Review: Legends Golf Resort - Moorland (Part 1)

I didn't do Myrtle Beach justice on my first visit back in 2021. My brother and I played three courses, one of which was Charleston Muni, which is a hundred miles from Myrtle Beach. And to be honest, Myrtle Beach didn't show its best stuff either. It was cold, it was rainy, and one of the rounds got cancelled entirely. No, I left South Carolina that week highly unsatisfied with the showing I received.

And so, in October 2023, for our annual golf trip, my brothers and I made the trek down south for a week in Myrtle Beach. The weather was perfect, with not a drop of rain the whole week and temperatures in the 70s every day. It's actually impossible to ask for better weather, which is definitely an improvement from what Myrtle Beach gave us the first time (and what Philadelphia gave us at the same time of year in 2022).

First on the agenda is the Moorland course at Legends Golf Resort. You know you're in for an interesting experience when the blurb about the course on the Legends resort website – a place where you'd normally expect fluff and unabashed positivity – refers to Moorland as being "controversial." 

Things come into focus when you realize who designed Moorland: P.B. Dye. I've played three Dye family courses before this one, and while I've liked them all, controversial is as good an adjective as any to describe their design ethos. You may not like everything they do, but you'll definitely feel something playing a Dye family course. So, how does Moorland stand up against the other Dye courses I've played, especially the Pete Dye course at Barefoot (which we replayed the day after our round at Moorland)? Let's find out.

The first hole is a solid opening hole, introducing the Dye wackiness in a forgiving manner. There's an enormous waste bunker running most of the way down the right side of this shortish par 4, but there's plenty of room left. The second shot is semiblind, as the green is tucked down in a bowl behind a small, deep pot bunker front right. So yeah, not only is there plenty of room left on the drive, the green is best approached from the left side as well. The green itself is a harbinger of things to come: It's wild and full of huge undulations. Definitely a wake-up call if this is your first hole. Unfortunately, we started our round on 10, and while this hole is good regardless, it would definitely fit into the overall flow of the course better as an opening hole. 

The first hole.

Approaching the first green.

The first green.

The second hole is 515 yards and, unlike the first, benefits significantly if you start your round on the back nine. Well, it benefits a little, because the tee shot is silly no matter where it comes in your round. Standing on the tee, you'll no doubt be curious as to where the fairway is. All you can see is water right and some mounding beyond the lake. And there's a good reason to wonder about the fairway's whereabouts, as there really isn't a fairway out there. Okay, there is, but it's absurdly narrow. Like, maybe 25 yards wide, and it's not like bailing out left is a good option. You do not want to be hitting off those mounds. I would normally say that the narrow fairway suggests safety off the tee, but in reality you're really not much safer laying up on the drive, so why not use driver? If you're going in the water anyway, why not gain that extra distance?

On the off chance you do hit a solid drive, the green is definitely reachable in two. Just be wary, as it leans precipitously toward the lake, and there's no friendly back-to-front slope to catch overly zealous approach shots. If you're laying up, it's best to do so utilizing a stretch of fairway off to left, as the main fairway ends about 75 yards from the green. More than anything, this hole really feels hemmed in, like it was almost an afterthought. Moorland doesn't lack for width in most places, it's really just here where they ran out of space. Should have just made the pond a little smaller.

The second hole. Trust me, there is a hole out there.

Approaching the second green.

The second green.

The third hole is a mid-length par 4 that bends left around a large pond. There's not much benefit from hugging the lake on the tee shot besides a potentially shorter second (and in fact there's a small tree in the corner of the dogleg that can block out shots), so you're probably better off playing safely toward the middle of the fairway. However, while the landing area is wide, there are a lot of bunkers scattered around. I would say 3 wood is a good play here; a solid one will leave a short iron into the green, which juts out into the lake and is relatively flat by Moorland's standards.

The third hole.

Approaching the third green.

The third green.

The fourth hole is a long par 4, playing nearly 470 yards. There's a lot more elevation change than you'd expect for coastal South Carolina, though of course very little of it is natural. It doesn't look bad though, and the 15-foot deep bunker left of the fairway is certainly intimidating when you're standing on the tee. It's pretty easy to clear at least. The fairway's reasonably wide and there's not much in the landing area besides the trees on both sides. Get far enough on the tee shot and you'll have a flat stance for the second, otherwise you'll be left with a mid to long iron from a downhill hanging lie. The green is tucked behind a series of large mounds, with a single bunker left.

The fourth hole.

Approaching the fourth green.

The fourth green.

The fifth hole is a Volcano-esque mid-length par 3 and one of Moorland's better holes. What can I say, I love the Volcano concept. This one doesn't involve extreme elevation change and the green's extremely large, which doesn't sound so bad. It's easy to notch a green in regulation here, and even if you don't, the punishment isn't incredibly severe. However, this green has an incredible amount of tilt to it, with the back-left corner being much higher than everything else. Combined with numerous smaller slopes and breaks, it's safe to say that you have to get pretty close to the hole to guarantee your two-putt par.

The fifth hole.

The sixth hole is a short par 5 at just 485 yards, and initially, it looks like a very inviting tee shot. However, the fairway begins to narrow about 225 yards out, so if you want that iron into the green, you'll have to squeeze your drive between a waste bunker left and ever-encroaching trees right. Regardless of whether you're laying up or going for it, water comes into play on the left side about 150 yards from the green, which partially sticks out into the pond. There's a bunker 100-150 yards from the green for those who are laying up to worry about, and two small bunkers right of the green that those going for the green in two need to avoid. The green itself is not large and is two-tiered, with the back higher than the front.

The sixth hole.

Approaching the sixth green.

The sixth green.

The seventh hole is a very long par 3, playing 245 yards alongside the same lake as the previous hole and the third. The water runs down the entirety of the left side, so naturally you'll be drawn out to the right for safety. And while the mounding right does partially filter golf balls down toward the green, the green itself is slightly elevated above the surrounding fairway, so you won't be able to fully work a big draw in onto the green. The green itself isn't especially noteworthy, though it's full of broad slopes and no easier to putt than any other green on this course.

The seventh hole.

The seventh green.

The eighth hole is not a long hole at just 360 yards, but it's a little awkward (not in a bad way). The fairway is offset left to right from the direct line to the green; if you want to aim right at the green, you're going to run out of fairway not much past 200 yards. Beyond that is mounding and bunkers, neither of which are places you want to be. To hit driver, you have to skirt the tree line right and carry a large waste bunker. This opens up a wedge second shot and allows you to go around a deep pot bunker in front of the green, which is small, narrow, and is significantly elevated. 

The eighth hole.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole is a long par 4, about the same length as the fourth, but it doesn't have a lot going for it beyond its length. The fairway's extremely wide open, with one bunker right coming into play for the longest hitters. For most of us, though, it's a green light for driver. The green is a bit more interesting, resting in a saddle between two bunkers, with a large amount of back-to-front slope. That's fine, but the lack of any urgency on the tee shot holds this hole back.

The ninth hole.

Approaching the ninth green.

The ninth green.

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