The course was wet throughout although it had not rained for several days. There were several muddy/wet spots which appeared to me it was because they were re-seeding some areas. I won’t fault them for that.

The course itself is boring. It is too forgiving and does not offer enough defense or even interest. The starter’s description of the course is very accurate – wide fairways, fairly level greens, open fronts to the greens, very few ridges or tilts in the greens. The golf course could use another 40-50 bunkers.

The golf course is also inconsistent. Holes five and six play through woods while the rest of the course is basically wide open. The fifth hole, a par five, has a wide open tee shot with only a fairway bunker in the center to avoid, but then the second shot and approach shot play through a narrow gap in the trees. The tee shot on the following hole, the number one index, has the player hitting off of manufactured teeing platforms through a chute of trees before reaching a wide fairway on the right side. These two holes are very much out of place to the rest of the course.

The finishing eighteenth hole is so wide open that one gets an unobstructed view of the clubhouse sitting 250 yards away. It is bizarre.

On several of the doglegs, a player can go right at the flag because the rough is not high and there are no trees, bunkers, water to provide defense. Three times I drove right at the flag and left myself with less than 100 yards versus shots that would have been 170-180. It is weird.

As for Scottish influence, the seventh hole supposedly is modeled after the seventeenth at St Andrews Old, yet this hole is a dogleg left and not a dogleg right and it is only the false front on the green that has anything in common with the seventeenth at the Old. Yet this green on the Heathlands has a swale like a biarittz green as part of it before rising again for its second half. And where is the hotel? It is always a turn-off when marketing people say this and it is nothing like the original. Nothing like it. Ugh.

So are their any good holes here? Possibly four, with two other “okay” holes.

The second hole is a dogleg right that is defended well on the right front of the green for those trying to drive this short par 4 of 338/323. But for someone who does not know the course, there is no reason to do so and you are left with a 50-90 yards second shot.

The third hole is an uphill long par 3 of 210/195 that has a large green and a small bunker on the left side. It is a semi-blind shot.

Nine is a par 4 of 442/418 and is fronted by a large bunker and does have a tilt to the green.

Thirteen is a par 5 of 539/521 that has a stream to defend against the second shot for the shorter hitter. The green sits off to the left up a slight rise making the hole longer. There is nice bunkering near the green. This is clearly the best hole on the golf course.

Sixteen is a longer par 4 of 447/428 with a stream to cross and a large fairway bunker to avoid near the green which is slightly raised.

Eighteen is a par 4 with a raised green. I mention it as one of the best four holes because it means the round is over.

My assumption, and it is only an opinion, is that the owner gave Mr. Doak a limited budget as well as a limitation on the land. I have seen gifted golf course architects do fabulous work on flat, boring land but they had to have the budget and support of the owner to do so. There is enough here to meet the interest of a high handicap player, but there is not enough interest for anyone truly interested in golf course design or who is a better player. Too many of the holes are alike, too many of the greens are alike, and the course has a shortage of defense.

My only other visit to Myrtle Beach was in 1980 as a present from my dad. I was just beginning to play golf at that time, but of the seven courses we played that week, my memory of them is that all but two were better than the Heathland. Obviously, Mr. Doak has done much better work and if given the chance and the budget, I am sure he could transform the Heathland into something much better……but that is not the goal of the owners of the Legends. This is a “golf factory” and as such, the Heathland meets the goal.

One final comment, the three players were staying as part of a golf package - 7 days/6 nights - golf, carts, lunch with two drinks, and lodging for $450 per person.