A PGA TOUR-Worthy Effort at The Dunes Club: “Breaking Par with Charlie Rymer” Episode 37
As a former PGA TOUR player, Charlie’s about to offer a sense of what the top pros in the game will be up against in May 2024 at the TOUR’s inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic. “The Big Timer” is taking on the par-3 9th with the Atlantic Ocean as the scenic backdrop.
Charlie:
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 …
(Did I mention I made birdie there?)
… 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 go Google “perfect,” and see if that shot doesn’t come up right there!)
Join me on my journey to break par!
Get a good look, folks, because this one’s a true beauty. Just don’t get too caught up in the scenery between the prevailing wind off the Atlantic and the elevated green you’re hitting into, you got plenty on your plate off the tee. But man, it’s impossible to play this hole without enjoying the elements. Let’s soak it all in and see if we can get a birdie along the way!
We’re at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. It’s the second-oldest golf course in all of Myrtle Beach. It’s been here since 1948. It’s a magnificent piece of property. It was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones.
Recently, one of his sons, Rees has been doing a little bit of work on it to get it ready for the PGA TOUR event that’s coming to Myrtle Beach beginning in 2024, the Myrtle Beach Classic. And they didn’t have to do much to get it ready because this is a golf course that is ready to test the best in the world. It’s got a strong history and that is going to continue as it is now host to a PGA TOUR event.
This is the 9th hole. It’s really the only golf hole in Myrtle Beach that’s on the ocean where you can see the beach and the ocean. Clubhouse in the back, again, great clubhouse, right on the beach is absolutely spectacular and a lot of the elements that are associated with Robert Trent Jones are right here on this 9th, par three. Green is raised up in the air, bunkers that are big, and sand is flashed up in the face. It’s a big, big ballpark.
This par three is about, oh, 170 yards. You want to try and get it up in the air because there’s not a lot of depth here. You need for it to stop quickly.
I might’ve made that, folks. I’m going to have to check the tape.
So I hit this shot and I’m telling you, I can’t see where it went, but it’s all over the flag stick. It might’ve gone in. Can’t see it yet. Can’t see it yet. Where is it? Where is it? It’s just a little bit long. I was all excited. I thought I made it. I’m pretty excited to hit a shot that good. Look at that, friend’s, I can make it from there. Yeah, I was thinking that that one might’ve gone in. I made 11 holes in one. Some people call them hole in ones, but it’s holes in one. I’ve been corrected and it was dead online. It just hit a little bit on the down slope.
Yeah, I was pretty close. I never mind repairing a ball mark that close to the hole. There’s a little downwind. There’s a little bit of slope going away. This is a golf course is going to test the best in the world, supposed to be challenging, right? Looks like it’s going to break right, but the ocean is off to the left, so it might be a little straighter than I think. Might be a little straighter than… Man, that looked good the whole way. Pretty tough hole location. Downwind. You see, to get it close you got to land it just over that bunker. Yeah, three’s a good score here today.
I’ll be fun to see how the tour players handle this hole. I’ll take par on this one for sure. Time to head back north to check in on another three-course golf resort!
