"Average Joe" Reviews Woodland Valley Country Club

By Joe Derus NorthMyrtleBeachOnLine.com

Loris, SC May 28, 2008--A few miles west on route 9 from US 17 is Woodland Valley Country Club. Old timers and frequent players will remember the course being called Diamond Back. Its entrance was noted by a fearsome rattle snake on the billboard that denoted the entrance. That billboard is gone now and replaced with a very classy sign.

Myrtle Beach Golf Directors arranged our tee time and got us the exact start we were looking for.

The nice folks at Woodland asked we stay on cart paths only because of over -seeding the fairways. I only mention that because by the time you read this, over-seeding will no longer be a factor as far as cart paths only are concerned. The current fairways are fine as is; the over-seeding will make them even better.

The course is already in top condition and the greens are just about perfect. The greens all have a consistent “roll speed” (if that is a golf term) which means the ball rolls  at the same rate of speed for every green. That makes the putting a lot easier.

What the average player remembers first and foremost about Woodland Valley are the tight fairways. No, not pro tight but you will loose a few balls if you just whack away from the tees without concern for placement.

This course keeps reeling you in and make you think, especially before tee shots. The par threes are generally over water or marsh. These too require some thinking before you tee off. Woodland Valley does not have one particular hole that jumps out at you and says I am the signature hole for this course.

Everyone in our group had their own favorite. For me it was the seventh hole - a par 5, and 478 yards with a dog left. You can’t see the green from the tee. This hole bespeaks how to play this course. The tee shot down the middle is a must. Second shot is a lay up short of the marsh. Going for the green is not worth the reward on this hole. The third shot is a mid iron to the green. If you one-putt it like I did for a birdie and this will be your favorite hole also. If you are like most golfers you want price vs. value when it comes to golf. Yeah! We all want to play on well maintained, challenging courses. We do not want to spend our entire golf budget on one round. When we find a course that can give us both, good course conditions and a fair price we are “happy campers.” Woodland Valley fits that bill, nicely.

To add to the value of the course they provide hand held gps computers that are fun to work, just touch the screen with a tee to get your information. They charge themselves when placed in the holder on the carts. They provide accurate information such as distance from your ball to the hole, regardless where you are on the course. You can also keep score on the computer; the only disadvantage is you can’t “forget” a stroke when you add up your score because the computer does that for you. As a group we did not take full advantage of all the programs on the computers. I have enough to think about when playing golf, but those who rely on distance to the hole will love this device. They also have daily specials for everyone, women, family, seniors, and team play. Call Myrtle Beach Golf Directors or the course for details. Woodland Valley is most definitely one of the best costs vs. value courses in and around North Myrtle Beach.

I am sure you will enjoy, your round at Woodland Valley.