Myrtle Beach Golf News & Updates

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.

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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

Jack Nicklaus, golf’s greatest champion, is the architect of one of the Grand Strand’s most memorable courses, Pawleys Plantation. The back nine at Pawleys Plantation has five holes that play along a salt marsh, creating stunning visuals. The South Strand course is one of the area's best and most memorable. Come along as Blair O’Neal challenges Pawleys Plantation.

Matt Ginella is one of the foremost experts on golf travel. He was the long-time travel editor at Golf Digest and has toured the nation playing the best courses the game has to offer.

Now part of the Golf Channel team and a host of the Morning Drive, one of Ginella’s first features was a ranking of America’s top 40 public courses. As part of his rankings, Ginella took, among other things, quality of the golf course, playability for amateurs, and value into account, criteria

When Barefoot Resort opened its fairways in 2000, media from across the nation descended on Myrtle Beach to see the first facility to open four, high-end daily fee courses at the same time. The architects at Barefoot – Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Greg Norman and Davis Love III – were among the game’s most prominent names. Dye, Fazio and Norman were renowned for the quality of their architecture, while Love was still a bit an unknown as a designer. 

Surf Golf & Beach Club is on nearly every Myrtle Beach insider’s list of the area’s best golf courses. It’s also the elite golf course that golfers are least likely to have played, but they will have the opportunity to change that in 2011.

Crown Park rests on the western edge of the Myrtle Beach golf scene, nestled quietly amongst the pine trees that are so familiar to the area’s inland courses. This layout isn’t mentioned among the Grand Strand’s high profile courses, and one of its trademark characteristics is its serenity.

Want to know how to draw or fade the ball off the tee, on command?

Classic Swing Golf School’s Ted Frick teaches you how to work your driver.

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Myrtle Beach’s premier golf tournament has been awarded South Carolina’s most prestigious tourism award.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley presented the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship with the Governor’s Cup, the Palmetto State’s most coveted award on Wednesday, January 30.

“Winning the Governor’s Cup is a tremendous honor,” said Jeff Monday, the World Am’s tournament director. “Tourism is vital to South Carolina and

The Love Course at Barefoot Resort has been among the most popular layouts on the Myrtle Beach golf scene since its opening in 2000. A creative design and superior conditions have kept players flocking to a course that has consistently been ranked among the nation’s top 100 public layouts. Before you tee it up on Davis Love’s most highly regarded course, here are five things you need to know: 1. Bring your driver and be prepared to wallop it. The fairways on the Love Course

Davis Love III burst onto the golf course architecture scene with his design at Barefoot Resort & Golf, crafting a layout that has been ranked among the nation’s top 100 public courses by Golf Magazine and Golf Digest.

The Love Course has been hailed for its strength throughout, but certain holes stand above, creating the type of memories and challenges that make a course great. We consulted Barefoot’s head pro, Mike Ross, for his thoughts on the Love Course’s three best holes and he gladly provided us a list of the best of the best.

The Grand Strand is home to more than 1,000 restaurants, and one of its newer establishments, Nosh, has taken its place among the best. Located in Pawleys Island, Nosh, which touts itself as artful dining, offers a contemporary menu and a beautiful setting. Come along as Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz host Blair O’Neal explores the origins of the restaurant’s name and features a sea bass entrée that will leave you begging for more.

Beware of the Bear of a course along the North Strand: The Long Bay Club.Open for business in 1988, the Long Bay Club is a distinctive, albeit totally diverse style course designed by its architect, golf’s all-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, one of two Myrtle Beach golf courses to his credit. Nicklaus’ signature of favoring left-to-right shot making isn’t the focal part of this design. Instead, the Golden Bear and his design team force golfers to hurdle greenside bunkers,

One of America’s most attractive golfers pays a visit to one of the game’s most beautiful courses in this installment of Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz. Host Blair O’Neal plays Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, a consensus Top 100 public course. Come along as Blair enjoys sprawling live oak trees, a beautifully manicured layout, and the course’s stunning antebellum style clubhouse. If you’ve never played Caledonia, enjoy an inside look at one of Myrtle Beach and America’s best golf courses.