Wicked Stick Golf Club

Few names in American resort golf carry as much swagger as Wicked Stick, and the course earns it. Designed by John Daly and Clyde Johnston and opened in 1995, it was built to reflect Daly's own brand of go-for-broke, grip-it-and-rip-it golf — wide landing zones that invite the driver, but greens and approach angles that punish anything short of commitment. It sits in the Surfside Beach corridor just south of the main Myrtle Beach strip, and it has long been a favorite among visitors who want something with a little more personality than the area's many cookie-cutter resort tracks.

The South Carolina Grand Strand is one of the densest concentrations of public golf in the country, with well over 80 courses packed along a relatively short stretch of coastline. Wicked Stick distinguishes itself within that crowded field through its combination of playability off the tee and genuine strategic demand as you get closer to the hole.

For the visiting golfer making the Myrtle Beach trip, this is the kind of course that tends to end up being the one people talk about on the ride home — theatrical enough to be memorable, honest enough to be fair.