While every season brings something new to the Grand Strand, it seems that the past 12 months have ushered in a new era in the Strand’s colorful history. Myrtle Beach regulars as well as rookies will discover an array of new and exciting additions this year. The following are some of the more noteworthy newcomers to the Myrtle Beach menu, as well as a few long-standing favorites—classic reminders of what brings us back again and again.
>>Playing Myrtle Beach
What’s New
Two exciting new developments are found at the farthest extremes
of the Grand Strand’s 60-odd miles. At its southern edge, the old Sea Gull golf
course in Pawleys Island has been dramatically transformed into The Founders
Club (800-TEE-OFFS, PlayAClassic.com). Designed by former Gary Player associate
Thomas Walker, the course rolls through an oak-strewn landscape and also
features a new antebellum-style clubhouse with a wraparound porch overlooking
the 18th green. To the far north of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, is
Leopard’s Chase (910-287-1717, OceanRidge.com), the fourth and newest addition
to the "big cat" lineup at Ocean Ridge Plantation. Designer Tim Cate adds a
little more bite to each course at Ocean Isle; the unusually rolling terrain at
Leopard’s Chase is fraught with forced carries over stunning water features.
Several of Myrtle Beach’s most noteworthy tracks are being
enhanced, but none more significant than the restoration of Pine Lakes Country
Club (866-772-4671, MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com). Originally opened in 1927 as
Ocean Forest, the area’s first golf course, the "Granddaddy" has undergone a
major renovation intended to restore many of the classic elements from the original Robert White design. And two of the
more popular courses along the South Strand’s Waccamaw Golf Trail, TPC of Myrtle Beach (888-742-8721, tpcmyrtlebeach.com) and The Heritage Club (800-299-6187, LegendsGolf.com), have newly resurfaced greens; the TPC with
MiniVerde Ultradwarf Bermuda and The Heritage Club with Champions Bermuda.
Don't Forget ...
The Founders Club, Heritage Club and TPC of Myrtle Beach are all a part of
the outstanding offerings available through the Waccamaw Golf Trail
(888-293-7385; WaccamawGolfTrail.com), a one-stop resource offering packages in
the South Strand areas of Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach and Murrell’s Inlet.
And no trip to Myrtle Beach is complete without a round at The Dunes Golf and
Beach Club (843-449-5236; TheDunesClub.net), the venerable 60-year-old Robert
Trent Jones course that has aged impeccably.
