Built in 1995 and designed by Dan Maples, Man O’War is a golf course that’s open year-round and welcomes the public. It features Crenshaw Bent grass on the greens and 419 Bermuda grass on the fairways. Located about 10 miles from the coast, this legendary golf course in Myrtle Beach is really a one-of-a-kind experience that takes full advantage of the majestic scenery in the area. There’s a significant amount of water to challenge you, and laying up is a strong bet more often than not.

This par-72 masterpiece is built around 80-acre lake and is 6,967 yards from the black tees. The lake is why water is so prevalent, and prevalent may not paint an accurate picture. Water is what defines almost all of the eighteen holes. It’s certainly visible from all holes and in play in a significant way, on no less than a dozen holes.

The water is used in a lot of different ways to create unique challenges. Maples uses the water to create narrow fairways, for forced carries, to limit drive length, to encourage risk-reward choices and so forth.

A similar approach is taken with holes and greens. You can definitely sense an effort to make each hole unique but with the water as a consistent theme. Among the holes, there’s a strong mix of both straight holes and doglegs. Green configurations vary greatly from one hole to the next too. Some are quite elevated and require you to take a high approach and have a soft touch. Others give you the opportunity to just run the ball right up to it.