Myrtle Beach Golf News

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…

The Norman Course at Barefoot Resort features four holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway and the design prowess of Greg Norman. It’s a highly regarded layout, a fixture on many South Carolina beach golf vacation itineraries, but what are the best of the best at the Norman Course?

We consulted with Barefoot head pro Mike Ross, who shared his list of the layout’s three best holes.

World Tour is a re-creation of some of golf’s greatest holes, allowing players to get a taste of what it’s like to play courses like Augusta National, but which holes constitute the best of the best at the Myrtle Beach layout?

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

– The third hole on the Open 9 replicates one of the game’s most recognizable par 3s, the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. This 132-yard beauty, which is renowned for its island green, presents one of golf’s most daunting tee shots, as there is no bail out room.

“It’s exactly what you see on TV,” Plankers said. “You have to hit the green. Whatever club you are comfortable with, take it and knock in on the green.

– On the Championship 9, Plankers couldn’t pick a… 

We are less than 10 days before Christmas and much of the northeast and midwest are mired in a deep freeze, so what are we going to do here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to get ready for the holidays?

Play golf, of course!

As the official beginning of winter approaches, a mild fall is going to end with beautiful weather. The high here is only forecast to be 53 on Wednesday but will rise to 63 on Thursday, 69 on Friday and 71 on Saturday and Sunday.

With virtually no chance of rain,

In its January issue, Golf Digest dedicated eight pages to a “Compare+Contrast” story looking at three of the game’s “classic” buddies destinations.

The three featured destinations were Myrtle Beach, Ireland and Bandon Dunes. Each locale offers a different experience and each is among the game’s best for different reasons.

The premise of the story is Golf Digest sent two writers to each destination (on separate trips), and they filed a very short

The guys at Golf Magazine went undercover at True Blue, one of the best Myrtle Beach golf courses, and reported on their experience in the January 2014 issue. The story, which ran with a subhead saying, “We go undercover to see if you’re overpaying,” evaluated True Blue based on service, pace of play, quality and value before delivering a verdict. Not surprisingly, the Golf Magazine spy had a positive experience at a layout that has long been hailed as being among the

You’ve got to know when to hold’em,
Know when to fold’em,
Know when to walk away
And know when to run

– Kenny Rogers' “The Gambler”

The passage from the famed Kenny Rogers song hangs on a sign at the sixth tee box on King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, welcoming players to the most exhilarating hole on the Myrtle Beach golf scene.

The par 5, known to all who have played the course as The Gambler, is synonymous with the Arnold Palmer designed gem. The alternate, island fairway allows daring players the opportunity to reach the green in two, provided they have the requisite skill and a gambler’s propensity for risk.

It’s a hole that is at once gorgeous, sweat-inducing and unforgettable. It’s King’s North packed into 568 yards.

King’s North underwent a comprehensive redesign in 1996, complete with new greens, routing changes and the magic touch of Palmer. Out of the renovation emerged a signature Myrtle Beach golf course that has been a frequent member of Golf Digest’s list of America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.

The beauty of the course lies in its variety. King’s North offers risk-reward choices throughout the round, giving players the opportunity to cut a corner in pursuit of a birdie or something rarer than a royal straight flush, an eagle.

Holes three, five and six each present a choice off the tee that allows players to considerably shorten the hole. Play bold and the chances of a birdie (or double bogey) are greatly enhanced.

Beyond strategic decision making, what distinguishes King’s North is… 

Wesley Day of Ajax, Ontario, parred the third extra hole Saturday to become the first overall boys’ champion from outside the United States in the 45th year of the annual George Holliday Memorial Junior Golf Tournament.
 
Day, who made a 30-footer for par on the first extra hole of a sudden-death playoff at Myrtle Beach National’s West Course to stay alive, outlasted 13-year-old Trent Phillips of Inman, S.C., after the two players tied at 1-under-par 215 after 54 holes. Day

The 30th birthday is a milestone most don’t look forward to because it’s a reminder that time and the accoutrements of youth are passing. But at Burning Ridge Golf Club, which opened in 1980, the completion of the course’s third decade has caused no gnashing of teeth.

As a matter of fact, the Gene Hamm design is better at 30 than it was at 20.  Spurred by an extensive renovation project in 2005, Burning Ridge, a traditional course, was named the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association and South Carolina Golf Course of the Year in 2006, and the facility has gotten better since.

Located on Highway 501, the primary artery into Myrtle Beach, Burning Ridge Golf Club promises good conditions, value and customer service, and delivers on all accounts.

Burning Ridge Golf Club features mounded fairways that are lined by scores of pine trees, yawning bunkers and elevated greens.

The course measures 6,780 yards from the black tees, but most people play from 6,216 yards on the white tees, so the layout isn’t exceedingly long.  Burning Ridge doesn’t take the driver out of the bag for most players, but accuracy off the tee is paramount to success.

The course’s fairways offer …

Some of golf’s most prominent courses – Augusta National and Pine Valley come immediately to mind – are inaccessible to the overwhelming majority of players, either because they are private or the price tag is prohibitive. World Tour Golf Links brings a taste of the game’s most exclusive layouts to you. Each of World Tour’s 27 holes is inspired by one the game’s great designs. Come along as Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz host Blair O’Neal samples Amen Corner, the Old Course at St. Andrews and the Postage Stamp at Troon. It’s a trip you won’t forget.

Let’s get this out of the way early: by the standards of any decent golfer I’m horrible. A fragile psyche and a swing only Charles Barkley could love have conspired to keep my handicap on the wrong side of 20.

A new name, new greens and a couple holes with completely new looks have brought ample attention to the General James Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina, a staple of many Myrtle Beach golf packages.

Formerly known as Quail Creek, the Hackler Course, which was officially renamed on November 11, underwent a summer overhaul.

The course is owned by Coastal Carolina, the alma mater of PGA Tour star and Myrtle Beach golf spokesman Dustin Johnson,  and the university renamed it in honor Hackler, a former Air Force general who invented the golf package and worked tirelessly to improve the Grand Strand community.

While players will notice the new name on the scorecard, the greens are what they will be talking about. The course, then known as Quail Creek, opened in 1968 and the original greens remained, according to head pro Chuck Johns.

As a result of their age, the previous greens were bumpy and sometimes inconsistent, but those days are a thing of the past. Coastal’s commitment to the course was reflected in its decision to install new MiniVerde ultradwarf Bermuda grass greens.

MiniVerde thrives in the South Carolina heat and has become one of the most popular putting surfaces in the South.

The changes to the greens didn’t stop at the surface. Craig Schreiner, who co-designed the Member’s Course at Grande Dunes and led the renovation at Pine Lakes, oversaw the work at the Hackler Course, including the redesign of the greens.

What were once relatively flat putting surfaces now feature… 

Some of the nation’s best young golfers will be competing for a national championship in Myrtle Beach this weekend.

The National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) will be hosting its national championship at Barefoot Resort on November 16-17. The two-day, stroke play event will feature the 24 best non-varsity teams in the nation.

Barefoot is home to four award-winning layouts and the highly acclaimed Love and Dye Courses, both of which have been ranked among America’s