A private country club with limited visitor play, the Surf Club has been a favorite of the cognoscenti for nearly 40 years. The fairways are lined with mature oaks and pines, the mixture of sand and water is nearly perfect and the greens, recently converted to fast bent grass, are a joy to putt. The third oldest course in Myrtle Beach, the George Cobb design was first updated by John Lafoy in 1990, when he enlarged many of the greens and leveled off the tees. The Surf Club’s par three holes are especially memorable. The third hole is a 192-yard monster with a cypress swamp lurking on the left. But most golfers will long remember the unusual par three final hole, 207 yards over a large lake to a small green that tilts dramatically from back to front. Hit an enthusiastic shot a bit long, and the resulting chip or putt back down the hill can be nearly impossible to control. There may be lots of newer courses to play on the Grand Strand, and many with more bells and whistles than the Surf Club, but this is still a fine and traditional test of golf from start to finish.