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PGA Tour Superstore World Am - Myrtle Beach
By Tim Baines

You don't have to be a scratch golfer to compete in a world-class golf tournament. Even if you've been known to hit a slice off the tee, followed by a duck hook into the woods, followed by a whiff into the water … and many of us know that pain … there's a tournament that's got a big welcome sign. In fact, last year's winner was June Wang with a 30-handicap.

And it gets even better. The tournament, the PGA Tour Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship, is played in Myrtle Beach, a golf heaven. For $550, you can tee it up in the championship, scheduled for Aug. 25-28 (with the flight winners and ties playing a final round on the 29th.

"It's 72 holes. You don't get that a lot," said tournament director Dave MacPherson. "This certainly has the makings of an amateur U.S. Open."

Not only do you get four rounds of golf on one of Myrtle Beach's magnificent layouts, you get a gift bag with plenty of golf merchandise, a random draw for prizes and four nights of dinner, drinks, games and live entertainment at the World's Largest 19th Hole for you and a guest. Golfers are split up into flights of about 100 golfers. The top 10 in each flight get prizes, with the winner typically getting a $700 gift card.

"We've had golfers with handicaps from 3 to in the 30s," said MacPherson. "This really is the everyman's tournament. The growth has been grass roots … a buddy telling his friend."

This is the 25th anniversary of the tournament, which began with less than 700 competitors. It's ballooned into an extravaganza which has had as many as 5,000 players, but is now happily sitting at around 4,000 each year. It's become much more than just golf it's become a place where players hook up to have some fun.

"Really, it's the camaraderie that makes this special," said MacPherson. "It's funny - individuals have been coming here for years and years and have made friends with others. Originally people start coming in groups but they end up making plenty of friends down here. Some have even purchased time shares for the week so this event is definitely on their calendar."

Canadians worried about the long drive are now able to book flights direct to Myrtle Beach through Myrtle Beach Direct Air, with flights out of both Niagara Falls, N.Y. (convenient for those in southern Ontario) and Plattsburgh, N.Y. (great for those in the Montreal-Ottawa corridor).

"I don't know of anywhere else in the world with the number of golf courses that we need to host this event," said MacPherson.

There were 51 Canadians entered in last year's tournament, which hosts golfers from 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries. And while the emphasis is on fun, make no mistake about it there are no mulligans, gimmies or foot wedges allowed here.

The tournament is played on approximately 70 Myrtle Beach area courses, including nine of Golf Digest's Top 100 layouts. The Grand Strand is a 60-mile stretch of coastline with 46 4-star layouts. Golfers play a different course each day and there are six divisions ranging from juniors to super seniors (age 70-plus).

The event's pulse is really its nightly party at the "World's Largest 19th Hole" that fills the entire Myrtle Beach Convention Center serving you free drinks and live entertainment. World Am Live, sponsored by Golf Magazine, is home to the event's live entertainment, which has featured the Platters, the Miracles and members of Hootie & The Blowfish over the years.

The centerpiece is the PGA Tour Superstore, a 100,000-square-foot smorgasbord of indoor putting, chipping areas, a virtual test swing lab, launch monitors and swing simulators. The Superstore is a virtual playground for golfers, complete with manufacturer reps, custom club fitting, diagnostic machines and PGA professionals. There's also a PGA Show-style golf expo and yearly clinics from the game's leading instructors, including David Ledbetter and Dave Pelz.

For more information visit www.worldamgolf.com. For reservations, call toll free 1-800-833-8798.

Tim Baines is the Sports Editor of The Ottawa Sun and a contributing writer to the travelinggolfer.net