Barefoot Love

Barefoot Resort remains the only North American property to open four golf courses simultaneously. Tom Fazio, Davis Love III, Greg Norman and Pete Dye all designed courses at the North Myrtle Beach property but Love, on paper, lacked the architectural chops of his peers.

Many wondered how the upstart Love’s work would compare to his more celebrated associates. It didn’t take long to get an answer.

From the moment Barefoot opened, The Love Course has been the property’s most popular layout and it’s currently included among Golf Magazine’s "Top 100 You Can Play,” a ranking of America’s best public courses. A native North Carolinian, Love’s work at Barefoot stirs memories of Pinehurst No. 2, Donald Ross’ most famed design, particularly the run-off areas surrounding the course’s greens complexes.

While Love may have drawn inspiration from Ross, his design at Barefoot is uniquely his own. The front nine is defined by the faux ruins of an old plantation home, which are the centerpiece of holes 4-6.

Playing 265 yards (white tees), No. 4 is a drivable par 4 and it’s back-stopped by the ruins, enhancing the visual appeal of one of the area’s most photographed holes. But the fun hardly ends there.

The 7th hole is a par 5 that features dual fairways - the one to the right shortens the hole but is much riskier - and that’s just on the front side.

The Love Course concludes with a daunting par 5 (485 yards from the white tees) that plays to a narrow green with water on the left and a runoff area on the right. On a course renowned for being player-friendly, the final approach is a knee-knocking one for even the best players.

Barefoot is one of America’s premier golf resorts and The Love Course is its most popular course among the golfers that flock to the property each year.