Sunday, Nov. 02, 2008

Farmstead Golf Links' environs make it unique

Taking the scenic route

CALABASH, N.C. | The surroundings of Farmstead Golf Links look like they're off the beaten path of the Grand Strand, and that's what produces a golf experience that differs from other Myrtle Beach-area courses. That, and a closing par-6.

The course is cut through a vast field a few miles from the ocean on the South Carolina/North Carolina border, and holes feature the ever-present meadow, a handful of water hazards and almost no housing.

"It's nice here. It's peaceful," said Nick Vodjdani of Myrtle Beach, the House of Blues director of music hall operations and a 28-handicap who took part in a review of Farmstead in late October. "On a golf course I want to see nature. Nothing inhabited. I really enjoyed this course, especially the atmosphere on the back nine. You felt totally secluded between civilization and scenery."

Joining me and Nick in the review foursome was Ocean Annie's bartender and 8-handicap Brent Jackson of Little River, and nurse and 14-handicap Kristen Paul of Myrtle Beach.

"It's one of the most underrated courses in Myrtle Beach," Kristen said. "This is an absolute gem. I've played it three times and have never been disappointed. It's the kind of course you can recommend to visitors without any worry that it would disappoint."

The terrain is generally flat with little elevation change, and most holes are straightforward. "There isn't much risk-reward on the course because it's predominantly straight without doglegs where you can cut corners or par-5s with water to cross," Brent said.

The field surrounding most holes makes you feel like you're on barren land, and that impression was supported by several gunshots we heard. "Apparently there's a lot of hunting going on around here," Nick said.

The rough was formidable though not debilitating, but if you go beyond the rough you're in the field. "If you get it in the field it's pretty much gone. It's entangled," Nick said.

Course conditioning was good when we played it. "The course is in pretty good shape," Brent said. "There are a couple areas, but the tees, greens and everything in play is good."

TifEagle Bermudagrass greens that were beginning to go dormant were true and very quick. It was difficult to stop a ball going downhill. "These are some of the fastest greens I've played and they're very well cut," Nick said. "They're how you expect greens to be."

The par-6 18th hole measures an intimidating 767 yards from the back tee and daunting 635 from the red. "There's nothing like arriving at the tee box and seeing yardages of 600-plus yards to make your heart skip a beat," Kristen said. "Despite the raw length of the hole, it still requires some shot-making to get down in 7."

You tee off in South Carolina and putt out in North Carolina, as the border is crossed around the 150-yard marker. A vast fairway welcomes tee shots, though there are two small fairway bunkers right and one left off the tee. Water on the left begins about 260 yards from the green. The fairway turns left about 160 yards from the green and a large fairway bunker sits at the back of the bend. A 37-yard deep is protected on the left and all the way around the back by water, and to the front right by a bunker.

Likes

Brent and Nick were impressed with the facility and staff, and enjoyed the spacious and open landscape with few distractions. "I just love playing golf courses without houses on them," Brent said. "That's rare to find in Myrtle Beach."

Brent also liked the inclusion of recycle bins for cans and bottles alongside trash cans at tee boxes. "That's pretty cool," he said. "You don't see too many courses do that."

Nick liked the aesthetic value of bridges between holes and the flat terrain, particularly in fairways. "I enjoyed the consistency of a flat, plain landscape, with no hills or elevation to alter the difficulty of play," he said.

Kristen liked the undulations and breaks on the greens, the lack of parallel fairways, and the scenery. "It's visually appealing with lots of interesting foliage," she said. "It's amazing that at this time of year, without flowers, etc., the course is still visually appealing."

She also appreciated the course's value with rates between $49 and $94 and a local rate below $45. "At local rates, there aren't many courses in Myrtle Beach that compare," Kristen said.

Dislikes

Nick disliked the difficulty of the greens - adding to the difficulty was an unfair pin cut into a slope on the 12th green - and lack of a beverage cart on the back nine. Because much of the back nine is in North Carolina and the course does not have a liquor license in the state, the beverage cart stays only on the front nine. The cart has beer but no liquor on the front. Carts are equipped with coolers to fill up at the turn.

Brent would have preferred tee shots that required more precision. "I enjoy challenging, risky tee shots, and in my opinion the golf course was lacking in that area," he said.

Kristen regrets that the course is not more centrally located in the Myrtle Beach area.

Par-3s

There are five par-3s, including three on the back nine, and each has some very difficult pin placements options.

The 223-yard sixth hole has a green that angles into water on the right and tee boxes running down the left side of the water. The farther back you go, the more water comes into play. A bunker deep in the fairway and to the left of the green can catch bailout shots.

"That's a challenging tee shot from the back, especially with the pin on the right and wind left to right," Brent said. "You'd better be a 4-handicap or less to play that shot." The hole shortens to 166 from the blue tee and 144 from the white, and new tee boxes on the right side of the water measure 127 and 150. "That's a challenging par-3 from any tee box," Kristen said.

The 192-yard 12th hole has bunkers front and back of a deep green, several teeing options and a long forced carry over water fronting the green. The 246-yard 15th hole measures 228 from the blue and 182 from the white, has a large bunker front right and smaller bunker to the left. "It's a fair hole, except that it's 246 yards," Brent said. "The green is open."

The 172-yard 17th has water to the left that comes into play from the back tee but can be avoided from other tees, and bunkers left and right of a wide green.

"I like the distance and the challenge of the par-3s," Brent said.

Par-4s

"Most of the par-4s are very fair and forgiving for the average golfer," Brent said. "From the tips there are few areas to get in trouble."

The first and 10th holes are relatively benign par-4s. "I like a relatively easy hole on the first hole," Nick said. "It restores your confidence."

The 446-yard second hole has trees down the right side on the drive and a creek that intersects the fairway at an angle beginning about 125 yards from the green on the right. "It's a tough tee shot from the back with a tree on the right and makes you think a little bit with the creek and trees on the right," Brent said. "It makes you want to go left but you can't go too far."

The 384-yard fifth hole has a few homes on the left but a field and water right, and there's a high mound fronted by a pair of bunkers in the middle of the fairway about 75 yards from the green. "It's a nice golf hole. That mound in the middle throws off your depth perception," Brent said.

The 433-yard 13th has a creek down the left side of the hole. "Where the back tees are the creek draws your eye and makes you think the fairway isn't as wide as it is," Brent said.

The 453-yard 16th measures 373 from the white and is among the course's tougher par-4s with mounding in the fairway and water on the left that almost fully intersects the fairway 120 yards from the green.

Par-5s

The 549-yard fourth hole is 501 from the white tee and has wetlands down the right side and sporadic bunkers on both sides of the fairway, including a pair front left and front right of the green.

The 547-yard ninth measures just 461 from the white tee and has water to cross off the tee that is more in play from the back tee farther on the right, and a tree in the middle of the fairway 240 yards from the back tee. A trio of bunkers takes up the left half of the fairway about 100 yards from the green. "This is my favorite driving hole with the water to carry and tree in the fairway," Brent said.

The 541-yard 14th is 455 from the white tee and has a long bunker and water deep down the right side of the fairway.

"The par-5s are essentially plain with small challenge except for the distance," Brent said. "The greens [on 4 and 9] are not guarded very securely leaving an easy approach."

Favorite holes

Brent's favorite hole was the 419-yard par-4 seventh, which turns right with water all the way down the left side. There's a fairway bunker on the inside corner of the bend, and water cuts in front of a green that angles back to the left with a bunker back right. "It starts off with a blind tee shot needing 270 yards to cover the bunker on the right," he said. "With a decent tee shot you are looking at a 150- to 100-yard approach shot that is all carry with a shallow green."

Kristen believes the fifth hole is "one of the most scenic par-4s in Myrtle Beach," and also particularly enjoyed the seventh, which played 314 yards from the red tee. "That's a real par-4 requiring two good shots to get there and potentially two good putts on a large, bi-level green," she said.

The fifth hole, playing 313 yards from the white tee, was Nick's favorite. Avoiding the bunkers in the middle of the fairway off the tee sets up a wedge to the green. "If your [drive] is good you will be successful on this hole," he said.

Least favorite holes

Brent's least favorite hole was the 246-yard 15th, solely for the distance. "The distance was the only determining factor," he said. "A 246-yard par-3 with wind in the face."

Nick thought it was hard to determine your targets on the par-5 ninth, and Kristen wasn't happy with the way she played the par-5 14th, which measured 403 yards from the red tee, but "it just makes you want to go back and try again," she said.

To take part in a future course review, e-mail ablondin@thesunnews.com with a name, phone number, handicap and estimate on which tee you would play.