In the Studio with Charlie Rymer: Myrtlewood-Palmetto GM’s Favorite Holes

Charlie Rymer:

Joined now by Dustin Powers, the general manager at Myrtlewood, a long time fixture here in the Myrtle Beach golf scene. Not you, but Myrtlewood, in fact, I’ve been coming here so long, Myrtlewood, when I was a kid, was in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing around it. It was like a two-lane road and that was it. Now, it’s like the center of Myrtle Beach.

Dustin Powers:

At the center.

Charlie Rymer:

Just an amazing place. By the way I mentioned that when I came here, I was a kid. I won the State Junior Championship there back in 1983. That was the last century, but at your Palmetto course, you’ve got two obviously. Along with the Palmetto course, you’ve got the PineHills course. A really special place for me when I come out and play or even just drive by because I won so few tournaments in my life, I can always remember the ones that I did win.

Let’s talk a little bit about the Palmetto course and maybe work backwards. The hangout behind the golf shop, just a little bit beyond 18 green, around sunset, is there a better place to be in all of Myrtle Beach?

Dustin Powers:

There is not. No. It comes right off the pro shop, the clubhouse, F&B right there, patio, umbrellas, chairs, and it just overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway with a short game area right there too, so there is no better spot in Myrtle Beach on a golf course than that.

Charlie Rymer:

That sunset is absolutely spectacular. Yeah. I know a lot of folks like to get out and play golf early in the morning, but if you’re playing a little bit later, the Palmetto at Myrtlewood, you’re going to be in a real treat on 17 and 18 to sunset. Those also are two excellent golf holes.

Dustin Powers:

They’re my two favorite holes on Palmetto. Palmetto 17, par three, a little downhill. We don’t see much elevation change in Myrtle Beach, but it’s got a little bit. It’s not terribly long. It’s a small green, so you’ve got to hit a good shot, but you can see the waterway behind it, and then you roll right into 18, which plays parallel to the waterway. You finish up right there at that beautiful back end, barbecue, hang out …

Charlie Rymer:

Yeah. Now we’re talking because I’m a lot better at the post golf than I am the actual golf these days.

Dustin Powers:

Me too.

Charlie Rymer:

If you’ve got a don’t go left shot, 18, at Myrtlewood at Palmetto, that’s the place to avoid.

Dustin Powers:

That’s where you need to hit it. Yeah. Any far left and your ball’s moving down to Texas, Florida, Georgia, wherever.

Charlie Rymer:

You might hit one of those big yachts.

Dustin Powers:

That’s right.

Charlie Rymer:

They go up and down the Intracoastal there. Talk to me a little bit about the investment that’s been made in the golf course there. We’ll confine it to Palmetto course for right now. I know you guys have done a lot of work on that golf course over the last couple of years.

Dustin Powers:

Yeah. The last few years we’ve put some money back into it. It’s been there for a while, like you said, so we needed to get the green sizes back to their original shape and size, so we enlarged those. We had an architect come in and he did all that for us. We took bunkers out, added bunkers in, reshaped all the bunkers, new sand, new drainage. If you played it, let’s say 10 years ago and you came and played it now, you could really see the difference in the golf course. It’s much friendlier now that we have larger green complexes, but it’s still just as hard and challenging to play it as it originally was as well.

Charlie Rymer:

If you’re coming to Myrtle Beach on a golf trip, you guys have lot of good accommodations there nearby, and also a lot of good eating in that area, too. Broadway at the Beach is spectacular and that’s just right around the corner from you.

Dustin Powers:

Yeah. My favorite thing to do in the world is eat.

Charlie Rymer:

You can sign me up for that.

Dustin Powers:

Yeah, Myrtlewood, like you said, centrally located. We got the Myrtlewood Villas right there. We have a lot of hotels a couple blocks from the beach. You got Broadway. Restaurant Row is on the opposite side of us, just up the street. There’s always something to satisfy whatever appetite you have.

Charlie Rymer:

Well, Dustin, thanks for coming in and spending some time sharing great information on your wonderful facility, Myrtlewood. Two golf courses there. Tee it up there. You know what? Play an afternoon. Try to finish at sunset. If you do, you’ll be rewarded by one of the best sunsets you’ve ever seen!