by GOLF-SOUTH STAFF

Myrtle Beach has long been regarded as one of the golf Mecca’s of the United States.

While the pure volume of courses is what attracts many golfers year after year, there are many other attractions keep everyday travelers returning year after year as well. You would be hard pressed to find a greater selection of restaurants anywhere. Shopping no longer takes a back seat to any destination, theatre and musical presentations now attract major stars and oh yes, miles and miles of beach and a great climate round things out nicely.

On a recent visit as guests of Myrtle
Beach Golf Holidays we found a couple
of gems - courses that make you
want to keep going back for more. But
before we ventured out to our first
course we had the opportunity to have
lunch at a delightful restaurant
steeped in tradition the Sea Captain's
House.  The historic building that was
built in 1930 and because of its
beautiful seaside location it was to be
sold and replaced with a high-rise
hotel in 1962. Fortunately for current-day customers, plans changed and it became a restaurant.

We had the pleasure of dining with the owner, a stately southern gentleman by the name of Clay Brittian Jr..  Mr. Brittian Jr., (or Clay as he would prefer to be called, I found that out soon enough) just so happened to be the founder of the Myrtle Beach National Company, that owns 9 top-notch golf courses and several accommodation properties in Myrtle Beach.  We were treated to a delightful lunch and an opportunity to listen to interesting yarns on the amazing transformation of Myrtle Beach.

After lunch we were off to Myrtle Beach National Golf Club - go figure!  There we experience one of Arnold Palmer's greatest Signature Courses, King’s North.  It is one of 3 courses that make up Myrtle Beach National Club, the others being South Creek and the West Course.  These are three of the most sought after course on the Beach.  It is no wonder, the minute you enter the property it is green everywhere.  They don’t just overseed fairways and greens like many others - it’s wall to wall.

King's North was recognized as one of America's best new courses when it opened in 1996. And the accolades continued. It was in Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Public Courses in 2004 and Golf Digest's Places to Play gave it 4 1/2 stars in 2006. We told you that it was green everywhere, well we lied a bit, there is plenty of wet blue and pebbly white stuff as you make your way along the tree lined fairways as well. Nowhere is the water more prevalent than on the 6th hole, a hole that was dedicated to Kenny Rogers in 1996.  Appropriately named “The Gambler”, Kenny Rogers once warbled "You've got to know when to hold 'em ... And know when to fold 'em ... and that is certainly the case here.

If you are going to be daring and take the short route on the hole that stretches back to 568 yards from the tips you need to land your tee shot on an island fairway that is about 40 yards wide.  That leaves you with
a 2nd shot of between 140 and 250 yards
all over water, more water left and sand in
behind the green.  Good Luck!

The 18th hole is a classic closing hole
nicknamed, “The Bull's-Eye” by Golf
Magazine. It has over 40 sand traps
guarding either side of the fairway and the
green reaches out into a lake.

We had the pleasure of staying at the
extravagant Grand Dunes Marriott,
(towards the north end of Myrtle Beach) a
beautiful property with over 400 graciously
appointed rooms, and most with ocean
views I might ad.  This property might be
considered a trendsetter for a potentially
new Myrtle Beach visitor.  First class all the
way and certainly ideal for golfers, great
location, a spa, tennis courts, a lively bar,
and fine dining of it’s own. But this property has much more to offer with meeting space that ideal for conferences and off-site meetings.  Who would of ever thought that business and golf would go hand in hand.  Our stay at the Grand Dunes property was handled through Myrtle Beach Golf Trips.

Minutes from the Grande Dunes Resort, we found our next round of golf at the No. 1 ranked course in Myrtle Beach, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. (It sucks to be us!) This course has often been considered one of Robert Trent Jones finest works.  It's a great player-friendly all-around golf course, with great character and plenty of variety. You will need to position yourself smartly off the tee in order to score well on this course.  The fairways are well defined and strategically placed bunkers give you targets off the tees.   The greens are large, many are elevated and most undulating thanks to a greens restoration project spearheaded by Jones’ son, Rees in 2003.  The greens are tough but fair.

Hole No. 13, nicknamed “Waterloo”, will be most memorable.  Considered the Dunes Signature Hole, a 590 yard par 5 that doglegs right, wraps around Lake Singleton. A risk/reward hole, the closer your tee shot is to the water the easier your second shot will be.

The Dunes has hosted many major tournaments, including six Senior Tour championship events, the U.S. Women's Open and the final of the PGA Tour Q
School. It's the only Myrtle Beach course ranked as one of the Top 100 courses in America by both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.

The Dunes has also enlisted a Who's Who of Myrtle Beach as members, but the course is by no means uppity. You'll still get a generous portion of that good ole Southern hospitality.

When you're looking to line up your golf trip to Myrtle, a great place to start is Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday - a unified association of 85 golf courses, 60 accommodations and four golf schools. Check out www.golfholiday.com

________________________________________________________________________________

GOLF-SOUTH.NET