Thistle Golf Club - MacKay Course

Couldn't have been better. Price, pace of play, layout, course condition, (even with airation of greens), and staff. Weather was terrific too. Excellent for women and juniors too Can't wait to play again

Tee boxes and fairways were in great shape. I got a deal because we were alerted that the course had just aerated but the greens were in terrible shape because the company that supplies their chemicals screwed up and trashed the greens.

We had been told by friends that this was a course to play if we came to Myrtle Beach. We got a reasonable rate through Golf Now and were ecstatic. Only upon our arrival were we informed that the greens had been aerated because of an application malfunction and did we want to play that day? Given the time of day and the options to play elsewhere were nil, we accepted to play. I have played on aerated greens before but these greens may have been aerated but only after they had lost much of their grass! We loved the course which was immaculate and learned to play through the "aeration" but it was disappointing to see the course play affected by this.

It would have been nice if A) Golf Now could have stressed this more clearly at time of booking , B) the course could have given us a break on the price, complimentary lunch , drinks, pro shop, etc or C) both.

The staff, equipment and facilities were all great and I hope the greens issue is resolved soon as there seem to be a lot less rounds being played as a result ($$)

Great course, staff very friendly. The course was in great shape except for the greens. Just aeriated.

The title refers to the conditions of the greens. They applied a chemical to the greens, and a week or so later, the company informed the maintenance staff that the instructions they were given were incorrect. they are doing everything possible to correct the problem until the grass grows back. The move the pin placements to areas where the grass is in good shape and other quick fixes, to make your round of golf more enjoyable. The staff is bending over backwards to inform everyone before the round of the conditions. The rest of the course is in great shape and the staff is fantastic. I found only one greens that was in horrible shape, most have stripes of bare spots that are about a foot wide.

This is my favorite MB course! Brought some friends for the first time and they can't wait to come back!

A truly great course! The best tees and fairways I've ever played in Myrtle Beach and I've been coming here since 1998!

What a shame that the greens were so poor! This is not Thistle fault and to say it's due to aeriation is not really the case. As far as I know the greens were treated to kill the Poe Anna grass but the wrong ratio was used on the manufactures recommendation. This has lead to their present state,which is poor. I'm sure after Mother Nature has come to the rescue things will be back to normal and the greens will be like carpets!

In all a great course from tee to green.

We arrived at bag drop and the attendants there acted normally and were professional as always but when checking in to pay - things changed. Guy at register asked if we knew of the problems with the greens, which we were not aware of, and he painted a huge misrepresentation of the quality of the greens. With no place else to play on shirt notice on a beautiful day we had no choice but to stay. The greens were beyond horrible and the positive review below is an outright disgrace. The greens were not playable at all, bare in many spots and bumpy everywhere. And why would you not close 9 of the 27 holes on a rotation to limit play and help the greens heal quicker. We were told that because we reserved online there was no way to call us to let us know about the greens but I suggest they could have emailed me with the confirmation email or the website should have had a warning about the greens condition. no effort is being made to inform potential players ahead of time of the greens condition. I would expect these greens to be bad for at least 6 months. They allege they are just one of 20 courses who were impacted by this problem and they blame the chemical company. good luck if you try this place in the near future.

This is definitely a must-play course. A country club feel from the clubhouse to the staff. The course is tough in the wind, so it's important to play the correct tees. Have fun!

Greens were in very poor conditions. Golfnow should be swsre of this dituation and let us know.

Nice track but something has happened to the greens that has killed the grass and they now appear to be painted. They roll ok, but look terrible. Our group of 14 were very disappointed that we were not told ahead of time about the conditions. For a course that prides itself on their website about the great greens, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. We will not be playing here again in our future annual trip to MB.

When we showed up, the pro shop staff asked "Have you heard about our greens?" and then explained to us that the greens might be a "little bumpy". No...they were DEAD and SPRAYPAINTED GREEN. This information should have been shared on the website. Learning of it that morning when we'd already traveled a half hour leaves no option other than to play (and at the FULL RATE).

By the 4th hole, we were stuck behind two very slow foursomes of poor golfers who did not have the courtesy to let us through, despite a gaping hole opening up ahead of them. (Because they had come together, they weren't going to allow a faster group - even a twosome of better players). Not a single ranger on the course the entire time.

We came to Thistle to complete a golf trip with a memorable final venue. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT.

I found Thistle by accident and booked a time that day. They accommodated me as a single and the staff could not have been nicer or more helpful. The course was in great condition and extremely playable. I played the Stewart and then the McKay. A great morning round. I would definitely recommend the course and look forward to returning

I usually don't post unless it's bad however I play here quite often and I can't believe someone would give this place 4 stars never a 1. I would compare this course to any of the #1 courses in the area. Everything is always pristine and I love the updated cats and how well manicured everything is. I tell anyone I can about how well taken care of this course is.

We came down from Columbus with a group of friends. Everyone talked about the Thistle. Walked in the Pro Shop. Some tall guy named Chad was speaking rudely with a customer at the other side of the counter. Not a good start. Nobody at the bag drop area seemed to express any warm feelings or do anything to make you feel welcome. The starter was a bit confused about which courses we should play. To top things off, our pace of play was incredibly slow. We complained to the ranger and he didn't seem to care. Lots of courses to play in Myrtle Beach. Don't waste your time at Thistle.

Too bad everyone knows about this place now...been playing here for a while, but over the last year or two the word has gotten out. Still, they manage to accommodate your requests regarding playing on your own vs. getting paired up with people and they don't overbook the course. That is very welcome...even if the course wasn't always in such good shape and so fun to play, I'd keep coming back because of the service.

Drew the Mackay and Cameron courses at Thistle for day 4 of the Myrtle Beach World Am. Thistle is an extremely nice complex. Beautiful clubhouse and course. I believe I have written an review of Thistle . before and was critical of the grill in the clubhouse. No issues this trip.

The course was in excellent shape. Beautiful course. Greens were smooth and rolled true and very nice speed. Saw very few blemishes on the course itself. Bunkers were well groomed and nice.

Staff was very friendly and helpful. We had 96 players on the course that day. Everything went very smoothly

Course in very good condition and I'm pretty picky. Greens rolled true and were fast (probably around 11-12). They send people out on all three 9 hole courses so expect to hit "traffic" at the turn even if your group has the earliest tee time. So you're looking at around a 5hr + round.

Excellent experience from start to finish. Gentleman at the front gate's sense of humor, to the friendly staff at the bag drop, and the courteous staff in the club house.

But those greens.....wow. It gave an average hacker like myself a glimpse of the conditions the pros at Oakmont were up against on the greens.

Funny moment of the round: I believe it may have been the ranger that asked me along the way what I thought of the course. I told him it was beautiful and sarcastically told him they should make the greens a little faster. He replied "we are working hard to get them to a 12." - referring to the Stempmeter.

Loved every minute I was there and will definitely return next chance I get.