The Witch Golf Club

The Witch Golf Club opened in 1989 as one of Dan Maples's more imaginative designs along South Carolina's Grand Strand. Maples routed the course through dense coastal forest and natural wetlands near the Intracoastal Waterway, creating a layout that feels notably more secluded and atmospheric than many of the region's resort-oriented courses. The property's heavy tree canopy, Spanish moss, and dark water hazards give the course its distinctive character and inspired its name. The routing makes extensive use of the site's natural features, with fairways carved through corridors of pine and hardwood. Water comes into play on roughly half the holes, often in the form of dark, cypress-lined lagoons that require precise approach shots. Maples incorporated significant elevation changes unusual for the Lowcountry, using the property's natural ridges and creating mounding that adds visual interest and strategic variety. The par-3 14th hole is particularly well-known, playing over water to an island green surrounded by wetlands. The Witch operates as a semi-private facility and has maintained its reputation as one of the more challenging and distinctive designs in the Myrtle Beach area. The course rewards accuracy over distance, with narrow landing areas and greenside hazards that penalize wayward shots. Its wooded setting and strategic demands offer a contrast to the more open, resort-style layouts common to the Grand Strand golf market.