“Breaking Par with Charlie Rymer” Episode 9: TPC Myrtle Beach

The challenge turns up a notch this episode as “The Big Timer” takes on the par-5 2nd hole at the Tom Fazio/Lanny Wadkins-designed TPC Myrtle Beach, the host site of many national- and global-scale events at the junior, collegiate and professional levels.
 

Cancer knocked me down, but not out. Now, I’m cancer free. The recovery? It’s been tough. I’ll need patience, a lot of humor …

(You can only keep talent down for so long!)

… And support from friends and family. Over the last two years, I haven’t played much golf, but there’s no better place to get back in the game than on 66 courses in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We’re keeping score, but just teeing it up means I’ve already won!

(You’re not going to believe where this ball ended up!)

Join me on my journey to break par!

This is a beautiful par five to help kickstart your round. Water runs all the way up the left-hand side, so don’t be surprised to see a gator or two hanging out in there. It’s reachable in two with a well-struck drive, so this might be a good chance for me to put a circle on that scorecard. Is it birdie time? Let’s give it a shot!

We’re in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina at TPC Myrtle Beach. This golf course was designed by Tom Fazio. It’s played host to PGA TOUR Cchampions, the Tour Championship that was won by Tom Watson. One more name drop for you, the Dustin Johnson Golf School is on the grounds here.

It’s a heck of a good golf course. The second hole’s a really good par five, it’s going to be three-shotter today, playing into the wind. All right, let’s see what we get.

That’s as good as I’m going to hit it right there. People used to pay big money to see that!

All right, I’ve got some options here. I could hit driver off the deck, but I’d probably top that in the water. I could hit a four iron and be smart. Yeah, if I were smart. I’m going to hit the three wood up there. If I hit this three wood where I want, we’re going to make an easy birdie. Try and go a little short and right of the green. Let’s see what we get.

Oh, yeah. Left myself a good angle right there. It’s birdie time! Rock and roll, baby!

So let me set this up for you. Kyle, he’s not real smart. I said, “Why don’t you go up there and stand right behind the hole?” And he’s got this high visibility orange beachcomber hat or something on. I’m going to see if I can knock that hat right off his head.

I can’t believe he fell for that! I’d normally run this in there low, but I don’t think I could get the hat off going in low, so I’m going to try and take it in high. Let’s see what we get here.

Oh, he flinched. You see him? He flinched! Well, I missed the hat, but I got that for birdie. Can’t believe he fell for that!

All right, let’s see what we got here. Kyle, the reason I hit this over to the left like this, I felt really bad, I thought, man, I might hit him, and I’d hate to do that. That’d make horrible TV. Nice hat, by the way.

Man, these greens are nice. You know I’m trying hard because that time I took a practice stroke. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. How does that stop moving? That’s somebody else’s fault. All right, I got this coming back. Oh, yeah. I need to find some birdies somewhere.

Every time I come to a TPC course, I remember this story. I played in two PLAYERS (Championships) at Sawgrass, and the first time I played there, David Duval and I were good friends, we’d been teammates at Georgia Tech, it was his home course. And he couldn’t wait for me to show up at TPC Sawgrass because he had bribed the locker room attendant to put a fake plaque.

Instead of Charlie Rymer, here I’m a rookie, I’m playing in the PLAYERS. Instead of Charlie Rymer on my locker, it says, you’re going to love this, “Welcome, fat boy. Buffet in back.” That’s my first experience at a TPC course, and I always remember that when I come here. David Duval. Hope you liked that story because we need to change this one.

Par’s always good, but we’re looking for more. Where are we at next?

Miss an Episode? Just Click the Links Below to Catch Up!

Episode 8: River Club

Episode 7: Litchfield Country Club

Episode 6: Caledonia

Episode 5: True Blue

Episode 4: Pawleys Plantation

Episode 3: Founders Club at Pawleys Island

Episode 2: Heritage Club

Episode 1: Wedgefield Country Club

Series Trailer