Myrtle Beach Golf News

In this installment of Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz, host Blair O’Neal heads to the North Strand to play one of the area’s hidden gems, Sandpiper Bay Golf & Country Club. The 27-hole facility was named Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association Course of the Year in 2010 and has earned a reputation as one of the Grand Strand’s most player friendly layouts. The Sand, Piper and Bay nines each offer generous fairways and superb conditions. Sandpiper recently installed new MiniVerde bermudagrass greens and its putting surfaces are as fast and true as any along the Grand Strand.

Some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment come to Myrtle Beach every year for the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am. Among the stars who enjoyed a trip to the Grand Strand this year were Nancy Lopez, Rick Barry and Chris DiMarco.

Hear what they have to say about the Golf Capital of the World.  

Nancy Lopez (LPGA Legend): This is the first time I’ve been to Myrtle Beach. It’s just a great place.

Patrick Davis

One of Myrtle Beach’s premier big event venues has earned one of the area’s biggest honors.

The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort has been named Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association Golf Course of the Year. 

The MBAGCOA evaluates Golf Course of the Year nominees on four criteria: exceptional quality of the golf course, exceptional quality of the ownership and management, outstanding contribution to the community, and significant contribution to the game. By virtue of

Golf is mostly a game of twosomes and foursomes, of friends getting together for a good time. But it doesn’t exclude single players, and that’s particularly the case in Myrtle Beach.

One of golf’s virtues is the common ground it creates amongst otherwise strangers, allowing a single to find an enjoyable group to play with. Whether someone is on a summer beach vacation and wants to sneak away for a couple rounds or his or her regular golf group has broken up, a single playing golf in Myrtle Beach is always welcome.

Many assume that a solo golf trip isn’t practical, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Singles have easy access to golf packages and the value remains appealing.

“There are always a lot of accommodations options that setup for singles,” said Myrtle Beach Golf Director’s Carson Courage, who specializes in booking individual golfers. “From hotel rooms to one bedroom condos, I book it the same way I would a larger group. They get multi-round discounts and confirmed tee times.”

While accommodations for a single are typically a little more expensive, the savings created by multi-round discounts often offsets the additional costs.

A common mistake of solo golfers is thinking they have to wait until 48 hours out to book a tee time. That maybe the case in other places, but a solo Myrtle Beach golf package can be booked at anytime.

“Even for the spring and fall seasons, we can pair you up when we book it,” Courage said.

For players traveling with a non-playing spouse, options are aplenty. Places like Market Common offer new accommodations and ample shopping and dining options for your significant other while you take to the course.

The moral of the story is the idea of playing as a single golfer shouldn’t be a detriment to anyone taking a golf trip. Myrtle Beach is a golfer-friendly destination, whether you are traveling with a large group or no one.

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, Myrtle Beach’s most iconic layout, is undergoing a major renovation project this summer, and the course is progressing ahead of schedule.

The Dunes Club closed on June 4 for the installation of new greens and course enhancements spearheaded by renowned architect Rees Jones.

The installation of Champion ultradwarf bermuda grass greens is the most substantive change, transitioning the course away from bentgrass greens.

Dunes Club tested Champion

John Daly stood on the ninth tee at Wicked Stick and pointed to the green, like Babe Ruth calling his shot. Long John, playing barefooted, then unsheathed his driver and lashed a shot that ended up 12 feet from the hole.

On a spring afternoon in Myrtle Beach, Daly was doing what so many people do at Wicked Stick, enjoying a relaxing round of golf. Wicked Stick is the nation’s only Daly signature course, and when he checks in on the layout a full parking lot typically tells the story.

Built with Daly’s grip it and rip it ethos in mind, Wicked Stick is a player-friendly layout from the parking lot to the 19th hole. The atmosphere is relaxed and the course is inviting. The facility opened just after Daly’s 1995 British Open victory at St. Andrew’s, bringing much attention to the layout.

Much like Daly himself, Wicked Stick has assumed the role of the everyman’s course, appealing to people with its unique challenges and the opportunity to score. The layout wasn’t designed to crush the spirit of golfers, quite the opposite in fact.

Once you get beyond the 7,000-yard Daly tees, the blue (6,507 yards) and white (6,080 yards) tees are ideal in length (don’t believe me, just check the USGA’s new play it forward campaign!) for the average golfer.

Golf Channel designated June as Pace of Play Month, and our old friend Charlie Rymer worked with Matt Ginella to put together a series videos designed to help speed things up on the course.

Improving pace of play isn't as difficult as it might seem. Little things can knock 15-20 minutes off a round and Charlie and Ginella have provided some entertaining examples.

In keeping with the idea that speed benefits everyone, the videos are all less than a minute, and each demonstrates a

The Marsh Walk in Murrells Inlet is one of the area’s most scenic and enjoyable attractions. In this edition of the Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz, host Blair O’Neal takes you to the Marsh Walk, a half-mile long walk-way through the heart of the Seafood Capital of South Carolina. Chocked full of outstanding restaurants and venues to enjoy live music, the Marsh Walk oozes casual charm. With stunning views of the salt marsh and accompanying marina, Blair takes you to a place everyone should visit on their next Myrtle Beach golf trip.

Blair O’Neal: Hi I am Blair O’Neal host of the Golf Buzz presented by Myrtle Beach golf holiday. Today, I am joined by Sue Sledz executive director of Murrells Inlet 2020 and right now we are actually standing on Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk.

Sue Sledz: Welcome to Murrells. We are the seafood capital of South Carolina. Blair: Thanks for having the Golf Buzz. We are excited to be here and to learn more about the Marsh Walk.

Sue: The Marsh Walk is a great place for golfers especially to come visit. We have a half-mile long walk way along the salt marsh, and it extends out into the marsh, too. So not only do you have a beautiful view of the salt marsh and all the water activities but there are eight fabulous restaurants and bars with a full offering of lunches, happy hours, and dinners and fabulous live music. It’s all casual down here, so you don’t have to be dressed up.

Blair: Okay, so you can come in your golf clothes.

Sue: Absolutely, we see it all the time. We see large golf groups and individual players. It’s definitely a playground for our golfers, too.

Blair: And for golfers who maybe need a break from the course. As you can see, there are a few boats behind us, so if golfers want to take a day off from the course, they can come out here and get on a boat.

Sue: That's right. We have access to the ocean, we are known for our deep sea fishing. We have several deep sea fishing trips, we have parasailing, kayaking, scuba diving, all sorts of sightseeing. And if the family happens to be with you, then there are also great trips for the family you can take onto the water.

Blair: And can you tell me, what is the body of water that is behind us? Sue: This is called the Murrells Inlet Salt Marsh. It is a salt water estuary and it opens up to the Atlantic ocean via the jetties. Blair: Are there going to be any events that maybe we should mark down on our calendars?

Sue: There’s always something happening down here on the Marsh Walk. We have the “Marshy Gra” activity and then there is the annual Oyster Roast. There is a chile cook-off that happens down here. Recently we had a fish taco competition, there is always something happening on the Marsh Walk or in Murrells Inlet.

Blair: And what about the Fourth of July? Because I have heard the Murrells Inlet it’s a big time for the Fourth of July, it is the place to be.

Sue: It is huge, we have our Fourth of July Boat Parade and there its just thousands of people lining the marsh and everybody goes out full board to decorate for the theme of the year.

Blair: So, if you’re looking for a good time and you are here during some of the holidays, this is definitely a place you want to check out.

Sue: Definitely.

Blair: And where can our viewers go to learn more information about Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk?

Sue: You can go to www.muruellsinletsc.com and you will find information about the Marsh Walk, as well as all of Murrells Inlet, because there is a lot we have to offer in the whole village.

Blair: Thanks Sue, for having us today.

Sue: It's been our pleasure, hope you spend some time with us and can explore the whole village.

Blair: I definitely will go exploring here. I am going to check out a little bit more of what the Marsh Walk has to offer.

I am Blair O’Neal thanks for watching the Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz and make sure when you’re in town you check out Murrells Inlet the Seafood Capital of South Carolina.

Ted Frick, owner and director of instruction of Classic Swing Golf School, explains why it's best listen for success on the greens as opposed to looking for it.

More Video Golf Tips, Please!

Any hunt for great golf along the Grand Strand will lead players to the home of Ocean Ridge Plantation’s most fearsome Big Cat – Leopard’s Chase. The newest of Ocean Ridge’s four felines, Leopard’s Chase has raced to the top of must-play lists faster than its namesake chasing prey across the savanna.

Leopard’s Chase opened to great acclaim in 2007, earning a spot on Golf Digest and Golf Magazine’s list of America’s best new courses, and vaulting into the consciousness of Myrtle Beach golfers. The Tim Cate design has proven worthy of the plaudits it received, providing an ideal combination of challenge and beauty.

Cate, who has worked almost exclusively along the coastal Carolinas, is one of the game’s most underappreciated architects and Leopard’s Chase is his signature design. He co-designed Ocean Ridge’s first course, Lion’s Paw, before creating Panther’s Run and Tiger’s Eye on his own.

Cate took elements from all three courses in creating Leopard’s Chase and the results were spectacular. He used locally harvested coquina boulders, abundant sand traps and environmentally sensitive areas to mold a course that is visually stunning without being deceptive.

Selecting a favorite hole at Leopard’s Chase is only slightly less difficult than naming your favorite color M&M. The choices are many and the differences in quality are non-existent. The fourth and fifth holes deliver consecutive island greens, providing an early glimpse of what makes the course special.

The green on the par 3 fourth hole is surrounded by water, a more “typical” island green. On the par 4 fifth, the green is enveloped by sand, leaving a bunker shot players don’t want to contend with. The front nine, which features three, par 3s, has water on every hole.

The back nine, with its three… 

When players think of good course management, they often think of decisions made on the tee box and in the fairway, but the choices you make around the green are just as vital. In this episode of the Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz, host Blair O’Neal partners with PGA professional Matt Veltman at Legends Resort to demonstrate a chipping tip with will save you strokes. Chipping from a tight lie is a nervy shot for the best of players, but watch as O’Neal demonstrates a tip that minimizes risk and increases your chances of getting up-and-down successfully.

PGA Tour pros flock to Myrtle Beach each year for the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am, but for most of them, it’s not their first trip to the Grand Strand.

We caught up with some of the world’s best golfers at this year’s Monday After the Masters, and they shared their Myrtle Beach golf stories.

Billy Horschel: I came numerous times as a kid for vacation. My brother lived in Charleston so we would drive up here for a few days. My

The General James Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina underwent more change in 2011 than any other Myrtle Beach golf course, and players are the unquestioned beneficiary.

It was time for the 43-year-old layout, which officially changes its name from Quail Creek on November 11, to get a makeover and the changes were more than cosmetic. If you haven’t been to the course since it’s October 1 reopening , be prepared for a new experience.

With that in mind, here are five things

Standing in the middle of the third fairway, the beauty and challenge of Shaftesbury Glen are crystallized in the demands of the approach shot. The green is elevated and a deep, finger bunker lurks.

What looked like a fairly easy hole on the tee box gets tougher with each step towards the green. The third hole is Shaftesbury Glen condensed into a 414-yard par 4. 

The Clyde Johnston design is open off the tee, giving players ample latitude, but the greens are typically elevated and protected by those expansive bunkers. Getting up-and-down from the sand makes for a challenging round, so a sharp iron game will be your key to success.

The 2009 Myrtle Beach golf course of the year, Shaftesbury Glen will look familiar to the game's architecture aficionados. One of the facility’s owners, Paul Himmelsbach, caddied at Winged Foot, an A.W. Tillinghast design, and he wanted the famed layout to be the inspiration for Shaftesbury.
 

RELATED: Shaftsbury Glen Photo Tour

Johnston delivered on Himmelsbach’s wish, crafting a design with reminders of the elevated greens and bunkers that define Winged Foot and the Bethpage Black Course, another Tillinghast design.

Shaftesbury, which opened its fairways on the Myrtle Beach golf scene in 2001, is a second shot course.

“You aren’t going to get in much trouble off the tee,” Ryan McCarty, Shaftesbury’s director of operations, said. “There aren’t many forced carries either, but you will need placement off the tee.”

A well placed drive will… 

Jamie Supanich won Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday’s Celebrity for a Day contest, which included a trip to Myrtle Beach and a round of golf with PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson at the 2013 Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am.

Here is what Supanich and his wife, Janell, had to say about winning the once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Supanich: Probably about a month ago, I was on Twitter and I found a link to play with Dustin Johnson, so I thought what the heck, and