Myrtle Beach Classic 2024: Charlie Rymer Visits Dunes Club for PGA TOUR Event Update (Part 2)

It’s been non-stop action already at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club since Myrtle Beach’s top-rated golf course was announced as the host site of the first-ever PGA TOUR event to commit to the Grand Strand: the Myrtle Beach Classic, which begins in spring 2024. In Part 2 of a two-part video update, PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com’s Charlie Rymer sits with Dunes Club Director of Agronomy Steve Hamilton to discuss the on-course adjustments already underway by his team to get the Robert Trent Jones design TOUR-ready.

Steve Hamilton:

… broke the news to the guys, and they were over the top.

Charlie Rymer:

I bet they were.

Steve Hamilton:

They were super excited. Obviously, with that excitement, you get a little bit of anxiety as to, okay, so what next?

Charlie Rymer:

Steve, congratulations on getting a PGA TOUR event coming here to Dunes. Tell me how you delivered that information to your staff and the reaction that you got.

Steve Hamilton:

Yeah. So, there were a lot of whispers going on for a little while about us being potential site hosts for the TOUR. So, that was exciting in itself. Once it did come out, we’ve been chit-chatting a little bit with our staff, and they’re super excited. We do small little Friday afternoon staff meetings before we break up. And myself and Josh Taylor, our lead superintendent, broke the news to the guys, and they were over the top. They really were-

Charlie Rymer:

I bet they were.

Steve Hamilton:

… super excited. Obviously, with that excitement you get a little bit of anxiety as to, okay, so what next? And we’re in the middle of what next right now.

Charlie Rymer:

So what is next? Let’s get into that a little bit.

Steve Hamilton:

Sure. Sure. So, the TOUR comes out and looks at the property and does their homework as to looking at different sites. Really not a lot of asks, which is great.

Charlie Rymer:

That doesn’t surprise me. You didn’t have to do much to get this golf course ready for the PGA TOUR.

Steve Hamilton:

We’re fortunate. I mean, the property itself, 75 years, it’s a pretty strong property. It was built very well, didn’t have a lot of stuff to move things around way back when. They pushed the tees up, pushed the greens up, and really ever since then, there hasn’t been anything major. Maybe the late 70s they changed a little bit of the par. But other than that, the TOUR themselves haven’t asked for a lot. We’re doing some work on all the championship tees, doing some leveling and some regrassing on some championship tees. We’re adding a little bit of yardage to a couple of holes, but not much really. So, they were pretty excited. Anyone from the rules officials guys on the TOUR side to the agronomy side, as a team, they were pretty pumped to walk a property and be like, “Wow, this is a great golf course.” And they’re excited to get out here.

Charlie Rymer:

Can you get into some specifics on some of those changes we’ll see?

Steve Hamilton:

Sure. I think one of the major yardage changes is to number 14. We’re adding probably, oh gosh, that’s going to go back 40, 50 yards.

Charlie Rymer:

That’s already a tough hole.

Steve Hamilton:

It’s a great hole.

Charlie Rymer:

Yeah.

Steve Hamilton:

It’s the last swing before you come back towards the ocean.

Charlie Rymer:

Yeah.

Steve Hamilton:

It’s going to really set up well for those players, and we had quite a bit of room. The great thing about our golf course is the amount of property that we have outside of the internal golf course itself. We’re not handcuffed a lot by property and things that are right up on top of the golf course. So, we do have a little bit of room to grow and a little bit of room to move when you are asking to do different things, not just from a golf standpoint, but you get into spectators and grandstands and all that kind of stuff. I think the property’s going to do very well depending on how the tour operators like to set it up.

Charlie Rymer:

And the grounds staff, the hours, the temperature in the South that you’re working at, it is a passionate group. And having this PGA TOUR event has to just ratchet that passion up a little bit more. That’s got to be something that you guys feel every day when you’re getting out on this golf course. Sure, it’s great to keep it in great shape for the members, but knowing that the PGA TOUR is coming, it’s just got to be that one more notch on the ladder.

Steve Hamilton:

Yeah, it’s super exciting. When the event was mentioned, and it came out, we’ve got a really close relationship with Horry-Georgetown (Technical College), our local tech center, and they’ve got an excellent turf program, and they’ve had it for decades. And we employ a lot of students as they go through that program, and we’ve done so since I’ve been here over 20 years now. And so, that relationship is strong. And myself and Josh Taylor have gotten a lot of asks from guys who have worked at The Dunes Club while they’re going to college, and now they’re out throughout the rest of the country, “Hey, we hear you’re having a TOUR stop.”

Charlie Rymer:

Yeah.

Steve Hamilton:

“We’d love to come and volunteer.” You know?

Charlie Rymer:

All of a sudden it looks a little more appealing, right?

Steve Hamilton:

Yeah. So, we’re getting a lot of asks, and the buzz is out. And then, they’re like, “Ah, that’s so exciting. Put us up for that week. We’re going to come back to Myrtle Beach, and we’d like to be a part of it.” So, it’s very positive right now. And hopefully, we just continue to keep that momentum going once we get done some renovation work here in the next three or four weeks and get through it.

Charlie Rymer:

Well, Steve, I appreciate your time. And I’ve got to tell you, folks, I’ve interviewed a lot of superintendents over the years. He is Director of Agronomy here now. But I’ve never seen one smile. I didn’t even know these guys could smile. I mean, think about it. Their job is making stuff beautiful, and all the rest of us, our job is tearing it up. That’s why you guys never smile. Look at there. Smiling superintendent! You never see it. Great job, Steve, and congratulations.

Steve Hamilton:

Thank you so much. We appreciate it.