Average Joe reviews Farmstead Golf Links

By Joe Derus, North Myrtle Beach OnLine.Com AUGUST 18, 2010, CALABASH, NC —

As it name implies Farmstead Golf Links is nestled in the quiet country.  It is just a bit north of the SC/NC line. From the North Myrtle Beach area I feel it best to head north on Hwy 17 through Little River.  In Little River, turn right at Mineola Road.  When the road makes a ‘Y’ keep to the right on state Hwy 50 and the course will be just a short drive on your right. The Farmstead web site has great driving directions if you are not familiar with the area.

679 yards from the white teeMyrtle Beach Golf Directors made the perfect tee time for us and we were all geared up to tackle Farmsteads infamous 18th hole. It is the only par 6 on the strand. It is 679 long yards from the white tee with a slight dog leg left. Water on the left will swallow your shot if you try to shorten the hole just a bit by cutting the corner. Now I know what you are thinking, this gives me a better chance at par or birdie on the course signature hole. Yeah you can do it but… you will still need four good shots to reach the green.

Keep your ball in the middle of the fairway cutting it short is not worth the risk. We did not realize what a break we got when we started on number 10. Just eight holes later we were staring down the long par six and not being too tired and our concentration was still with us. Yes, we did it. We had a couple of pars… But you know you still feel funny marking a 6 on the card as a par.

Not a home in sightHigh natural grasses abound though out the course but do not interfere with the play and they only add its serenity. It may just be me but I like golf courses that are not real estate tours.

What I especially liked about the course was the smooth easy to read greens. It sure is nice to be able to roll a long one in once in awhile and not have the short ones twist and turn like a snake in two or three feet. The fairways are lush and the grass is nicely trimmed. The recent heavy rains greened up everything.



In fact, the course was in perfect condition except the rains took their toll of the bunkers. They were all gully washed out. However, I am sure by the time you read this they will be fixed and up to Farmsteads standards. One, also, gets a lot of bragging points on this course .On number 10 you tee up in NC and your shot ends up in SC. Yes you can honestly say I drove the ball from one state to the other. Then you get to do it again on number 14 from SC to NC.
Play 'hit the tree trunk'
We usually play from the white tees, myself from the gold, or as my partners say the “chicken yellow” tees. Farmstead has five tee set ups so it is easy to find the tee that suits your style of play.

When just a few yards difference between white and gold were involved, the white prevailed. The par 3s average 137 yards and the longest from the white is 149 yards so you see you have got a shot at birdies or pars on all the par threes. 

Number nine is another interesting hole in that a large oak tree sits dead center on the fairway about 165 yards out.  I would not stand under that tree on a rainy day. I offered a buck to anyone who could hit the tree trunk . . . the games we make up when we play golf!

Myrtle Beach Golf Directors knew what they were doing when they scheduled Farmstead for us. They found a much better than average course, close by, in North Carolina, that is in great condition and makes for a very pleasant day of golf. Oh also, Farmstead also offers frequent player  cards… Check them out. You will be glad you did.