By Jackson Hayes

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The day's last gasp of sunlight danced on my ball as I rolled a five-foot par putt into the dark cup on the 18th hole. The gathering clouds that had held their moisture for most of the afternoon were opening up. A light rain was starting to fall amid handshakes and laughter in the thickening darkness. It was a fitting way to cap four days of fun criss-crossing the coast of the Gamecock state: putting out with new-found buddies that helped pulled back the veil on a new version of the old Myrtle Beach standard.

Pay attention you Grand Strand veterans, this is not the gaudy golf town it used to be. Myrtle Beach is a hip destination stacked with great new golf courses, dynamite dinning and culture to spare.

The transformation all starts with transportation. Golf-starved Canucks heading south used to face either an excruciatingly long drive or a tour of airports in the northeastern U.S. Ease is the name of the game for citizens all across Ontario. Those in the southwest can hop across the border to fly direct on Direct Air out of Niagara Falls International Airport (quite possibly the only airport in North America with free parking). The same carrier has direct flights from Plattsburgh, N.Y. – perfect for golfers in the Montreal and Ottawa area. Porter Airlines has a portal to South Carolina salvation through Toronto's downtown island airport for the millions of people living in between. Direct flights depart on Thursdays and Sundays with connections possible from Ottawa, Quebec City, Montreal and Thunder Bay.

A little over two hours after taking off we pulled our rented vans onto Highway 17. The huge commercial expansion along the route aptly nicknamed Restaurant Row was easy to spot. Over 1,600 watering holes, five-star eateries, gin joints and culinary gems dot both sides of the highway. The bright lights and tall signs symbolize much of the investment in entertainment and accommodation made throughout the last decade here. Heath Carter of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday says Myrtle had always been seen as a value golf destination. "We used to have a lot of mom-and-pop hotels and restaurants. And while we still have those, we have high-end resort options like Scottsdale, Palm Springs or West Palm Beach," Carter explains in his low southern drawl. "We have the Marriotts, the Embassy Suites and the Hiltons." Our home base was just such a location: a 2,220-acre, complex called the Grande Dunes that opened in 2006. The facility includes a five-star hotel (The Marina Inn), 36-holes and a series of million-dollar homes. Eager to chip away the rust formed after a chilly autumn, the boys were on the range faster than you could say "snow shovel." First up was Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links. The Clyde Johnston-creation flows around marshland and is a must-play. Both the in and out close along a languid stretch of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and a double 9/18 green provides entertainment for those gathered on the clubhouse back porch. In years past, Myrtle may have been a little guilty of providing quantity over quality. There were always high-end options, but with the likes of Fazio, Dye and Norman now designing tracks on the coast, Carter says championship has a whole new meaning. Another great course and South Carolina golf at its finest is The Heritage Club. The back nine winds through history with 300-year-old oak trees and giant magnolias dripping with Spanish moss. Four of the back nine holes border a meandering lake with fingers that jut around greens and tees like watery knives. And you know designer Dan Maples meant business when you hit from the tips into the 223-yard, par three 13th – all carry, over water with no help left and no help right. Unfortunately our time at Heritage came with an unwelcome visitor that refused to let us play through – the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

Grande Dunes Glen Dornoch True Blue The Love Course at Barefoot Resort

Myrtle Beach has an enviable average of 216 days of annual sunshine. Every month, the hundreds of greens, tees and fairways – along with the 60 miles of beachfront and 300,000 citizens – are kissed with an average of about 4 inches of rainfall. But thanks to a tropical storm that spun into a level two hurricane a few weeks prior, we experienced three times the average monthly rainfall… in four days. Ironically, the rain opened our eyes to just how much this place has to offer. Chief among the ancillary draws has to be the food.

Savouring outstanding flavours comes part and parcel with any golf road trip and finding sustenance in Myrtle Beach is easy for every palate. A few top choices for us included the Brazilian steakhouse Rioz and perennial favourite, the Sea Captain's House. Dinner at Greg Norman's Australian Grille is not to be missed. The restaurant sits at the water's edge in the Barefoot Landing and oozes atmosphere. Tall leather chairs, dim lighting, shark tooth-shaped plates and aboriginal art swirls together creating an undercurrent of smooth comfort and class.

News to our collection of Myrtle Beach regulars was just how bountiful the entertainment options now are. Huge complexes like Market Common, Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach dot the coast and offer scads of shopping outlets and entertainment choices.

Of all the changes in Myrtle Beach over the years, one of the most advantageous for tourists has been the consolidation within the tourism industry. Planning a trip in year's past generally consisted of a series of phone calls to book hotels, tee times, dinner renovations and transportation. Now thanks to organizations like Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, much of that busy work is done for you.

Mark Young runs the Greater Toronto Area Amateur Tour and recently organized a golf trip to Myrtle. While he admits the logistics could have been a nightmare, reality was much different. "It was very turn-key," he says. "I didn't have to make a bunch of calls to negotiate rates. It kept my work down to a minimum, which was great." Young says his experience was so favorable, he plans on running an even bigger trip down next year with up to 100 GTA Tour players.

Our week wrapped up much like it had started, wet. Eighteen holes at the Moorland – one of three courses at The Legends Resort – followed by a dash to True Blue Golf Plantation. In between, we had played as much as our raingear could handle and ate as much as our belts could take. Along the way we all discovered a new Myrtle Beach and a reignited passion for this golf Mecca.

And don't worry about the rain; I am convinced we got the year's worth of precipitation over and done with so your trip will be sunny and warm.

For more information on Myrtle Beach contact www.golfholiday.com.

05/10