Sandpiper Bay Golf Review: 27 Holes on the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail

Ask a local golfer in Sunset Beach which course they’d send a friend to for a solid, no-drama 27-hole day — no resort markup, no pretension, just good golf — and the same name keeps coming up. Sandpiper Bay Golf & Country Club is the kind of place where the starter greets you like a regular and the greens roll true enough that you stop blaming them for your misses. The morning mist is still burning off the fairways when you reach the first tee, and by the turn you’ve forgotten what you paid.

Designed by Dan Maples with 27 holes on the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail, Sandpiper Bay pairs well with other Trail courses for package deals — but it earns its own trip.

Three Nines, Three Personalities — Dan Maples at His Most Playful

Dan Maples knows this stretch of coast better than almost any architect alive — he also designed The Pearl Golf Links and Oyster Bay Golf Links, both within a few miles of Sandpiper Bay. But where those courses lean into drama, Sandpiper Bay shows a different side of Maples: relaxed, strategic, and sneaky difficult when you stop paying attention.

The three nines — Sand, Piper, and Bay — each have their own rhythm, and the combination you play on any given day changes the whole feel of the round.

The Sand Nine: Where It Clicks

The Sand nine is the one I send first-timers to. It opens through corridors of longleaf pine, the kind where the morning sun slants through the trunks in columns and the pine straw crunches underfoot walking to your ball. The fairways here are generous enough to let you swing freely, but Maples placed the bunkers where an overconfident drive will find them. Hole 3 is a short par 4 with a deceptive dogleg left — the green sits below the fairway, tucked behind a bunker, and the downhill approach plays a full club shorter than it looks. I’ve watched golfers stuff it close and I’ve watched golfers blade one over the green into the pines. There’s no in-between on that hole.

The Piper Nine: Bring an Extra Sleeve

This is where the water shows up and the decision-making starts. The Piper nine threads through ponds and marshy lowland, and the salt air off the Intracoastal mixes with the smell of warm bermuda grass in a way that’s pure Sunset Beach. Hole 5 on the Piper is the one I remember most — a par 3 over water to a green that slopes back toward the pond. The breeze off the marsh pushes everything right, so you aim left-center and trust it. Miss the green right and you’re wet. Miss it long and you’re in a bunker with no green to work with. It’s the kind of hole that sticks with you at dinner.

The Bay Nine: The Quiet Surprise

The Bay nine doesn’t announce itself. It winds through natural waste areas and native grasses, and the visual framing is the best of the three — Maples used the sandy waste areas like an artist uses negative space. Hole 7 on the Bay is a risk-reward par 5 where you can cut the corner over a waste bunker to reach in two, but the landing area narrows to about 15 yards. I’ve gone for it three times. Made birdie once. Made double the other two. That’s a Sandpiper Bay Golf Sunset Beach review in miniature — the course keeps tempting you to play aggressively, and it rewards you just often enough to keep you coming back.

Part of the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail

Being on the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail means Sandpiper Bay participates in multi-course package deals that can knock serious money off your per-round cost. I’ve seen Trail packages bring the price below $40 a round in the shoulder season — that’s Dan Maples design for the cost of a range bucket at some resort courses. If you’re planning a multi-day trip, check the Trail bundles before you book anything individually.

The Round I Keep Coming Back To

Here’s what surprised me about Sandpiper Bay: the 27-hole format means pace of play is almost always better than the busy 18-hole courses in the area. There’s more capacity to absorb groups, and the routing keeps everyone moving. On a Saturday morning when Barefoot and Tidewater are stacking up on every par 3, I’ve played the Sand and Bay combo at Sandpiper Bay in under four hours with a cart. You hear cardinals in the pines instead of the group behind you.

The par-72 layout plays fair from every tee position, and the combination system means a mixed-skill group can find a pairing that works for everyone. Play the Sand and Piper if you want a gentler round. Play the Piper and Bay if you want to test your course management. Either way, the greens roll honest — they’re not the fastest on the coast, but they’re consistent, and that matters more than speed when you’re trying to score.

Course Details at a Glance

• Location: 800 N Sandpiper Club Dr SW, Sunset Beach, NC 28468
• Holes: 27 (three nines: Sand, Piper, Bay)
• Designer: Dan Maples
• Par: 72
• Price Range: Moderate — even better with Golf Trail packages
• Part of: Myrtle Beach Golf Trail
• Drive from 601 Hillside Dr N: ~25 minutes

Tips for Playing Sandpiper Bay

1. Check the Golf Trail packages first. Bundling with other Trail courses can drop your per-round cost dramatically, especially in spring and fall shoulder season.
2. Play the Sand-Bay combo if it’s your first visit. It’s the most visually interesting pairing, and hole 7 on the Bay nine is the one you’ll remember. Save the Piper nine for the return trip.
3. Pair it with other Sunset Beach courses. Sandpiper Bay is close to Thistle, The Pearl, Sea Trail, and Ocean Ridge — a full day in Sunset Beach is easy to plan.
4. Aim left on every Piper nine water hole. The marsh breeze pushes everything right. Trust the wind and aim left-center. I learned that one the expensive way.
5. Use it as a second round. The 27-hole format and moderate pricing make Sandpiper Bay a great afternoon course after a morning premier round.

Who Should Play Sandpiper Bay?

Groups who want a round that feels like a well-kept secret instead of a production. Sandpiper Bay is the course where you walk off the 18th and say, “Why don’t more people talk about this place?” It’s ideal for golfers booking Myrtle Beach Golf Trail packages who want a Sunset Beach course in the rotation, for mixed-skill groups who need a layout that plays fair without being boring, and for anyone who’d rather hear birds than cart path chatter on their backswing. Compare Sandpiper Bay against the other top courses in our complete golf course guide, and visit the trip planning guide to start building your itinerary around it.

When the Morning Mist Burns Off and You’ve Forgotten What You Paid, That’s the Sandpiper Bay Feeling

There’s something about a round where the starter knows your name by the second visit and the greens roll honest enough to stop blaming them. Sandpiper Bay doesn’t demand your attention with gimmicks — it earns it with 27 holes of Dan Maples variety and a pace that lets you actually enjoy being outside. Our place at 601 Hillside Dr N in Ocean Keyes is about 25 minutes from Sandpiper Bay, right in the Sunset Beach golf corridor. Three bedrooms, a full kitchen, and the kind of home base that makes a multi-course Golf Trail trip feel effortless.

Check Availability & Book Your Stay

Sandpiper Bay is the course that keeps sneaking onto my guests’ “play again” lists. Let me help you build a Golf Trail package around it.