Thistle Ascends to Top Spot in Myrtle Beach Golf Insider Top 25
For the first time since its inception, the Myrtle Beach Golf Insider Top 25 has a new Number One.
Thistle Golf Club, the 27-hole layout in Sunset Beach, N.C. that has quietly become one of the region's most acclaimed courses, ascended to the top spot in the March rankings - supplanting Dunes Golf & Beach Club, which moves to No. 2 following a nine-month run atop the rankings. TPC of Myrtle Beach, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Plantation round out the top 5.
Glen Dornoch was the biggest upward mover in March, vaulting eight spots to No. 14. Sandpiper Bay reentered the rankings at No. 23 after a one-month absence.
The rankings are determined by golfers who submit their post-play reviews for publication on the Golf Insider's Web site, MBGolfInsider.com. They are based on the aggregate scores of each participating golfer's review, where golfers rate on a 10-point scale their course experience in each of six categories shown in the chart below. The March 2011 Top 25 was completed on April 3, with ties separated by total number of reviews for each course:
| Rank | Course | Overall Score | Total Reviews | Change in Rank | Pro Shop Score | Grill Score | Staff Score | Tees Score | Greens Score | Fairways Score |
| 1 | Thistle Golf Club | 9.0 | 58 | -1 | 9.05 | 8.35 | 8.83 | 9.33 | 8.98 | 9.19 |
| 2 | Dunes Golf & Beach Club | 8.9 | 81 | 1 | 9.04 | 8.25 | 8.90 | 9.09 | 8.86 | 8.99 |
| 3 | TPC of Myrtle Beach | 8.7 | 175 | NC | 8.97 | 7.80 | 8.86 | 8.96 | 9.04 | 8.75 |
| 4 | Caledonia Golf & Fish Club | 8.7 | 169 | NC | 8.60 | 7.96 | 8.75 | 8.98 | 8.98 | 9.07 |
| 5 | True Blue | 8.6 | 109 | NC | 8.49 | 7.82 | 8.52 | 8.90 | 8.75 | 8.88 |
| 6 | Legends - Parkland | 8.5 | 47 | 5 | 8.72 | 8.02 | 8.57 | 8.34 | 8.70 | 8.66 |
| 7 | King's North at Myrtle Beach National | 8.4 | 345 | -1 | 8.61 | 7.73 | 8.52 | 8.75 | 8.34 | 8.71 |
| 8 | Willbrook Plantation | 8.4 | 343 | NC | 8.57 | 7.73 | 8.52 | 8.60 | 8.51 | 8.63 |
| 9 | SouthCreek at Myrtle Beach National | 8.4 | 157 | -2 | 8.67 | 7.75 | 8.99 | 8.41 | 8.44 | 8.41 |
| 10 | Legends - Heathland | 8.4 | 58 | -1 | 8.52 | 8.14 | 8.53 | 8.48 | 8.29 | 8.50 |
| 11 | Legends - Moorland | 8.4 | 54 | 3 | 8.56 | 8.26 | 8.50 | 8.19 | 8.26 | 8.56 |
| 12 | Tiger's Eye | 8.4 | 47 | -2 | 8.53 | 7.70 | 8.79 | 8.68 | 8.04 | 8.72 |
| 13 | World Tour | 8.3 | 79 | NC | 8.80 | 8.23 | 9.01 | 8.21 | 7.29 | 8.16 |
| 14 | Glen Dornoch | 8.3 | 52 | 8 | 7.98 | 7.46 | 8.58 | 8.48 | 8.46 | 8.52 |
| 15 | Barefoot - Love | 8.3 | 41 | NC | 8.73 | 7.39 | 8.61 | 8.68 | 8.05 | 8.59 |
| 16 | Barefoot - Fazio | 8.3 | 30 | NC | 8.77 | 7.67 | 8.40 | 8.53 | 7.70 | 8.67 |
| 17 | River Club | 8.2 | 348 | NC | 8.54 | 7.65 | 8.59 | 8.18 | 7.88 | 8.24 |
| 18 | West Course at Myrtle Beach National | 8.2 | 337 | -6 | 8.73 | 7.37 | 8.64 | 8.46 | 7.87 | 8.35 |
| 19 | Tradition Club | 8.2 | 216 | -1 | 8.32 | 7.45 | 8.48 | 8.33 | 8.03 | 8.35 |
| 20 | Arrowhead | 8.2 | 114 | -1 | 8.42 | 7.40 | 8.51 | 8.34 | 8.03 | 8.39 |
| 21 | Grande Dunes | 8.2 | 93 | -1 | 8.55 | 8.05 | 8.19 | 8.33 | 7.68 | 8.09 |
| 22 | Man O' War | 8.2 | 88 | -1 | 8.23 | 7.43 | 8.16 | 8.38 | 8.39 | 8.57 |
| 23 | Sandpiper Bay | 8.2 | 54 | NEW Since 1/11 | 8.09 | 7.30 | 7.96 | 8.46 | 8.65 | 8.57 |
| 24 | Barefoot - Dye | 8.2 | 34 | -1 | 8.47 | 7.29 | 8.15 | 8.56 | 8.44 | 8.18 |
| 25 | Long Bay Club | 8.1 | 262 | -1 | 8.46 | 7.12 | 8.30 | 8.10 | 8.17 | 8.17 |
The Myrtle Beach Golf Insider Top 25 represents a broad consensus of opinion based on thousands of golfer reviews - more than 6,500 since the site's inception, according to Myrtle Beach Golf Insider Editor Jim Maggio.
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