Myrtle Beach Golf Scene

Located along the banks of the historic Waccamaw River lies a true diversion from everyday golf; A refuge for those who truly appreciate the finer points of the game. A place simply named Blackmoor, designed by legendary major champion Gary Player.

Blackmoor Golf Club is a vintage Gary Player Design. It is the only golf course in the Myrtle Beach Area designed by the winner of the career grand slam and world-renowned golf course architect.  Blackmoor is a fun course because it offers golfers of all ages and abilities a friendly but true test of their game. It provides many risk reward opportunities. It also gives you the option to play shots that you don’t normally play on most modern designs such as the bump and run. 

When Myrtle Beach became famous for its Championship Golf there were several founding fathers: The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Robbers Roost, The Surf Club and many others. A lot has happened since then. Many courses have opened and flourished, but none claim such a prominent role in The Grand Strand’s success as the Myrtle Beach National collection of layouts. From The Golden Bear to The King, these courses offer the traveling golfer everything needed to create an unforgettable golf vacation.

Our journey up and down the beach in search of great golf begins at the Long Bay Club , which is located on the North End of the Grand Strand. This Jack Nicklaus signature design will challenge you mentally and physically and reward you for strong play. Most holes offer plenty of room off the tee, but the well-protected greens require precise shot making. The lasting impression of this day will no doubt be No. 10, one of the most recognizable in the state. 

North Myrtle Beach’s Barefoot Golf Resort reflects the work of four remarkable golf mavens.

The first man is a two-time British Open champion who spent 331 weeks as the world’s number one ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s.

The second is one of the most recognizable names in golf course design who has received flattering awards from his peers and golf industry insiders that include the Old Tom Morris Award, the top award from American Society of Golf Course Architects, the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The third has designed more than 120 courses and has more courses ranked among the top 100 in the United States than anyone else in the business.

The Four Essentials of Perfect Putting

By Brad Redding
Director of Instruction
The Resort Club at Grande Dunes

A lot of instructors will tell you that all good golf swings start with a good address. This is as important, if not more, in putting.

1. Eyes directly over the ball. When you aim something, for example when throwing darts, you have the dart in front of your eyes so you can aim it at your target. This holds true in putting. With your eyes over the ball you can see your target line.

2. Hands below your shoulders. Now notice I said hands not arms. With your hands below your shoulders you can make a natural arc stroke. A good putting stroke is on an arc, it does not go straight back and through.

Since you are to the side of the golf ball the putter would move slightly inside the target line back to square at impact and then inside the target line on the follow through. As a result the putter face would open in the back stroke to square at impact and the close on the way through.

There is only one place in Myrtle Beach where you can experience a little Scottish flair on the course and in the kitchen. Need to work on your putting stroke or full swing after night has fallen? They’ve got that covered too. Throw in the only course in Myrtle Beach to receive a 5-Star rating by Golf Digest and you’ve got all the ingredients to create a great golf vacation. And we didn’t even mention the all-star accommodations.

Legends Golf Resort is situated on 1,300 acres of land, offers six different golf courses for resort guests to choose from, including three on-site layouts (Heathland, Moorland and Parkland) plus the 5-Star TPC of Myrtle Beach, and offers amenities and accommodations like a 42,000-sq.- ft. clubhouse with pro shop, lodging for approximately 1,050 guests, the award-winning Aisla Pub and an expansive lighted practice facility.

Sea Trail Golf Resort basks in the sunlight of southern North Carolina, away from the calamity and commotion of Myrtle Beach.

Dan Maples, Rees Jones and Willard Byrd bring golfers three of the best layouts on the Grand Strand on this laid back island located just south of Wilmington and 20 minutes north of North Myrtle Beach.

Sea Trail is a 2000-acre golf-centric resort and residential community with three courses of distinction, all lauded as some of the top facilities in North Carolina by Golf Digest, with the largest convention facility on the North Carolina coast.

A popular location for meetings and conventions, Sea Trail has over 60,000 sq. feet of meeting and function space.

Summers at the beach are filled with fun activities, but they are no longer limited to the beach and amusement parks. More and more families are making golf an integral part of their summer vacation, and why not? Summer time is a terrific time to experience some of the greatest golf in the world at some incredibly attractive prices.

To make it even more inviting, many Myrtle Beach area courses offer special discount programs to families, including free golf for junior golfers who are accompanied by an adult golfer. Here is an ideal opportunity to introduce them to the sport and fuel their passion for what many believe to be the greatest game ever invented.

Among the local courses that offer special multiround packages and programs for golf families are the Prime Times Signature Collection, which is comprised of nine area golf courses designed by some of the greatest names in golf, including Palmer, Nicklaus, Jones, Maples and others.

The four-man scramble is one of the most enjoyable formats for team competition in golf. After all, finding one decent shot out of four is a welcome proposition to many golfers. Beginning this spring, golf clubs across the country will be able to compete in The Great American Scramble and vie for the coveted title of National Champions in Las Vegas.

After the longstanding Buick/Oldsmobile Scramble shut down in 2005, golfers were left without a national scramble competition. PGA Professional Wayne Stone decided to change that. Stone created an event aimed at bringing excitement, camaraderie and team-building experiences back to golfers through the scramble format.

Stone, who is the director of Golf at Windermere Country Club in Windermere, Fla., decided there was enough interest to create a national scramble just by gauging the response of his members to the loss of the Buick event. Encouraged by the feedback, Stone set out to create the national tournament that was currently missing from the golf world.

Not long ago, navigating the Grand Strand was a simple chore.

It’s not your father’s Myrtle Beach anymore, or even the same place it was a decade ago. The Grand Strand is growing and changing, not just annually, but just about every day. The stabilizing factor in this constantly evolving area, however, is the same as it was many years ago - world-class golf.

With over 100 quality courses spanning more than 60 miles of sandy white beaches along the beautiful Atlantic seaboard, the Grand Strand’s trademark attraction is still its dominant selling point. 

The stunning array of golf courses here are annually featured on the pages of the nation’s top golf periodicals and widely-considered to be some of the best layouts you can play not only in the U.S but around the world.

Myrtle Beach used to be for golf, period. But now with first-class freshwater and saltwater fi shing, fabulous food, great entertainment, even live musical theatre, the area draws close to 14 million visitors every year, making it easy to see why the Grand Strand has earned the title of the Number One Family Beach in America.

Nicklaus Etched One Of His Best Designs Into The Lowcountry Landscape

For those seeking an upscale golf package at an affordable price this spring or summer, there's no better place along Myrtle Beach's Grand Strand than Pawleys Plantation. One of America's best small resorts, this popular destination offers Lowcountry charm, luxurious accommodations, world-class golf and award-winning gourmet dining.

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus sculpted one of his best designs into the spectacularly scenic Lowcountry landscape at Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club. Just 30 minutes south of Myrtle Beach, Jack delivers a memorable golf experience while nature provides extraordinary atmosphere.

"One of America's Top Courses"               

                - Zagat Survey 2007/08