Myrtle Beach Golf News

A golf trip to Myrtle Beach is about the area’s 100+ courses and unmatched value. But the Grand Strand is golf’s best destination, in part, because of what the area offers away from the course.

Those off-course attractions begin with 1,500+ restaurants. Identifying the best of the bunch isn’t easy, but there are a handful of restaurants that are at the top of nearly every list, and Aspen Grille is one of them.

Located on 51st Avenue North in the heart of Myrtle Beach, Aspen Grille is located in a non-descript strip of shops – the type of place you wouldn’t find if you didn’t know what you were looking for – but there is nothing pedestrian about the experience.

Executive chef and owner Curry Martin, who worked in Paris and Napa Valley before opening Aspen Grille, has created a restaurant that is sophisticated yet simple, highlighted by a kitchen staff and menu that has few peers.

The appetizer offerings are led by the fried green tomatoes, covered in pecan smoked bacon, Parmesan, and béarnaise sauce, and the local shrimp risotto. If Chef Curry’s signature pork belly appetizer is being offered as a special, don’t ask questions, just order it. You can thank me later.  

There are no wrong answers on the entrée menu, but if there is a better seafood dish in Myrtle Beach than Aspen’s scallops over roasted mushroom risotto, fried spinach and white wine butter sauce, I have yet to have it.

The scallops are always cooked perfectly and the risotto and spinach are nearly as good. The shrimp and grits and local caught fish specials also come highly recommended.

Any of the steak selections and the rack of lamb are good, too, but it’s hard not to order the scallops.

The perfect end to what might be the best meal in Myrtle Beach? The blueberry bread pudding. Even if you’re not a bread pudding fan, give it a try. It’s that good.

The Verdict: If you’ve read this far, you know the answer. At a cost of approximately $30 per entrée, Aspen Grille will not disappoint. Identifying the best restaurant in Myrtle Beach is a nearly impossible task, but the number of establishments that might be as good or better than Aspen Grille can be counted on a couple fingers. Make sure you call ahead for reservations.

Distance, Distance, DISTANCE!

Distance control when putting is one of the game's most vexing problems. There are few things more frustrating than a 20-foot birdie putt resulting in a tap-in for bogey. Classic Swing Golf School's Ted Frick has the cure for what ails you on the greens – a tip guaranteed to improve your distance control. 

These Myrtle Beach golf schools can turn your
golf vacation into a game-changer!

SEE MORE VIDEO TIPS!

Lower your handicap, fine-tune your advanced skills, or build a solid foundation for a golf game that will serve you for a lifetime. Wouldn't that just be the perfect Myrtle Beach souvenir? Check it out! And, don't forget, you can get these tips by email too!

Listen in as the cast of Big Break Myrtle Beach finds out they have been selected to participate in the show, which begins airing on October 7 at 9PM! (More Big Break Myrtle Beach).

Dennis Rasku of Pompano Beach, Fl., made a net birdie (gross par) on the first hole to win a 3-way, sudden death playoff and the World Championship Playoff at 31st annual Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship at Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club.

Rasku, a 9 handicap, Tony Wallace, a 5 handicap from Fayetteville, N.C., and Ben Hamby, a 7 handicap from Winter Springs, Fla., all shot net 72s to get into the playoff. (Complete Results)

Rasku hit his approach to 22 feet and two-putted for par, on the Dye Club 410-yard ninth hole, besting Wallace and Hamby, neither of whom received a stroke on the hole. “From the weather to the World’s Largest 19th Hole, we enjoyed a wonderful week at the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship,” said Jeff Monday, World Am tournament director. “Congratulations to Dennis on earning the right to call himself World Champion and to our entire field for a great week of golf.”

Mark Gardiner of Mascoutah, Ill., shot a 1-under par 71 to win the World’s Am first Gross Division Championship. Gardiner’s score was the best of the day, net or gross. [COMPLETE WORLD AM COVERAGE]

Additionally, Brazilians Joao Tomazelli and Denis Song Min Cho shot a team total of 155 to win the International Pairs event and earn the right to compete in Scotland next year in the IP World Finals.

The World Championship Playoff is the annual culmination of the Myrtle Beach World Am, a 72-hole net, stroke play event. This year, more than 3,400 players from 48 states and 34 countries vied for the honor of hoisting the victor’s trophy.

Players were arranged into flights according to their handicap and at the conclusion of the four rounds, all flight winners (and ties) advanced to the 18-hole world championship playoff.

The World Am features five competitive divisions, ranging from men and women 49 years-of-age and under to the super seniors, who are 70 years-of-age and older. Players with handicaps as low as three and as high as 34 have won the event.

The weather throughout the week was ideal. The Dye Club, which has been ranked among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, was in pristine condition and provided an excellent test of golf for the finals.

The World Am web site www.worldamgolf.com offers a daily glimpse of the tournament with updated standings, news releases and photographs.

The 32nd annual Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship will be held August 31 – Sept. 4, 2015.

The fourth round of the 31st annual World Amateur Handicap Championship was played today and flight winners were crowned. Enjoy a photo gallery from the day’s action.

Television personality Win McMurry was at the World's Largest 19th Hole last night as part of the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship.

Golf Channel has released its trailer for Big Break Myrtle Beach and it appears sparks will fly on and off the course! Enjoy an advance look at the show, which will debut on October 7 at 9 p.m.

The cast for Golf Channel’s 22nd season of its popular Big Break reality competition series – Big Break Myrtle Beach – was revealed today, featuring six men and six women hoping to take that next step in their professional golf careers.  They will compete for a grand prize of more than $100,000 in cash and prizes, including an exemption to either the 2015 Valspar Championship on the PGA TOUR or the 2015 Portland Classic on the LPGA Tour.  Big Break Myrtle Beach premieres Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. ET on Golf Channel.

Big Break Myrtle Beach doesn’t debut until October 7 at 9 p.m. on Golf Channel but get an early look at the drama-filled season.

The first round of the 2014 Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship is in the books! Get a look at some of the action from on the course.

Doc Burgess, Critt Gore and George Hilliard were inducted into the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame Sunday evening at Pine Lakes Country Club.

Established to pay tribute to the men and women who have played significant roles in the development of the Myrtle Beach area golf industry, the Hall of Fame was founded in 2009.
 
“Doc Burgess, Critt Gore and George Hilliard were vital to Myrtle Beach’s growth as a golf destination,” said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. “Their industriousness and vision helped set the standard for the Grand Strand golf community, and they are richly deserving of their spot in the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame.”  

A man of uncommon vision, Burgess, who was inducted posthumously, was truly one of the giants of the Myrtle Beach golf community. His combination of a keen intellect and strong work ethic made him one of the driving forces behind the area’s emergence as a world-class golf destination.

Burgess, a dentist by trade, helped form the Myrtle Beach National group in the 1970s and was vital to its growth into one of America’s most successful multi-course facilities. He was also a pioneer in using technology to make the golf business more efficient.

A tireless work ethic helped make Gore a cornerstone of the Myrtle Beach golf community. Along with a group of investors, he bought Possum Trot in 1980 and has been an integral part of the community ever since. With Gore setting the tone, Possum Trot built its reputation as the Grand Strand’s friendliest course, and he was just getting started.

He was part of a group that built Heather Glen and Glen Dornoch, two layouts that significantly enhanced Myrtle Beach’s national profile. While the native Pennsylvanian was busying running three successful layouts, he always had time to help the community. Gore was a member of the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association board of directors from 1986-89 and served as president of the organization in 1988-89.

After 26 years of service in the United States Air Force, Hilliard became executive director of the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association in 1988.

With the help of a dedicated golf community, he spearheaded numerous programs, including the area’s first computerized tee time reservation system, the Myrtle Beach Golf Passport program, the industry’s health insurance program for course employees, and statewide and national efforts for tax reductions for course owners.

For more information about Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame, visit www.themyrtlebeachgolfhalloffame.com.

Registration for the 2014 Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship got off to a smooth start on a sun-baked Saturday in Myrtle Beach. The tournament's 3,400 players began checking in at the North Myrtle and Myrtle Beach PGA Tour Superstores this morning, and we are less than 48 hours from the first shot of the event being struck. Enjoy a sampling of the sights and sounds from the opening of registration.

Four Myrtle Beach golf courses have earned a spot on Golf Magazine’s list of the “Top 100 Courses You Can Play,” a biennial ranking of the nation’s best public courses that was unveiled in the September issue of the magazine.

Additionally, the Grand Strand dominated the magazine’s list of the “Best Courses Near You,” a ranking of public courses in each state. “Myrtle Beach has as many great layouts as any destination in America, and Golf Magazine’s Top 100 You Can Play rankings are further affirmation of the quality of golf we offer,” said Bill Golden, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday’s president. “We were very proud of being voted Best Golf Destination by readers of USA Today, and we are equally happy to receive the critical acclaim of one of the game’s most respected media outlets.”

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, the area’s highest ranked course, was 27th on the “Top 100 You Can Play” list. The Dunes Golf & Beach Club was No. 42, followed by True Blue at No. 77 and the Love Course at Barefoot Resort at No. 85.

Seven of the 10 best public golf courses in the Palmetto State are located in Myrtle Beach and 13 of 20 overall, according to Golf Magazine. In a state renowned for its golf, Myrtle Beach’s dominance is a powerful testament to depth and quality of the area’s offerings.

Caledonia was ranked the third best public course in South Carolina, followed by Dunes Club (No. 4), True Blue (No. 6), Love Course (No. 7), Tidewater (No. 8), Fazio Course at Barefoot (No. 9), TPC Myrtle Beach (No. 10), Dye Course at Barefoot Resort (No. 13), Grande Dunes (No. 15), King’s North at Myrtle Beach National (No. 16), Heritage Club (No. 17), Pawleys Plantation (No. 19), and Heathland at Legends Resort (No. 20).

The Grand Strand was well represented in the North Carolina rankings as well, with four of the Tar Heel state’s top 20 layouts residing in Brunswick County.

On the North Carolina side of the border, Leopard’s Chase at Ocean Ridge Plantation was the ninth ranked course in the state, followed by No. 11 Tiger’s Eye at Ocean Ridge, No. 13 Rivers Edge, and No. 19 Oyster Bay.

Eagle Nest Golf Club is one of the pioneers on the Myrtle Beach golf scene, helping open the door for area’s expansion into Little River and even Brunswick County, North Carolina.

The Gene Hamm design has sent countless golfers home happy since opening in 1972, and the facility has recently redoubled its commitment to conditioning and customer service.