Myrtle Beach Golf News & Updates

The clubhouse is as stunning as it is large. Built with stone, timber beams and stucco and rising from the ground like an ancient Scottish mansion, the new clubhouse at Thistle Golf Club is among the finest in region, if not the country.

Thistle, a 27-hole facility and one of the Myrtle Beach golf’s best kept secrets, opened its 15,600-square foot clubhouse in mid-June to rave reviews. From the 38-foot ceilings to the collection of rare golf memorabilia, the clubhouse adds to the

Kelly Thurman has watched every “Road Trip: Myrtle Beach” episode, rarely failing to tell his wife, Nancy, what a great group Mark Bryan, Josh Kelley, Charlie Rymer and Perry Swenson would be to play with. As Thurman watched Swenson sing “Rocky Top” near the conclusion of one episode, he had no idea how close he was to joining the fun-loving cast on a Myrtle Beach golf trip. Minutes after Swenson serenaded the Crocodile Rocks crowd, the Road Trip: Myrtle

Woods vs. Nicklaus. Lakers vs. Celtics. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Bentgrass vs. bermudagrass. Yes, great sports debates can carry over to the greens of your favorite golf course.

For many people on a Myrtle Beach golf trip, the bent vs. bermuda debate most closely resembled the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. The Yankees (representing bentgrass) had the championships and history to back their position, while the Red Sox (bermuda grass) had supporters but there was little doubt about the

From a stroll on the Marsh Walk in Murrells Inlet to the drive down Oak Alley on the way to Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, the South Strand has its own distinct flavor. In a vacation destination renowned for its surplus of activities, the southern end of the Grand Strand is a relaxing alternative.

Running from Murrell's Inlet, the seafood capital of South Carolina, through Litchfield and Pawleys Island, the South Strand is home to a charming string of locally owned

The Myrtle Beach area trumpets its 1,000+ restaurants, and some of the best are on the South Strand, despite the recent closing of Louis’s at Pawleys, home of the best shrimp and grits around.

If you are in the South Strand, here are five restaurants worth your time to visit:

Frank’s: There is a strong argument to be made that Frank’s is the Grand Strand’s best restaurant. Opened in 1988, its menu features cuisine from the Lowcountry to the Pacific Rim.

The following is a list of Grand Strand layouts with bentgrass greens:

Avocet at Wild Wing

Crow Creek

Dunes Golf & Beach Club

Dye Course at Barefoot Resort

Fazio Course at Barefoot Resort

Grande Dunes

International World Tour Golf Links

Kings North at Myrtle Beach National

Leopard's Chase at Ocean Ridge Plantation

Lion's Paw at Ocean Ridge Plantation

Love Course at Barefoot Resort

Man O'War

Norman Course at

Myrtle Beach is the Grand Strand's most vibrant community, and no attraction, other than the Atlantic Ocean, of course, generates more buzz than Broadway at the Beach.

The 350-acre complex, located in the heart of Myrtle Beach between 21st and 29th avenues, is the largest social gathering spot for locals and golfers alike. While Broadway's surplus of shopping likely doesn't appeal to the average golfer, its bevy of dining and entertainment options do. Broadway is

Plans for the renovation of Pine Lakes International Country Club began over four years ago. Craig Schreiner, the architect hired to restore the Granddaddy to its place among the Grand Strand’s elite, drew up 12 different layout scenarios over a period of 18 months. Pine Lakes and its famed clubhouse are also part of the National Registry of Historic Places, adding another set of eyes the course’s renovation plans had to please. The process has been long on details and devoid of

Pine Lakes Country Club Hole-By-Hole Guide

Hole No. 1 Par 4, 346 yards
— Formerly hole No. 10
— Pine Lakes opens with three shorter and straight holes purposely designed by Craig Schreiner to build the golfers’ confidence at the beginning of the round
— “Risk and reward” hole as low handicappers can choose to hit over two prominent bunkers that guard the green in the front while high handicappers can choose safer elevated grass approach on the right side
— One of

South Carolina state senator Dick Elliott, the owner of Eagle Nest Golf Club, compares course architects to homebuilders. If an architect and a builder do a good job, people become attached to their work, grateful for the creation of a product that brings joy over an extended period of time.

Elliott contracted with Hall of Fame architect Gene Hamm to build Eagle Nest in 1972, and the two developed an acquaintance that has spanned decades. Eagle Nest was one of the North

Paula Morton stood 60 yards from the 18th pin at the famed Dunes Golf & Beach Club with a sand wedge in her hand and the realization that her dream of being crowned World Champion at the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship was potentially slipping away.

Morton, who had just dumped her third shot in the water, took a drop in the rough on a downhill lie and told herself to get the ball close. She did even better, delivering the most dramatic shot in the

Myrtle Beach’s reputation as the Golf Capital of the World has long been secure. One hundred courses and millions of rounds played solidified that title, one the area wears with pride.

The Grand Strand has gradually added another jewel to its crown – home to more elite golf courses than any destination in America. That reputation was burnished even further with Golf Magazine’s biennial release of its “Top 100 You Can Play,” which ranks America’s best public

The road into Calabash, N.C., is a narrow, two-lane strip of pavement, surrounded by trees and a small town coastal charm that many miss without ever realizing it was there.  A two-story building qualifies as a sky-scraper, and the word corporate is as foreign as John Daly in an etiquette class.

Less than 10 miles away in North Myrtle Beach are 5-star accommodations, high-rise condos, and entertainment galore.

As disparate as the two locales are, they are drawn together by great

Signs advertising Calabash style seafood are ubiquitous along the Grand Strand. An area seafood joint without Calabash style food is about as popular as the media in LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens’ office.

But to find out where it got started, a trip to Calabash, a town that bills itself as the “Seafood Capital of the World,” is necessary. Calabash style seafood is believed to have been born in the 1930s when local families fried cornbread and fish along the

There are too many quality restaurants along the North Strand to accurately rank the best, but below are five establishments you will enjoy.

Crab Catchers – Located in the Little River waterfront area, Crab Catchers is a local favorite. Long on charm (and stunning views of the Intracoastal), Crab Catchers only serves fresh local seafood and it thrives despite not spending a penny on advertising. The daily fish fry is a don't-miss at Crab Catchers.

Captain Nance's – One of the