Built in 1949, the Dunes has long been the class operation of Myrtle Beach. A semi-private club whose members are the movers and shakers on the Grand Strand, it is open only to guests of certain area hotels. The Robert Trent Jones-designed masterpiece has hosted national championships, annually befuddled the hackers of the Golf Writers Association of America, and, legend has it, spawned the launch of Sports Illustrated magazine, whose prototype was sketched out in the 19th hole. Even without all its history, this course would be worth a visit just to tackle architect Jones’ rolling fairways, difficult greens and heroic shots. The par-five 13th hole is one of the most famous in the country: a long semi-circular journey around an alligator-infested lake. The second shot is always the most trying as the player must decide how much of the lake to bite off. Too little, and it’s a long iron into a multi-tiered, impossible green. Too much and the ball sleeps with the gators. It’s little wonder that the Dunes hosted the 1962 U.S. Women’s Open, or the Senior PGA Tour Championship for several years. Every year, the members of the Golf Writers go home from their annual championship bowed, if not beaten, and tell the world how difficult this golf course truly is. After the round, however, there isn’t a finer clubhouse on the Grand Strand, where one can enjoy a post-round libation or three looking at the ocean and the dunes that give the place its name.