Myrtle Beach Golf News

For many people, golf is a game passed down through family, a means to bond in good times and bad. One of the game’s great celebrations of its familial roots – the Father-Son Team Classic – is beginning to appear on the horizon.

The 17th annual tournament, which is open to any father-son type relationship, including grandfather-son, stepson-father and son-in-law (uncle)-nephew, will take place in Myrtle Beach July 24-26. Nearly 1,000 golfers will come to the Grand Strand to play one of the game’s most unique tournaments.

At the 54-hole event’s heart is the time fathers and sons spend together. For some, the tournament reinforces already strong bonds, but for others it has helped mend fractured relationships.

“In the tournament’s second year, I was in middle of giving out flight prizes and a guy came up and said, ‘I’ve got to talk to you,’” said Robert Harper, the tournament’s founder. “He said my son and I hadn’t talked for seven years. There was a rift between my wife and his wife. Out of the blue he called me and said, ‘Dad let’s play golf.’ We sat down and talked about it, came here and met. We each brought our wives and found out it was a misunderstanding.’”

Those moments, while atypical, speak to the tournament’s emotional pull.

“(Players) will tell you, ‘We came in here thinking it was important to win, and we left realizing we won just by spending three days here,” Harper said.

The tournament, which features rounds of better ball, alternate shot, and Captain’s Choice, includes some of Myrtle Beach’s best golf courses. Crow Creek, Indian Wells, King’s North, Long Bay, the Love Course, Parkland, Rivers Edge and Prestwick are all hosting tournament rounds.

The Father-Son divides players into flights based on their verifiable USGA handicap.

The good times don’t end with each round. There is a cookout and skills contest that includes putting, chipping and a long drive following the opening round, and an awards ceremony and cookout following the final round.

The number and range of father-son combinations participating in the event speak to its popularity. Former athletes and politicians such as Lou Holtz, 1960 World Series MVP Bobby Richardson, and former South Carolina governor Jim Hodges, all of whom were named “Father of the Year,” have played.

July is a month where families crowd into the Myrtle Beach area, filling the beach, and the Father-Son Team Classic blends the concept of a family vacation and golf.

For first time participants, the Father-Son costs $1,200 per team. The cost is $975 for past participants. Registration includes the cost of all three rounds of golf, cart included, a $100 PGA Tour Superstore gift card for each player, a hat, shirt, balls and more. The entry fee also includes dinner at the awards ceremony for each player and a guest.

For more information, go to: www.fathersongolf.com

Myrtle Beach National is one of the bedrocks of the Grand Strand golf community. The three-course destination has hosted more beach golf vacations than any comparable facility in South Carolina, and its appeal is obvious, particularly on the West Course.

The virtues that have made the West Course so attractive to people taking beach golf vacations are as straightforward as they are attractive. The long-time Myrtle Beach favorite offers players a chance to score and outstanding conditions.

You won’t need a dozen balls to finish the round and if you record the highest score of your trip here, the blame resides only with the man in the mirror.

We recently visited with Myrtle Beach National head pro Rick Schultz to get his thoughts on the three best holes at the Arnold Palmer designed layout. Here is Schultz’s take on the best of the best at the West Course.

— The par 5 10th hole sets the tone for a back nine that is the strength of the course, according to Schultz. Playing away from the clubhouse and into the surrounding woodlands, the 10th is a straight-away par 5 that will give you a chance at par or better.

A couple of relaxed swings will position you for a manageable approach into an undulating green. Take your time, make sure you are on the right side of the hole, and start the back nine strong.

Marylander Steve Kincaid and Barry Carroll, an Ohio native, finished rounds at Grande Dunes on an uncharacteristically brisk February afternoon approximately 15 minutes apart. The mercury struggled to get above 50 degrees, but it made little difference to Kincaid and Carroll, who were traveling with separate groups.

Combine five holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway, two more that offer stunning waterway views, and a course that enjoys excellent year-round conditions, and the reasons for Grande Dunes’ popularity are many.

“I think it’s one of the finest golf courses on the Grand Strand,” Carroll said. “It’s a very fair test of golf.”
 

The critics have been equally impressed by the course. Golf Magazine named Grande Dunes one of the nation’s top 10 new courses upon its opening, and Golf Digest has since named it one of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses. It’s also worth mentioning the National Golf Course Owners Association named Grande Dunes its national course of the year in 2009.

Why is Grande Dunes so popular? Architect Roger Rulewich did an outstanding job from a design perspective and a he had a spectacular piece of land to work with.  Rulewich crafted the area’s longest course, playing 7,618 yards from the tips, but only Myrtle Beach resident and rising PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson is capable of playing from that distance.

Grande Dunes has six sets of tees, and most… 

Winter is always a miserable time of year for golfers, and 2014 has brought more frigid woes than normal. With a huge storm having pummeled the South and now doing the same to our Northern neighbors, there would seem to be little to do but dream of your next Myrtle Beach, South Carolina golf vacation.

But that’s not the case.

Bad weather doesn’t mean you should put your dreams of improving in the closet with your clubs. Here are five things you can do to ehance your chances of playing well on your beach golf vacation this spring.

1. Bring those clubs inside and practice while looking into the mirror. Swing in slow motion, monitoring your swing in the mirror and trying to relate what you are feeling with what you see. You’ve got plenty of time with the snow on the ground, so dedicate 5-10 minutes several times a week to swinging in the mirror.

2. Being in good shape helps you play better golf, so when it’s to cold to go outside, lift weights, focusing on your glutes and core. The increased strength will provide greater confidence and allow you to really go after the ball. If lifting weights isn’t your thing, Pilates and/or yoga are no less beneficial as each will greatly improve your flexibility. Setting the remote control down long enough to workout has many benefits.

3. Buy a mat and work on your stroke inside. To really hone your mechanics, practice putting with one hand at your side.  The one-armed drill will help you develop a consistency and rhythm that will pay dividends when you are on real grass.

4. Work on improving your mental game. Whether it’s visualizing an efficient pre-shot routine (and I mean very efficient – thinking about a shot to long is rarely of benefit) or controlling your emotions, particularly anger, winter is the time to begin implementing plans. You can practice your pre-shot routine in the living room and begin working on techniques to deal with your emotions.

5. After all the indoor practice, if you have a nice golf store in the area (and the roads are clear), head to the simulator to begin grooving your swing with the benefit of state-of-the-art technology as an aid.

What do you do to work on your game during the winter months?

Heather Glen Golf Links is one of the quiet stars of the Myrtle Beach golf scene.

More than 60 courses have opened since Heather Glen debuted in 1987, but the Scottish-inspired facility has remained a favorite. We recently paid a visit to the Little River layout and long-time head pro Steve Heher provided an inside look at the best hole on each of Heather Glen’s three nine-hole layouts.

America’s hottest golfer is coming to the Golf Capital of the World.

After a nation-wide search, professional golfer and model Blair O’Neal has been selected to host the Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz, an online program that will showcase the virtues of a Myrtle Beach golf trip.

O’Neal, who appeared in a full-page Cobra Puma ad in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, will begin filming the webisodes next week, and the shows will start broadcasting on www.GolfHoliday.com in

World Tour is a recreation of some of golf’s greatest holes, allowing players to test their game on the challenges offered at courses like Augusta National, but which holes constitute the best of the best at World Tour?

We consulted with general manager Tom Plankers and he shared his favorite hole on each of World Tour’s three nine-hole layouts.

Awards continue to pile up for Lion’s Paw Golf Links and the other three Big Cats at Ocean Ridge Plantation, one of two four-course facilities on the Myrtle Beach golf scene.

In June, Where to Retire Magazine selected the Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., facility as one of America’s top places to retire. It was the seventh time Ocean Ridge Plantation was chosen for the honor.

Lion’s Paw opened in 1991 as the first “Big Cat’’ course. A top 50 selection in the Myrtle Beach golf market by Golf Digest, Lion’s Paw is especially unique because of its wide variety of challenges and spectacular scenery. Lion’s Paw has something for every golfer: spacious, well contoured holes allowing players the freedom to swing away, noticeable rustic wetlands, and white sandy bunkers to test ability under pressure.

In fact, all four Ocean Ridge courses – Panther’s Run, Tiger’s Eye and most recently Leopard’s Chase are the others – are distinct in their own way.

Lion’s Paw and Panther’s Run share a 23,000-square-foot clubhouse, home to a pro shop that annually is selected among the country’s best, and are Grand Strand golf vacation favorites.

Most experts say Lion’s Paw is among architect Willard Byrd’s best works. Byrd is a familiar name to folks who regularly make a Myrtle Beach golf trip. His designs along the Grand Strand include:

• the Byrd course at Sea Trail Plantation
• Farmstead Golf Links
• Heather Glen Golf Links
• the Hummingbird Course (nine holes) at Wild Wing Plantation
• Indigo Creek Golf Club
• Heron Point Golf Club
• Meadowlands Golf Course

One of Lion’s Paws’ signatures is the countless oyster shells decorating the banks of Nos. 3 and 17, both par 3s.

Lion’s Paw installed new MiniVerde ultradwarf greens in 2013, the same putting surface used on Panther’s Run and at the home of The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass.

Have you played it? Help other Myrtle Beach golfers by sharing YOUR review on the Lion's Paw page!

King’s North at Myrtle Beach National is one of the Grand Strand’s iconic layouts. It has a high profile home, a famed architect, and it’s one of the area’s most sought after tee times. So what do you need to know before teeing it up at this Myrtle Beach golf favorite? We have answers. 1. It wasn’t always the King: The layout opened in 1973, but it was initially known as the North Course. Arnold Palmer, who consulted on the original design, overhauled the layout in

The official title says it’s the International Club of Myrtle Beach, but it’s technically located in Murrells Inlet, an historic fishing village just 20 miles south of the Sun Fun City.

But International Club seems like a world away from the bright lights and big city. The natural beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry combined with the spotlessly maintained links makes it a favorite tee time among Myrtle Beach golf courses.

Tucked away amid acres of woodlands and wetlands, International Club offers golfers the opportunity to play one of the Grand Strand’s most popular and impeccably landscaped golf courses.

Designed by Willard Byrd in 2000, International Club features five sets of tees to provide opportunities for all skills levels to enjoy the course.

The course is a par 72 that plays 6,790 yards from the back tees and 4,848 yards from the forward tees. It’s a true test of golf that rewards precision over power and provides some excellent risk/reward opportunities.

The course wraps around… a series of marshlands, tidal creeks, lakes and other hazards. Towering pines and twisted live oaks trees make for some tight, tricky fairways.

But despite its natural setting, International Club is also known for having well conditioned greens. The course also offers GPS technology for golfers to get accurate distance readings.

One more positive about International Club – it’s one of the more affordable courses on the Strand, providing maximum bargain per buck.

There are plenty of outstanding Myrtle Beach golf courses, but the International Club gives golfers an excellent course on a lovely stretch of land at a reasonable price, and you can’t beat that with a 5-iron.

Have you played it? Share YOUR review on the International Club’s page!

If you only want the best on your Myrtle Beach golf trip, we have several Central Strand recommendations. From steakhouses to lighted driving ranges, here are five things that will help make your trip even more memorable. 1. Go to New York Prime – If money isn’t an issue and your Myrtle Beach golf group wants great steak, the original New York Prime is the place to go.  There are New York Prime restaurants in Atlanta and Boca Raton, but the chain started here, and it only takes one

Greg Norman is one of the most popular players in golf history, winning 91 tournaments around the world and finishing seven years ranked No. 1 in the world.  The Great White Shark has been equally successful off the course, particularly in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he has opened a restaurant, golf academy and, most importantly, a golf course. The Norman Course is one of the cornerstones at Barefoot Resort, which also features layouts designed by Pete Dye, Tom Fazio and Davis

Barefoot Resort, home to layouts designed by Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Pete Dye and Tom Fazio, is one premier golf facilities in the nation, annually enticing thousands of players to take a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina golf vacation.

Nationally, the Norman Course hasn’t received the acclaim of its siblings. Don’t try telling the people who work at Barefoot or play the course regularly that it isn’t the equal of the Fazio, Love or Dye courses, each of which has been ranked among America’s top 100 public courses.

“Over the years, I’ve grown to enjoy the Norman Course over the other three,” Mike Ross, Barefoot’s head pro said. “People ask me why, and I tell them, ‘It’s just a fun golf course to play.’”

With four holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway and a layout that rewards creativity, the Norman Course is among the most playable a Myrtle Beach golf vacation has to offer.

Like many Greg Norman designed courses, which place an emphasis on sustainability, there are limited areas of mowable grass – less than 60 acres throughout the entire property. In place of rough, golfers will find pine straw or waste bunkers, neither of which is conducive to our dreams of par, but the  fairways are plenty wide.

Norman provides a chance for a fast start. The straight-away first hole, a par 4, includes a fairway that is among the course’s roomiest and it plays just 377 yards from the tips. Trouble is limited to a couple green-side bunkers so par on the first hole is very attainable, even for mid to high handicappers.

The layout gradually stiffens and so does the quality of Norman’s work. By the time you arrive at the ninth hole, a 568-yard par 5 that features a green fronted by a natural waste area, the course’s splendor is on full display.

The Intracoastal Waterway…