Whenever I take a Myrtle Beach golf vacation, I make sure to get down to Pawleys Island, which not only has some of my favorite courses along the Grand Strand (Caledonia, True Blue, the Heritage Club) but also some of my favorite Myrtle Beach restaurants. The best one-two dining combination I've found is at Louis's at Pawleys (louisatpawleys.com) and the adjoining Fish Camp Bar, located on Highway 17 in the Hammock Shops specialty shopping/dining village. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

If you're planning on taking a Myrtle Beach golf vacation this year, don't slight the northern reaches of America's most popular golf mecca. This area of the Grand Strand (just over the border in North Carolina) offers a variety of excellent Myrtle Beach golf courses. Most Myrtle Beach regulars might play one or two courses in the north before moving on to the more publicized links in the center and south, but we think there is enough good golf here and enough good reasons to warrant multi-day North Myrtle Beach golf vacations. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

You may have read that more than 15 Myrtle Beach golf courses have closed in the last few years. Well, here's one that's bucking the trend. Starting tomorrow, there will be a new course to play on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation, albeit toward the south end of the Grand Strand. It's called The Founders Club at Pawleys Island, not to be confused with the Founders Club at St. James Plantation in the far northern reaches of the Strand. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

One of the best things about a Myrtle Beach golf vacation is the sheer quantity and quality of golf courses you can play, but I must admit, sometimes the crowds and the herding tactics of certain golf courses can be annoying. Now there’s a place that offers a respite from all that. Anyone staying at the brand new Marina Inn at Grand Dunes or the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes enjoys access to the private Members Club at Grande Dunes. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

If it were designed today, and by anyone other than a top-tier architect, the 13th hole at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club might be dismissed as a gimmick.The fact that this boomerang-shaped hole is the most famous (and still respected) one you can play on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation owes largely to the fact that it was created, in 1949, by the late, great Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

After slapping the Surlyn around all day in what often resembles the wilderness, it’s easy to develop an unusually intense hunger. Well, with all due respect given to chicken, fish, pasta and veggies, it’s often the type of itch that only a thick, buttery steak can scratch.So, the next time you’re on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation and you get one of these carnivorous cravings, make a point of posting up at New York Prime, the best steakhouse we’ve found on the Grand Strand. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Few golf course policies get our hackles up like double teeing. The practice of starting groups simultaneously on the front and back nines is prevalent on popular courses, which means it's especially common on Myrtle Beach golf vacations.Golf facilities can drive up revenues by getting as many groups onto the course as possible, and double teeing maximizes the number of golfers who can tee off at the most popular times of day. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

If you’re like most golfers, you’ll get a kick out of seeing alligators sunning themselves on the banks of golf course ponds during your Myrtle Beach golf vacation. There’s something about these prehistoric-looking beasts that’s simply mesmerizing.Personally, I don’t feel the same way about snakes. I’ve been lucky enough to avoid them during my desert golf trips, but can’t say the same thing for my last Myrtle Beach golf vacation. It seemed like they were everywhere. After seeing a few harmless black snakes at the courses in Pawleys Island, my next round was at Tom Doak’s Moorland Course at Legends Resort. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Last summer, when Golf Odyssey visited several Myrtle Beach golf courses, we discovered some great seasonal rates at Legends Resorts that you may want to consider for your own Myrtle Beach golf vacation.From May 21 through September 5, the resort will be offering rounds of golf at its courses: Tom Doak’s Heathland, P.B. Dye’s Moorland and the Parkland at the Legends complex, as well as the Heritage Club and Oyster Bay, for only $58. That’s nearly half off the high-season rate of $108. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is one of the best courses you can play on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation, and one of the best times to play it is from early March to mid-May and from early October to mid-November.That's when the club offers a little extra authentic flavor of the South by doling out servings of George Young’s famous fish stew. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

I must admit, I feel a certain sense of pride having been one of the few (apparently too few) people who flew Hooters Air en route to a Myrtle Beach golf vacation. After ceasing operations last April, the chance to fly on an airline created entirely from the sale of chicken wings is possibly gone forever. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Known as The Granddaddy, Pine Lakes International Country Club was the first golf course built in Myrtle Beach, marking the beginning of what has become one of the country’s best golf destinations.Originally designed in 1927 by Robert White, a Scotsman from St. Andrews and the first president of the PGA of America, Pine Lakes has maintained a connection to its roots, making it quite a different experience from all the other courses on the Grand Strand. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Golfers willing to explore a little on their Myrtle Beach golf vacation would do well to find their way to Ocean Ridge Plantation, a four-course complex (soon to be five) located just eight miles from the South Carolina Border.Of its feline-themed courses, Lion’s Paw, Panther’s Run, Leopard’s Chase and Tiger’s Eye, the latter is the one to play first. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Located at the southern end of The Grand Strand in Murrells Inlet, S.C., you’ll find one of the top-10 courses you can play on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation.The TPC Myrtle Beach might not technically be “where the Tour plays” anymore (it hasn’t hosted a Tour event since the then-named Senior PGA Tour Championship in 2000), but the Tom Fazio design hasn’t lost its luster and any golfer worth his wedge would be happy to play it. And, unlike most of the TPC courses that do host the pros, this one is open to the public. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

One of the most exciting golf courses you can play on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation isn’t in Myrtle Beach at all, but just across state border in Shallotte, N.C.The 35-mile drive (which can take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour depending on The Grand Strand’s notorious traffic) is well worth it.Here, perched on the bluffs of the Shallotte River, Arnold Palmer created one of the area’s most dramatic and challenging layouts, which also happens to include exceptional hole variety and unrivaled scenery. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Most of us take a Myrtle Beach Golf Vacation because we’re looking for value, not indulgence, but The Grand Strand can offer the latter and Litchfield Plantation is the best place to get it, especially if you’re traveling with someone special. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

In terms of golf weather, there are few bad times to take a Myrtle Beach golf vacation. November through February are the only months in which temperatures sometimes drop into the 50s, but if you don’t mind wearing a light sweater or windshirt, you’ll be rewarded with significantly reduced hotel rates and green fees. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Normally, a Marriott hotel wouldn’t exactly thrill us — they’re usually very nice and comfortable, but thrilling? No.However, by Myrtle Beach standards, the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grand Dunes is like a Four Seasons hotel and it’s the best resort lodging option on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation.First of all, it’s located right on the beach and most rooms have ocean views. Second, it opened in 2004 and therefore looks nothing like the older, cheesy high-rises that unfortunately occupy most of the other beachfront property. With its smooth, light-tan exterior and red-capped towers, it hints at the modern, Tuscan style so popular today. Common areas are open, airy and warmed by wooden and rattan accents. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Don’t let the name fool you: The Resort Course at Grand Dunes is the hardest one you’ll play on your Myrtle Beach golf vacation. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

For years, dining on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation meant choosing between theme restaurants or Calabash (i.e. fried) seafood buffets. Slowly but surely, however, upscale dining has infiltrated the Grand Strand, making finding a decent meal almost as easy as finding a golf course.If you’re looking for expertly prepared food in an elegant but modern atmosphere, the best option on Myrtle’s new restaurant repertoire is Greg Norman’s Australian Grille at Barefoot Landing, where the Shark paired with celebrity chef Todd English of Olives (Aspen, Boston, New York, Washington DC, Las Vegas and Tokyo).Half upscale steakhouse specializing in wood-grilled beef, and half fine dining with a Mediterranean flair, the huge menu will please almost anyone. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

No matter how many big-name golf architects build layouts on the Grand Strand, the best modern course to play on a Myrtle Beach golf vacation is largely the work of a rank amateur. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Although it no longer enjoys a monopoly on the high-end golf scene, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club is still a must-play on your Myrtle Beach golf vacation and the best classic course on The Grand Strand. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

Unless you like endless, crowded beaches, tourist hotels, and stop-and-go traffic, steer clear of downtown on your Myrtle Beach golf vacation. (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)

There is a place to visit on your Myrtle Beach golf vacation that is the epitome of genteel calm and tranquility -- more reminiscent of Tara than "tank-top town." (continued at www.GolfVacationInsider.com)