Burning Ridge’s No. 4: A Tempting Par 4 That Rarely Plays Easy

Burning Ridge Golf Club doesn’t enjoy a high profile in the Myrtle Beach golf market. One of nearly 90 area courses, the Gene Hamm design often fills out a golf package rather than being the primary reason players make the trip.

But don’t let that obscure this reality: Burning Ridge is a good time.

With its small greens and old-school design, the course is a throwback to a different era, and it’s a delight to play, particularly its par 3s, which are its strongest collection of holes. Still, the most enjoyable challenge might be the par-4 fourth, a hole that’s capable of bringing out the best and worst in your game.

No. 4
Par: 4
Yardage: 355 yards (Black), 317 yards (White), 285 yards (Gold), 273 yards (Red)
Handicap: 6

One of two short par 4s on the front nine, No. 4 is fraught with danger. Water runs the entire length of the hole on the right, while woods line the left, leaving little room for a bailout.

Can you drive the green from the 317-yard white tees? Maybe — but you’d better be long and straight. Playing the hole as the crow flies, it’s roughly 240 yards to clear the water and about 270 yards to the middle of the green, with a deep bunker guarding the front.

Did I mention the green is only 17 yards deep?

The putting surface is technically reachable, but hitting it requires at least as much good fortune as skill.

So how should you play a hole that looks like it’s screaming birdie on the scorecard? Discretion off the tee is advised. The farther you hit it, the tighter the landing area becomes. Conversely, laying back too much leaves a difficult approach into a narrow target that’s hard to hold.

The ideal play is a 220-yard tee shot favoring the left side of the fairway, allowing you to use the full width of the green – 35 yards – on your approach.

Most of us see a 317-yard par 4 and immediately start dreaming of birdie, and that’s certainly possible on No. 4 at Burning Ridge. But the challenge is more devilish than the scorecard suggests.

The smart play is the conservative one: fairway, green, and a two-putt par. If you steal a birdie, great, but par is your friend.