The debut of Shaftesbury Glen into the colossal mix of courses at Myrtle Beach, brings a new element of golf to the area. Architect Clyde Johnston, who built Heather Glen and Glen Dornoch, talked with the owners of the property about emulating some of the canons of the great architect of the golden age of golf architecture, A. W. Tillinghast.

When Tillinghast was in the conceptual phase of constructing Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, he wrote, “Every hole, barring the one-shotters, seems quite innocent and without guile from the teeing ground. It is only the knowledge that the next shot must be played with rifle accuracy that brings the realization that the drive must be placed. The holes are like men, all rather similar from foot to neck, but with the greens showing the same varying character as human faces.”

And so it is that Shaftesbury Glen is an approach shot course. The fairways are generous, and one might even shrug them off as too generous. The nice part of this is that a golfer is unlikely to lose his tee shot. The testing part is that the approach shot needs to be threaded through bunkers and onto the correct part of greens coursed with many subtle and not so subtle contours. As a result, strategic care must be given to the choice of the drive’s landing area.

This makes a round here a delight and a refreshing contrast to the many courses at the Beach where the results of a tee shot can be penal. But, oh, the short game that is needed here! The greens (A1 Bentgrass) are firm, even though the course is but a few months old. The club’s manager will have them rolling at 11 on the stimpmeter this spring, which is lightning fast. You most definitely want to land the ball below the hole, or face a slippery downhill tester.

Although it is usually possible to run a ball up with your approach shot, have your sand wedge play honed before you arrive here. Johnston was working with quite flat land for this course and consequently he constructed notably elevated putting surfaces protected by steep greenside bunkers, steep and filled with fluffy sand.

There is a tranquil feel to Shaftesbury Glen. Although it is only a few minutes from the constant traffic of Route 17, the course embodies a sense of quiet countryside. I went off early in the morning and the sun was just highlighting the tops of the trees that framed the first fairway, and the raised green was accentuated by a snow-white bunker on its left. The twittering of conversing birds was the only sound I heard. It was lovely.

Shaftesbury has a comfortable clubhouse, the silhouette of which resembles a Tudor English country house. There is a practice range, and the entire staff are exceptionally friendly.

When the group of wealthy members of the New York Athletic Club called in A. W. Tillinghast in the fall of 1921 to give him his orders for Winged Foot, the message was brief: “Give us a Man’s sized course.” From the back tees at 6935 yards the rating at Shaftesbury is 74/Slope 135, and even from the whites at 6,445 yards, it is 71.3/130. However, that is not what makes Shaftesbury Glen a successful emulation of Tillinghast’s work. It is this: it takes a sturdy breed of management to be on in regulation, because you have to think through your second shot before you make your first, and even more to get down in two.

By all means play this course more than once, for the pleasure of it, and because your score will improve as you comprehend the dynamic of each hole: where to land a drive in order to make the approach the architect had in mind.

Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club
681 Cains Landing Road
Conway SC 29526
(843) 369-1800
(866) 587-1457 (toll free)
Fax (843) 369-1888
www.shaftesburyglen.com

For Real Estate Information Call:
843-369-0079
866-217-3263