We finished up the group round at Eagle Nest about 3pm and that left me just enough time for another round of golf. I decided to split away from the group in hopes of seeing another new course! Basically, I had five hours of daylight to find a course, book it and play. And, that isn’t an easy task in Myrtle Beach!
I searched Golfnow for courses nearby with available tee times and found The Valley at Eastport had some openings. I snatched up a 3:30pm tee time and hoped that would allow me enough time to finish the round. As it turns out my plan went perfectly and I finished just as the sun was setting.
I made the five minute drive over to Eastport and checked in a few minutes before my tee time. The proshop sent me over to the 1st tee where I trailed a group of seven from Massachusetts. They were split into a threesome and a foursome and offered to let me join them. I politely declined so I could wander for my pictures and gave them plenty of space. I played in about four hours, without anyone behind me.
Unfortunately, my success story for finding a bonus course pretty much stops there! However, I’ll admit that your perspective and taste will determine if you end up liking the design at Eastport. The course had too much quirk and funk for me to like the design but someone from the group ahead loved it.
The reason for such a drastic gap between opinions will be due to all the target golf at Eastport! The course lies in a community between U.S. Route 17, the Intracoastal Waterway and two marinas. If you’ve been to Myrtle Beach then you’ll know how closely things get packed together as you get closer to the action! Well, that is the case here.
The course seems to have been fit together with whatever land was left after the condos were built. The result is many narrow, tree-lined holes and plenty of target golf. That isn’t my style and I struggled to get anything in play! And, that is a problem here because of all the water and out of bounds. For whatever reason, it seemed that many edges on the course sloped towards these trouble spots.
As you might imagine Eastport is a shorter course, playing only 6,232 yards from the tips. It plays to a par of 70 with a rating of 68.6 and a slope of 134. There are plenty of short par-4’s that offer a chance to stick a short iron close. I managed three birdies but had just as many “others” so it seems to be one of those feast or famine places!
Perhaps the craziest par-4 of any at Eastport is the 338 yard 3rd hole! The hole slides right and hugs a water hazard. There are trees to the left which separate play from 2nd hole and while they do their job, the trees make it extremely tough to hit the fairway if you fade the ball. You have a tiny gap to try to land the ball in the fairway and if you hit the right half you risk bouncing it into the water.
My favorite hole at Eastport was the par-3 13th. It is only 137 yards and plays over water to a pretty green complex. You need to carry it to the front of the green or the ball can bounce back into the hazard. An oak tree frames the green to the right while more water lurks to the left.
Even though the design wasn’t my favorite the course conditions were solid for $35. The overseeded fairways and tees looked great and provided nice lies! The greens were dormant bermuda (no paint) and rolled smooth with some speed. Don’t expect perfect conditions though as there were plenty of sanded spots on the greens – none of which affected my putts.
I enjoyed my evening at Eastport but that had more to do with the wonderful weather and fulfilling my crazy desire to see another new course! The breeze died down and the sun broke through the clouds, allowing for some awesome lighting, as you’ll see in my pictures!
I think that any way you cut it Eastport is lower-tier course that is a decent value. I found it a bit goofy and uncomfortable while someone else found it to be a blast!
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):