot - Dye's longest hole. There are bunkers and mounds galore, so I hope you got off to a good start. If you have to favor a side on the drive, I'd say go left, since on the off chance you can go for the green in two, the angle will be slightly better. For most golfers though, it's more important to hit the fairway, because if you don't, it'll make the lay-up tricky. The fairway is pinched about 100 yards from the green by two clusters of bunkers, so if you don't get into a good position on the drive, you'll probably have to lay back further than you'd like. The green is only protected by one bunker to the right, but it's big and very deep, since the green is elevated. It's not the toughest hole on the course, but it's pretty sturdy for a par 5.

The fifth hole.

The fifth green.

The sixth hole is the classic Pete Dye par 3 with a pond just a few feet from the green. Bulle Rock had one, and so does this, though I think this one is ever so slightly easier. The penalty for bailing out left is slightly less here, and the pond is limited to the right, so you don't have to carry it at all. That said, there are a number of pot bunkers all along the left side, and if there's a shot to stress you out, it's probably a downhill bunker shot to a narrowish green with water just beyond. 

The sixth hole.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole isn't quite the longest par 4 at the Dye course from the tips, but it is from the next set up, playing 435 yards. And it is quite a hole as well, probably my favorite here. The fairway rolls and tumbles over thoroughly artificial yet still compelling terrain, and there's a waste bunker of massive proportions running along the entire right side. On the left, there are several bunkers scattered around which pale in comparison with the one on the other side. If you do hit the undulating fairway, you'll have a short or mid iron slightly uphill off of an uneven lie to the green, which is perched high above the big waste bunker. You really don't want to be over there. Left isn't much better though, since there are more small bunkers over there. 

The seventh hole.

Approaching the seventh green.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is a short par 5 that's only 485 yards, so it's definitely a hole that many golfers can reach in two. The hole bends right at first, so in order to have the best shot at the green, you'll need to hit a fade around a big bunker. Then you need to hit a draw around a pond to have the best shot at holding the green. Laying up here is a tricky prospect too, since there's a Principal's Nose group of bunkers about 20-30 yards short of the green, right where the fairway is at its widest point. The lay-up area is all surrounded by sand too, so really, if you can go for the green, I'd say you should. There's not really a distinctly better choice, though you can at least make sure you don't go in the water.

The eighth hole.

Approaching the eighth green.

A bit short of the green.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a classic Pete Dye finisher: the long par 4 with water in play. Yes, I know it's only the ninth, but it applies here. You can take the water a bit out of play if you aim the drive close to the big bunker left; bailing out right will mean a long second shot over the pond. It's a decent enough hole, if nothing revolutionary. It is worth mentioning that approach shots hit a bit left of the green will bounce off the mounding and come back down onto the green, so that's nice.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

That's it for this week, next week we'll check out the back nine.