Myrtle Beach Golf News & Updates

Man O’War Golf Club is built around a 107-acre lake, has consecutive island greens, and a stretch locals refer to as Amen Corner. Identifying the three best holes at the Dan Maples layout is a matter of taste as opposed to consensus.

With that in mind, course owner Claude Pardue shared his three favorites, and they are, not surprisingly, long on water and challenges.

Chicks dig the long ball and golf course architects apparently do too, but there remains substantial charm in a hole that is short on distance and long on challenge.

Golf Digest’s architecture editor, Ron Whitten, is a fan of the game’s more subtle challenges, with a particular affinity for perilous par 3s, writing:  

“A one-shot hole that is a delicate pitch to a daunting target has been all but forgotten. Not that they were ever that popular. The best took

One of the great events on the sporting calendar – the NCAA Tournament – is upon us and it happens to coincide with the busiest part of the Myrtle Beach golf season. So if you are in town, where are the best places to watch the Big Dance and monitor your progress in the office pool?

The Grand Strand is home to a lot of outstanding sports bars, including Buffalo Wild Wings in Carolina Forest and Wild Wing Café at Barefoot Landing, but here are five local establishments

Generous fairways. Superb conditions. Outstanding customer service.

Many factors combine to make Tradition Club a 4.5-star layout, according to Golf Digest, and contribute to its inviting atmosphere.

Tradition isn’t one of seven Myrtle Beach golf courses ranked among America’s 100 Greatest, but it delivers an outstanding round of golf and a good value. It’s the type of course people want to play year after year.

The Ron Garl design earned its name; Tradition isn’t a tricked up layout. The challenge is in front of golfers as Garl’s only Grand Strand layout features wide fairways, many of them lined with Carolina pine trees, and some of area’s largest greens.

From a design perspective, Tradition offers great variety. The par 4s range in length from 329 to 475 yards. Some holes encourage players to bomb away with the driver while others demand precision off the tee. Unlike many area courses, water isn’t a huge factor, coming into view on nine holes, but Tradition does have a pair of island greens that are memorable.

Two of the course’s four par 5s are… 

The field for the 19th annual Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am will feature a high profile cast of current and former sports and music stars.

Headlining the field for this year’s event, which will be played April 15 at Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club in North Myrtle Beach, are PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson, NASCAR standout Denny Hamlin, former Ryder Cup captain and 20-time PGA Tour winner Davis Love III, LPGA icon Nancy Lopez, former NFL legends

If a round of golf is analogous to a series of tests, the 18th hole at Long Bay, a highly regarded Myrtle Beach golf course, is a fitting final exam. With water a threat throughout, the 445-yard par 4 requires courage off the tee and precision on the approach.

South Carolina is one of America’s most golf rich states, and much of its bounty can be found in the Myrtle Beach area.

Golfweek magazine just released its 2013 ranking of the Best Courses: State by State, and Myrtle Beach golf courses claimed eight of the top 15 spots in the Palmetto State.

Golfweek ranked Caledonia as the third best course in the state, followed by the Dunes Club (No. 5), True Blue (No. 6), Tidewater (No. 7), TPC Myrtle Beach (No. 9), Love Course at Barefoot (No. 12), Fazio Course at Barefoot (No 14), and Grande Dunes Resort Course (No. 15).

Each of the eight courses have been ranked among America’s Top 100 public courses by either Golf Digest or Golf Magazine in recent years.

Caledonia and True Blue are sister courses, both designed by the late, great Mike Strantz. The South Strand layouts, located less than a mile apart, offer two distinct experiences. Caledonia weaves through the grounds of an old rice plantation, taking advantage of the Lowcountry’s abundant beauty, while True Blue is a modern design, featuring wide fairways, large greens and Strantz’s trademark visuals.  

Dunes Club, the primary host of the 2014 PGA Professional National Championship, is the area’s most decorated course.  The Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design is a consensus top 100 layout and has hosted PGA, Senior PGA and LPGA Tour events.

Tidewater is arguably the Grand Strand’s most scenic layout. With holes that play along Cherry Grove Inlet and the Intracoastal Waterway, in addition to offering views of the Atlantic Ocean, Tidewater is a stunning design.

The Love and Fazio courses anchor Barefoot Resort, one of golf’s premier four-course resorts. Davis Love III crafted his first high profile design at Barefoot and the results were spectacular, particularly the fourth through sixth holes which play around the faux ruins of an old plantation home.

The Fazio Course, as visually pleasing at it is challenging, is one of two Myrtle Beach layouts designed by Tom Fazio on the Golfweek list, joining TPC Myrtle Beach. TPC, which was recently ranked as one of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest, has hosted the Senior Tour Championship as well.

Grande Dunes’ Resort Course, also a host of the PGA National Championship in 2014, has been one of the area’s most popular courses since its 2001 opening. With seven holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway, it’s an unforgettable layout.

Leopard’s Chase at Ocean Ridge Plantation was ranked the fifth best course in North Carolina. The Tim Cate design is the fourth and most popular Big Cat at Ocean Ridge Plantation.
 

The Myrtle Beach golf scene is home to more than 100 layouts, including 12 that have been ranked among America’s Top 100 public courses. The Grand Strand is also America’s most popular golf destination and attracts media attention across the globe.

But what makes the area special often lies beyond the headlines. Layouts like Wedgefield Plantation have used a combination of traditional golf design, customer service and value to help expand the Myrtle Beach golf experience.

Wedgefield, located on the tip of the South Strand, was one of the first layouts that turned former plantation property, where indigo and rice once created great wealth, into golf gold. The layout, celebrating its 40th birthday this year, is cut from land that is covered with soaring Live Oak Trees and backs up to the Black River, where remnants of the centuries old rice fields remain.

“This is an old rice and indigo plantation that… 

The Dunes Club and Grande Dunes Resort Club will host the 47th Annual PGA Professional National Championship, June 22-25, 2014. ¨

The tournament will bring a field of 312 PGA club professionals from across the country to compete over four rounds for the Walter Hagen Cup. The top 20 finishers will receive an invitation to compete in the 96th PGA Championship in August 2014, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.
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“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome the country’s most skilled club professionals for their most prestigious annual event,” said Dunes Club PGA head professional Dennis Nicholl. “We have been fortunate to host a number of high-level professional and amateur golf tournaments in the past and are excited to serve The PGA of America.”
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The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, a 1948 masterpiece by Robert Trent Jones Sr. will be the primary host course for the event. It is has been rated among the best courses in America for decades. The Dunes Club has also hosted six Senior PGA Tour Championships, the U.S. Women’s Open, and the finals of the PGA Tour’s Q-School.

In order to prepare for the tournament in 2014, the Dunes Club will be undergoing renovations this coming summer headed up by noted architect Rees Jones, a son of Robert Trent Jones Sr.
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“Rees and his team spent two days at the club with our Greens Committee and superintendent, discussing the proposed renovations in his master plan for the course,” said Jack Bonner, president of the members of the Dunes Golf & Beach Club. 
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In order to accommodate the large field for the PGA Club Professional National Championship, a second course is always used for the first two days of play. When the Championship comes to Myrtle Beach, the Grande Dunes Resort Club, which has been ranked among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest, will receive that honor. 
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Instrumental to the process of securing the 2014 PGA Club Professional National Championship was National Golf Management president and PGA Professional Bob Mauragas, who was director of golf at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga. when the six-course resort and community hosted the 2008 National Championship. 
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“The Myrtle Beach golf industry is one great big family and we know how to lean on each other for the good of that family,” said Mauragas. “National Golf Management is honored to participate in this great event along with The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, which will prove a terrific main host course. We are excited to have the opportunity to show off Grande Dunes Resort Club that week as well.”
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About The PGA of America

Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry. By creating and delivering world-class championships and innovative programs, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. As The PGA nears its centennial, the PGA brand represents the very best in golf.
 

Brad Redding, one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers and the director of instruction at Grande Dunes Golf Academy, shows you how to get out of a bunker. Hint, hit it fat!

More Video Golf Tips, Please!

Over the years we have accumulated many of your favorite Myrtle Beach golf stories, ranging from funny to moving. Below is a sampling of the stories and a link to read all of them. Thanks for sharing your Myrtle Beach golf memories.
The Best Day of My  Life – Natalie Morrow
It was the beginning of April 2006. I drove to Myrtle Beach by myself and friends were going to meet me there a few days later. I was jonesin’ for something golf after driving 11 hours and unpacking

The Pearl opened its East and West courses in 1987, helping usher in the golf boom on Myrtle Beach’s North Strand. Both courses were designed by Dan Maples and among the area’s most popular, attracting golfers with stunning views of the Calabash River and challenging golf.

Over time the Pearl lost some of its luster as age took a toll. Fortunately, the impact of age isn’t irreversible on a golf course, and the Pearl is undergoing a revitalization, led by new general manager Bryan Thomas, that is restoring the shine to the 36-hole facility.

The most significant phase of the project was the installation of new greens on both courses. The East Course installed new MiniVerde greens during the summer of 2011, and the West Course reopened with new A1/A4 bentgrass greens on December 26, 2012.

The new greens have been met with rave reviews by members and visiting golfers alike, providing putting surfaces that equal the quality of the layouts they accompany.

Both courses at the Pearl are highly regarded architecturally. The East Course earned 4 stars in Golf Digest’s prestigious Best Places to Play guide and the West Course garnered 4.5 stars.

While the new greens are the most… 

Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz host Blair O'Neal pays a visit to the area's first course, Pine Lakes Country Club. Blair takes you on a tour of the Granddaddy and gives you a look at the rennovation project that restored the layout to its rightful in the market.

(RELATED: Blair O'Neal Enjoys a Meal at Thoroughbreds)

(RELATED: Watch All Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz Videos)

Today we’re visiting Pine Lakes Country Club, Myrtle Beach’s oldest golf course that dates all the way back to the 1920’s. The ocean course layout features an 18-hole layout designed by Robert White, the first President of the PGA of America. Today, that course is respectfully nicknamed “The Granddaddy,” but it’s officially known as Pine Lakes Country Club. It possesses a rich history steeped in tradition, and also happens to be the location  where the idea of Sports Illustrated magazine was conceived.

I’m Blair O’Neal, your host of The Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz, presented by Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. I’m here with Rick Shultz, the General Manager of Pine Lakes Country Club. I’m excited to be here because this was the very first golf course to be built here in Myrtle Beach. It was built in 1927, and kickstarted the Myrtle Beach area. In 2006, they closed the course for renovations, and reopened in 2009. It’s a traditional Scottish type golf course. One thing that’s unique about this golf facility is that there’s not a single home situated near the golf course, even though we’re right in the middle of Myrtle Beach. You won’t see anything but the historic trees, and just a great layout for any type of player. Putting is especially fun out here, because the greens are a good size and have a lot of undulations.

Another interesting fact about Pine Lakes is that it’s the birthplace of Sports Illustrated. In 1954, some executives from TIME, Inc. came down and created the concept to establish a magazine for sports, and Sports Illustrated was created. We’re fortunate to have one of the original first issues on display right here on site.

In 2009, following the course renovations, we established the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame, so we have a historical record of the local Myrtle Beach residents who’ve made such a wonderful impact on the game of golf.

The Pearl recently installed new A1/A4 bentgrass greens on its highly regarded West Course, keeping the game’s premier putting surface on the 4.5-star layout.

With the new greens receiving rave reviews, we revisited the course and asked new general manager Bryan Thomas for the layout’s three best holes. As will become apparent, Thomas, ever the gambler, loves the par 5s on the West Course.

The Pearl, home to a pair of courses, has been a gem on the Myrtle Beach golf scene for 25 years, showcasing memorable views of the Calabash River and two enjoyable layouts. But every stone needs the occasional polish, and the Grand Strand’s favorite Pearl is in the midst of having its luster restored. Here are five things you need to know about the revitalization of the 36-hole facility.  – If you haven’t been, the Pearl, home to the East and West courses, enjoys an