PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com Presents Its Top Stories of 2023

What a year in Myrtle Beach golf! We thank you for the commitment you continue to make to keep us thriving as “The Golf Capital of the World,” and look forward to providing more indelible memories for vacation golfers in 2024. But before we flip the calendar, let’s take a look at the top moments that defined a wildly successful 2023 campaign for the Grand Stand golf scene – and set us up for even greater success in the New Year! 

Unprecedented Reinvestment in the Product. We may be considered “The Golf Capital of the World,” but our courses did not rest on their laurels. This past year, 15 designs throughout the Grand Strand made or launched significant capital upgrades to their offerings. Among them:

Pawleys Plantation Completed Extensive Summer Renovations

Extensive Sea Trail Renovations Launched in December

Thistle Unveiled New PermaEdge Sod Bunker System

Rivers Edge Got a Clubhouse Facelift, Then New Ownership and Course of the Year Honors

Legends Group Launched 5-Course Cart Path Renovation Project

Hackler Course Began Work on New Clubhouse Facility

Long Bay Reopened with Brand-New TifEagle Greens

Leopard’s Chase Reopened with New TifEagle Ultradwarf Greens

Blackmoor Completed Major Drainage Improvement Project

Dustin Johnson World Junior Champions Past & Present Achieving New Heights. Jackson Koivun and Ryleigh Knaub became the latest victors in this elite competition, while its alums continued to make history in their next-level pursuits. Eight of the year’s top 14 male amateur golfers in the world were past DJ World Junior participants, and past champions Alexa Pano and Nick Dunlap seized the world stage with their top 2023 accomplishments.

Avelo, Breeze Airlines Lead Service Expansion at Myrtle Beach International Airport. In April, Avelo added to its MYR portfolio by announcing exclusive nonstop service to the Wilmington, DE/Philadelphia market, while Breeze Airways followed suit this fall with its addition of three new markets.

PGA TOUR Announces Myrtle Beach’s First-Ever Event for 2024; Ticket Sales Open Strong. The USGA, PGA of America and PGA TOUR Champions have all had their moments in the Grand Strand sun in recent years, but Myrtle Beach had never hosted an event for the game’s top professional tour … until now. The PGA TOUR announced in May 2023 a four-year agreement to host the Myrtle Beach Classic in “The Golf Capital of the World,” starting in May 2024 at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club. A market that’s been eager to prove its worthiness for the sport’s largest pro stage got off to a hot start with ticket sales, and the trend looks to continue as the calendar flips to the New Year.

“Breaking Par with Charlie Rymer” Kicks Off 66-Episode Series. Cancer knocked Charlie Rymer down, but not out. Once he became cancer-free, his next challenge was in coping with the effects of treatment. Easing back into a regular golf routine was a big part of that, and “The Big Timer” made it a point to launch a journey that, before it’s all said and done, will take him to every PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com member golf course. It’s already produced plenty of indelible moments, with plenty more on the way as the series kicks into high gear in the early months of 2024.

World Am Turns 40 in 2023. This year we celebrated four full decades of presenting the “largest, most fun and most valuable golf tournament on the planet” for more than 3,200 golfers each year. It’s produced a wild series of memories that we looked back upon in this retrospective piece. We also offered a unique peek behind the curtain to show you how the staff and volunteers of our Tournaments Division make it all possible.