FLORENCE — Long before Bandon Dunes emerged as a destination resort, the first golf course receiving national headlines on the South Coast made its debut in Florence.

Golf Digest ranked Sandpines Golf Links the Best New Public Course in America in 1993.

The layout by renowned architect Rees Jones continues to earn praise from national golf publications. More important to the folks at Sandpines, it gets great reviews from the golfers.

“I think one of my favorite things that I hear a lot from golfers that play all over the place is, they find our course is one of their favorites,” said Sandpines Golf Pro Bob Rannow, who has worked at the course since 2000. “I hear that often.”

Golfers like that the course is varied from the front nine to the back. The first nine holes, played mostly among pine trees, have an inland feel, while the back nine is a links-style course played mostly in the wind.

“It’s got those two combinations that make it great,” Rannow said.

Throw in outstanding, and often challenging, greens, to go with the coastal wind, three sparkling lakes and a variety of bunkers and the course can challenge anybody.

“(From the championship tees), it’s over 7,100 yards at sea level, which knocks the tar out of anybody who plays from the back tees,” Rannow said. “It’s more of a survival, really, but the people who play out there love it.”

Sandpines has five sets of tees, ranging from 5,323 yards to 7,190, and beginners often play from the forward tees.

“It’s playable for all skill levels,” said co-owner Michael Pearson, the general manager, who purchased the course in January with his wife, Nancy, and brother, John. “You can be a hacker and enjoy yourself.”

We can vouch for that.

In addition to the scenic nature of the layout, it is a gentle, though long, walk. And since it is built on the dunes, Sandpines drains almost instantly, making it playable year-round.

While the golf course has changed little since Sandpines opened, the facilities have improved dramatically in recent years, including the opening of the 9,000-square foot clubhouse a few years ago.

The front of the clubhouse, which includes a pro shop and Tavolo Restaurant, offers a tantalizing view of the final three holes, which are set around one of the lakes. But most golfers will enjoy the first 15 before they get there.

After a pair of short par 4s — one protected by a gaping bunker and the other a small lake — and two doglegs through the woods, the course quickly gets challenging.

The fifth hole is a par 3 that measures 178 yards from the middle tees and requires a carry over one of the three lakes.

The sixth is the toughest hole on the course, a dogleg that plays into the prevailing summer wind to a three-tiered green. A large bunker protects the corner on the dogleg.

It is followed by the longest par-5, which measures 565 from the middle tees and is entirely uphill. No. 7 also is the hole closest to the sand dunes that border the north end of the course.

After the long, downhill par-3 eighth and the longest par 4 on the course, golfers need to switch to their links game.

The 10th and 11th holes play into the teeth of the wind. Though No. 11 is the shortest hole on the course, the wind and a grass-covered ravine to the left of the green make it challenging.

“If you miss it left on 11, it’s the worst place on the whole golf course,” Rannow said.

A combination of downhill, dogleg and uphill holes sets up the fantastic finish.

No. 16 is a short par 4 that plays downwind in the summer to a green along the east edge of the lake. The 17th is a par 3 back into the wind that runs along the edge of the lake. And the 18th is a dogleg par-5 that is a classic risk-reward hole. It measures just 476 yards from the middle tees, and golfers can choose how much of the lake they want to play over, risking a ball in the water for a chance to reach the green in two shots and get an eagle or birdie.

“We hear a lot that those three holes are the favorite finishing holes that they play,” Rannow said.

Rannow lists any number of personal favorite holes, including No. 15, a long uphill par 4 to a green protected by three small bunkers on the left and a large one on the right.

“From the back tees, it’s a monster,” said Rannow, who admits he likes tough holes. “It’s a great uphill challenging hole.”

A lot of golfers from outside the South Coast make repeat visits to Sandpines. First-time visitors often are drawn by the architect.

“Rees Jones is now considered the U.S. Open doctor,” Pearson said. “He has remodeled or redeveloped the last two venues for the U.S. Open. He’s a world-renowned architect. I think that’s a big selling point.”