LEN ZIEHM in Port St. Lucie Florida in PGA Village-RORY SPEARS in the pro shop at the Grande Dunes Golf Club in Myrtle Beach SC.
Len Ziehm at the World Amateur in Myrtle Beach. Photo by Joy Sarver.
“Where are you playing ?” Part-2.
BY LEN ZIEHM, of LenZiehmonGolf.com with Rory Spears of Golfersongolf.com.
WHERE ARE YOU PLAYING ?-How about Myrtle Beach.
Golf courses here-and there’s about a 100 of them-are ready for players, and they have been for quite awhile. This is what we’ve been told as April winds down into May.
The courses are open. Over 18 of them overseeded wall-to-wall-fairways, tee’s greens and rough. The other 73 overseeded everything but the rough.
Said one long-term Myrtle Beach golf booster. “We’ve had a real mild winter and a beautiful March-the March we’ve been waiting for. Everything is in spectacular condition.”
The 9th hole at the Tidewater Golf Club in Myrtle Beach.
Yes, hotels are restricted to short-term rentals and can’t take reservations through April 30th. Restaurants are closed, but curb-side pickup and carryouts are readily available. The hopes and expectations in Myrtle Beach are for that to change in early May-ideally very early May-or mid-May at the latest.
Current restrictions are one person per cart, but people are allowed to walk at many of the Myrtle Beach courses.
Lots of travel minded golfers consider Myrtle Beach a home away from home. There’s so many great options available, complete with prices that fit most budgets.
Welcome to the Ocean Front Double Tree by Hilton.
The younger member of this writing duo tabs the Greg Norman Course at the Barefoot Resort as one of his Myrtle Beach favorites, the others being Tidewater (one of the prettiest courses in the area and a clubhouse with great dining) and Grand Dunes. He also likes the Double-Tree by Hilton with it’s Ocean Blue Restaurant.
This, more experienced, collaborator for this new series has been a Myrtle Beach devotee for many more years, and he leans toward Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and it’s partner course True Blue as his favorite destination in the area. Then again, Tidewater and Grande Dunes are great. So is the Dye Course at Barefoot Resort.
Dustin Johnson blasts a drive at his new golf school at TPC Myrtle Beach
Of course you can’t leave out Pine Lakes, which dates back to 1927; the Dunes Club, Pawley’s Plantation and Founders Club. And TPC Myrtle Beach is something special too-especially since PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson recently made a dramatic expansion of it’s teaching academy.
There’s a reason Myrtle Beach can, with plenty of justification, call itself “the Golf Capitol of the World.”
The World Amateur in Myrtle Beach tee’s off.
And then there’s the area’s biggest event-the 37th staging of the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship. It’s over 72 holes (plus a playoff) for competitors in nine divisions and features the World’s Largest 19th Hole and over $100,000 in prizes will be distributed. In short, it’s an event line no other.
This years version is August 31 to September 4th, and the usual 3,000-plus players are expected. Even with this year’s obstacles the tournament is expected to be held and entries are being accepted. I for one wouldn’t miss it. Neither should you.