Chasing Sunrises & Birdies at Glen Dornoch: “Breaking Par with Charlie Rymer” Episode 46

Can you think of a better way to start your day? Just look at that sunrise. Absolutely spectacular. The Intracoastal Waterway will be our guide from tee to green here. Fairway’s a bit narrow, and if you favor the left side, it’s really hard to keep that water out of your head to play your approach to a double green shared with the 18th hole.

Today we’re in Little River, South Carolina, and this is Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links. It is absolutely spectacular place. It sits right beside the Intracoastal. It runs from Miami all the way to Maine. Now, this golf course was designed by Clyde Johnston as a tribute to Donald Ross. We’re on the ninth hole, a par four, probably the toughest hole on the golf course. I got the Intracoastal to my right. I got trees to my left. I’m going to use the U.S. flag on the flagpole there beside the clubhouse as a target. Don’t forget about all that trouble. Look at this small target.

I think that’s going to be just fine. Man, what a beautiful morning. Great scenery here. Good golf course too. Man, what a beautiful place. I love hanging out by the Intracoastal.

I actually live on the Intracoastal down in Murrells Inlet. We’re up here right on the North Carolina-South Carolina line, just really a few hundred yards inside of South Carolina. I can sit on my back porch or you can come out here to Glen Dornoch to sit on the back porch. Watch boats go by. In the spring the big yachts are headed north and in the fall they’re headed south and that’d be a pretty cool job relocating one of those suckers. A lot to look at in these parts.

So when you’re playing a dewey golf course like this, remember that dew makes things sort of slippery. Don’t get as much spin on the golf ball. So right here, I’m between a seven iron and a six iron. I’m at the seven iron because that ball’s going to go just a little bit farther. Things are just slippery. The dew sort of fills up the grooves a little bit. Be right, baby. Yeah, I think that’s going to be pretty good there.

Let me show you all something. Old golf pros like me, we’re fanatical about where our clubs go in the bag. And if you put my five iron down here where my wedges go, I can’t find my five iron. And so sometimes you get a caddy, he wants to put them in there his way. That caddy doesn’t last for long. One year I was playing in the U.S. Open in Pebble Beach, I asked my dad to caddy for me. I actually got off to a good start. It was like three under through seven holes and we’re walking down the ninth fairway and I’m looking at the bag and every club is in the wrong slot. He’s looking at the scoreboard, looking at the view, looking at all the fans out there, and I just absolutely chewed my dad’s butt. I thought he was going to cry. You got to get your clubs in the right slot or it’s like end the world, kind of nuclear Armageddon stuff. Just thought you’d like to know that. They make those slots for a reason.

I’ll tell you what, there’s some great sightseeing out here. You get the fishing boats, a big yacht, get a lot of jet skis running around. Just a really nice scene. And this ninth green hits a double green with 18. Eighteen comes in that way, nine comes up this way. Oh, and here we find my second shot. I told you I had a pretty good shot here. See if we can make a birdie. That just adds to the scenery.

Look at the big man on the board with a birdie! Glen Dornoch. I might put this one in the trophy room and believe me, there’s plenty of room in my trophy room!

Now that was an awesome site from tee to green. Oh, and the scenery was pretty good, too! Let’s keep the momentum going as we check out another Little River gem.