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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - This is not the course your uncle, or grandfather, remembers.
Avid golfers who are old enough to have seen their share of full-page magazine ads for courses and resorts over the years will recognize King's North at Myrtle Beach National. Originally built in the 1970s, it came of age after a 1996 renovation by Arnold Palmer and longtime design associate Francis Duane, who turned bog-standard golf holes into genuine attractions tailor-made for striking aerial photography decades ahead of the contemporary drone-photo craze in golf.
There was "The Gambler" - the par-5 6th hole doglegging hard left around a lake with an island fairway tempting golfers to cut off major yardage and reach the green with two heroic water carries. There was the par-3 12th with its island green and bunkers shaped like the letters "S.C." But the most over-the-top gimmick hole was the long par-4 18th, "Bullseye," which all the King's men littered with 44 bunkers from tee to green.
For all its bluster, King's North had plenty of substance as well, buoyed by a compact routing with no homes or long transitions. Its kitschy, maximalist holes were fun, but the less boisterous ones were solid and varied, too. The course remained one of Myrtle Beach's premium plays for decades.
Three decades after its first big renovation, King's North is maturing after its second. Architect Brandon Johnson, who was part of Arnold Palmer Design Company for 17 years before establishing his own independent practice, came to Myrtle Beach in 2024 to refresh the course, ultimately updating its design for contemporary tastes and maintenance practices in a two-part project tackling nine holes at a time.
The new, 3.0 version of King's North is decidedly less kooky than the previous one but more fun and interesting to play. Johnson's bunkering mixes striking formal hazards with plenty of meandering wastes. His eye for edging and horizon lines turns virtually every approach shot - especially par-3 tee shots - into an appealing vista while maintaining a good amount of strategic intrigue elsewhere. Concave features on and around several greens can engage the savvy golfer's creative side.
The course continues to mature, especially inamidst a very dry spring of 2026. Once the maintenance meld is dialed in, King's North has every chance to take a big step forward in the estimations of golfers. In its best form, it is a top-five Myrtle Beach-area golf course alongside the likes of the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club down in Pawleys Island and the Dye Club at Barefoot Resort in North Myrtle Beach.
KING’S NORTH AT MYRTLE BEACH NATIONAL
— Tim Gavrich (@TimGavrich) April 27, 2026
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Arnold Palmer, 1973 & 1996
Brandon Johnson, 2025
$200+
Johnson’s renovation has brought a carnivalesque course into the ‘20s with rugged bunkering and exciting greens while keeping enough of an eye on its kitschy history. pic.twitter.com/QCvIc0Gg5d
Other Myrtle Beach golf course news & notes for 2026
Wild Wing Plantation - The Avocet course here is the latest area golf course due for some renovation work, and its owners have brought in original architect Jeff Brauer to make some adjustments to bunkers and restore the putting surfaces to their original sizes, as well as reintroducing some of the course's original creative fairway lines. Leaning back into Avocet's 1990s style will help distinguish it in a crowded community of courses. Avocet is expected to close from mid-May to September 2026 while the work is performed.
Whispering Pines Golf Course - The local muni, situated right by the Myrtle Beach International Airport, sometimes seems to hide in plain (and plane?) sight, but after installing new Sunday Bermuda greens in the summer of 2025, it has seen an uptick in golfer ratings and reviews.
Sea Trail - This 54-hole resort just over the North Carolina border languished for years but new ownership has steadily invested in property-wide improvements, including renovations of its Willard Byrd and Dan Maples courses in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Its Rees Jones course is slated for its own renovation project in 2026.
Barefoot Resort - Myrtle Beach's 72-hole complex recently added a clutch of new golf-group accommodations between the clubhouse and the 10th tee at its Pete Dye-designed course. The Dye Club Cottages are two-bedroom units, with each bedroom coming with two Queen beds. Myrtle Beach could use more golfer-focused accommodations and this looks to be a first step in that direction.
Myrtle Beach World Amateur - The largest golf tournament in the world is four months away - dates for 2026 are August 31 to September 4 - and 2,367 golfers are already signed up as of this writing. There is said to be a cap of 3,000 players this year, so advance planning will be your friend if you're on the fence about playing (you should). Here's the link for more information and to sign up. As one of the event's proud partners, GolfPass will have a presence at the World Am; we hope to see you there.
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