Myrtle Beach Golf News

Jack Nicklaus made his mark on the Myrtle Beach golf scene in 1989, opening a pair of courses that remain among the area’s most popular and significant tests of golf.

Pawleys Plantation and Long Bay, both Golden Bear designs, are celebrating their silver anniversary in 2013.

Both courses are as good as they have ever been, and golfers have recognized the quality of each layout from the beginning.

Pawleys Planation has enjoyed a slightly higher profile, due primarily to a back

Playing a round at Pine Lakes Country Club is like taking a walk back through time, while experiencing Southern charm and a true test of golf.

Designed by famed Scottish architect Robert White in 1927, Pine Lakes was the first Myrtle Beach golf course. Despite its age, it remains one of the most prominent.

Located in the heart of Myrtle Beach, Pine Lakes was originally constructed as the course for the Ocean Forest Hotel, which was eventually demolished to make room for more modern accommodations.

The course survived and thrived, enticing golfers from around the country to take Myrtle Beach golf vacation, including Time Inc. executives who launched Sports Illustrated magazine there in 1954.

The legendary course was purchased by the Burroughs & Chapin, and underwent a $15 million makeover, led by Craig Schreiner, beginning in 2006.

The historic clubhouse was renovated and modern conveniences were added throughout the property. On the course, Schreiner restored the layout in way that allowed it to play to White’s original intent, and the course to maintain its traditional feel.

New landscaping was added to the… 

When the name bear is associated with a golf course, images of a difficult round and high scores immediately come to mind. But at Black Bear Golf Club, a fierce name belies a friendly course.

The drive into Black Bear Golf Club’s plantation style clubhouse reveals lush fairways and greens, providing an inviting glimpse of the very playable Tom Jackson design.

Located on the North Strand, Black Bear Golf Club is one of the first course’s players see when entering the area on Route 9, and the 22-year-old layout is devoid of housing.

With an emphasis on customer service, Black Bear focuses on providing an experience that is equal parts quality golf and Southern hospitality. As head pro Patrick Wilkinson says, “Everyone that comes here is a friend.”

Making friends at Black Bear includes a layout that is challenging, yet imminently playable, and tees that range from 4,861 yards to 6,787 yards. The course has 23 fingers lakes, so there is plenty of water but few forced carries.

Black Bear has only two…

Golfers who flock to Myrtle Beach appreciate the many laid-back opportunities awaiting them on the South Strand.

Founders Club at Pawleys Island, the newest Myrtle Beach golf course, mirrors the South Strand’s popular image. An affluent but rustic ambience is palpable on the former Sea Gull golf course property.

This is not your father’s Sea Gull Golf Club.  Founders Club, one of four Myrtle Beach golf courses managed by the Classic Golf Group, is a total recreation by architect Tom Walker.

In February of 2008, Founders Club opened following a multi-million transformation and one of the staples is an elegant clubhouse overlooking the 18th green.

The renovated Founders Club is a perfect complement to the other high-end Pawleys Island golf courses, including Caledonia, Heritage Club, Pawleys Plantation and True Blue.  Diverse grasses, native cypress trees, live oaks and wasteland areas provide Founders Club a unique appeal.

The best advice to anyone playing Founders Club for the first time is to hit one club more on almost every approach shot. Founders Club’s signature challenge is surviving the sand that protects its greens.

Each hole has its own special appeal, from the eight sets of tee markers with two distinct approach angles on the par-3 third hole to the sculpted mound behind the green on a monster par-5 ninth to a small but penal pot bunker in front of the green on the par-3 16th.

There is a reason Pawleys Island has a lofty reputation. The community is all about relaxation, whether it’s playing on the course, staying at one of the seaside rentals, or eating at one of the popular local seafood restaurants.

A visit to the south end is a must addition to anyone’s Myrtle Beach golf vacation itinerary.

And a whiff of the ocean breeze is constant at the Founders Club, another reminder you’re somewhere tranquil on Pawleys Island.

Share your own review at the Founders Club page!

Bill Hickey and his group of eight concluded their recent Myrtle Beach golf trip at Myrtlewood’s Palmetto Course, and walking off the 18th green, which overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway, Hickey couldn’t have been happier with his trip-topper.

Like so many golfers since the Palmetto opened in 1972, Hickey found a course that emphasized good conditions and customer service, in addition to a memorable layout.

“The greens are wonderful,” the Knoxville, Tn., resident said. “It’s a very fair golf course and we really enjoyed playing it. Of the four we played this week, I’d say this one would rank right up at the top.”

The Palmetto’s closing stretch certainly sends players home on a high note. Holes 16 through 18 are the layout’s best, capped by the par 4 18th that plays along the Intracoastal. As one of only seven courses on the Myrtle Beach golf scene that plays along the waterway, the 18th offers a stunning conclusion. 

It’s the Palmetto’s longest two-shotter, but with a runway-wide fairway, it takes a herculean hook to find the water.

The par 3, 17th hole, which has a trio of… 

River Hills, a Tom Jackson design, is a prime example of why Myrtle Beach is the game’s most popular destination. Beyond a good layout, superior conditions and great customer service, what can you expect at River Hills? We take a look at five things you need to know about this quiet star. 1. There are no parallel holes at River Hills, so you feel like yours is the only group on the course. 2. A Myrtle Beach golf trip typically means flat coastal terrain, but the property at

River Hills Golf Club is tucked away off Highway 17, an outstanding course located on of the area’s primary arteries that manages to keep a low profile.

Located in Little River, River Hills opened in 1988 and offers a tremendous combination of quality and value. We asked Harris D’Antignac, the course’s long-time head pro and a Myrtle Beach golf veteran, to provide us tips on how to play the three best holes at River Hills.

It was a sun-drenched Tuesday afternoon in early October and the parking lot at Meadowlands Golf Club was full. After finishing a morning round, golfers filled the clubhouse, sharing lunch, drinks and a surplus of laughs.

Meadowlands isn’t among the seven Myrtle Beach golf courses ranked among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses, and that’s okay. What Meadowlands offers people are great conditions, value, customer service and consistency of experience, all qualities that people seek in a course.

The parkland layout places an emphasis on playability. There are no blind shots from the middle of the fairway, no elephants buried under the greens, or long forced carries. Meadowlands isn’t a pushover, but it rewards good shots and doesn’t unnecessarily penalize mid to high-handicappers.

A prime example, several years Meadowlands removed 11 bunkers.  The bunkers never came into play for low handicap players, but were positioned to gobble up balls hit by golfers who need the most help. The idea wasn’t to ease the challenge but to make sure high handicappers didn’t consistently have to face an additional set of hazards.

“We try to work on …

Golf Digest surveyed a panel of 1,200 of the leading instructors in America to assemble its biennial ranking of “The Best Teachers in America 2013+2014.”

As part of the effort, Golf Digest ranked the top instructors in each state, and one of Myrtle Beach’s finest was named the best teacher in South Carolina.

Brad Redding, who works out of the Members Club at Grande Dunes, has long been regarded as one of America’s premier instructors, so his spot atop the

You could go to a different restaurant at Broadway at the Beach every night for three weeks before you had to eat at the same place twice.

That's the best thing about taking your foursome to the popular entertainment, shopping and dining complex on a Myrtle Beach golf trip; when some want surf and others want turf, you can find something to satisfy everyone.

But if it's quality, not quantity, you're ultimately looking for, and Broadway has plenty of that to go around. Here are five Broadway hot spots you don't want to miss:

* Capriz Italian Feast: This new restaurant is more like going to visit an Italian family for dinner. It's all you can eat and you will not go home hungry.

Serving all the Italian favorites plus some signature items from Brazilian sister-restaurant Rioz, the staff delivers pasta and meat dishes to your table.

Capriz also has an Italian buffet table featuring more than 20 items in addition to the rotating specials that include skewers of garlic sirloin, parmesean pork.

* Key West Grill: A little slice of America's southernmost city sits just steps away from Celebrity Square.

Key West Grill incorporates all the tastes of the Caribbean, with Cuban, Mexican and Jamaican influences as well as the Florida Keys, into an extensive menu that can make everyone happy.

Of course, seafood reigns at Key West Grill, with fresh-catch specials on a nightly basis and excellent shrimp, crab and scallop dishes.

* Liberty Steakhouse & Brewery: This restaurant/brew pub has been packing them in since Broadway opened in 1995, and for good reason.

The menu is extensive and consistently good, from burgers and cheese fries all the way up to surf and turf. The house specials, like meats marinated in their own home brews, are the best bets in the house.

Liberty is best known for its happy hour specials, featuring $2 drafts from their outstanding selection of in-house beers and ales, and a discounted appetizer menu that is as filling as a meal.

* Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery: Many believe that “Tilted Kilt” is Scottish for “Hooters,” and they're not far from wrong.

In addition to featuring scantily clad waitresses serving cold beer and hot wings to mostly male patrons, the atmosphere is festive and sports-oriented, perfect for Myrtle Beach golf groups.

It's hard to find a seat in the house that isn't within view of five large screen TVs, each tuned to a different sports event. Of course, the big game isn't the only scenery worth checking out at the Tilted Kilt.

* Yamato Steak House: When half your dining party says “Tom-A-to” and other half “Tom-ah-to,” throw them a curve ball and take them to Yamato.

They don't have to like Japanese food to have a good time and great meal at this hibachi-style restaurant. Your chef comes to your table and slices and dices up a tasty mix of meats, vegetables and rice.

Do you have a favorite restuarant at Broadway at the Beach? Please post it in the comments below!

MORE GREAT “TOP 5” LISTS FOR MYRTLE BEACH

Let me preface this by saying, I’m not a fan of buffets. To my way of thinking, a place that makes everything often doesn’t do anything particularly well.

But there are exceptions to every rule.

Simply Southern Smokehouse, a barbeque and country buffet, is that exception.

One of the area’s newest eateries, Simply Southern is located on 10th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach, next to the, ahem, Masters Club.

As the name implies, Simply Southern smokes it’s pork

Quality golf instruction abounds along the Grand Strand and in this installment of Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz, Blair O’Neal pays a visit to one of the area’s best schools, the Steve Dresser Golf Academy. Get an inside look at the golf academy and what you can expect to learn at the facility. Based at True Blue, the Steve Dresser Golf Academy offers a variety of instructional packages and has an offering for every level of

A new day has dawned at Carolina Shores.

The layout, once renowned as one of the toughest along the Grand Strand, has transformed itself into one of the area’s most playable, value-laden venues.

The process began six years ago with the removal of more than half of the facility’s bunkers, the vast majority of which menaced fairways, making life difficult on mid-to-high handicappers. Improvement wasn’t confined to the bunker removal project, as course conditioning has become priority No. 1.

[PHOTO GALLERY: Carolina Shores]

“The conditions have improved, and they are the best they have ever been,” Philippe Bureau, Carolina Shores’ general manager said. “It’s a great layout, and you are going to get treated extremely well. We treat everybody like family, and we want everyone to have a good time.”

When Carolina Shores opened its fairways…

With its tree-lined fairways, natural waste areas and deep bunkers, the Parkland Course is a classic, American-style golf course, which makes it the exception to the rule at Legends Resort.

Parkland completed the triumvirate at Legends, providing an ideal complement to the Moorland and Heathland layouts, which are wide open, more links-style courses that place an emphasis on the short game.

Parkland is a modern design, challenging golfers with length and well bunkered greens. A 4-star layout, according to Golf Digest’s Best Places to Play guide, Parkland has been popular with players since its 1992 opening.

With vast waste areas the course enjoys the benefit natural and architectural beauty. Holes are framed by native pines, hardwood trees and Doak-designed mounding, creating a layout that allows players to see the challenge in front of them.

The biggest test at Parkland is…

Carolina Shores is the first golf course players see when entering Brunswick County on route 179 from Myrtle Beach. Nestled amidst the quiet charm of Calabash, Carolina Shores paved the way for Brunswick County’s emergence as a golf hotspot. What do you need to know before teeing it up at the Tom Jackson design? Plenty. Here are five things to consider before playing Carolina Shores. 1. When the course’s original owners commissioned Jackson to design the layout, they