Myrtle Beach Golfmaster Blog

The Granddaddy of them all is scheduled to reopen after a major renovation next spring.  Rates were just announced.  Some of the holes will be recognizable, however most will be re-routed to better suite development.

Pine Lakes has installed Seashore Paspalum, and is actually the northern most golf course with this new strand of grass.  The grass is very salt tolerant, so watering with somewhat salty water will not present a problem.  Many courses in the area have had problems recently.  All of the greens have been returned to their 1927 size.  In addition new large tee boxes have been installed.  Other major renovations include a much needed upgrade to their irrigation systems.
The renovation of the course was directed by Craig Schreiner, who has previously worked with Nick Price over at the Members Club at Grande Dunes.  The course was initially designed by Robert White of Scotland.  Through the course of the restoration great attention to the original drawings was shown.  The hope is to offer an experience with an authentic look back to early 20th century Scotish golf.

Several changes have been made to make the course more playable for all skill levels.  There are 4 tee boxes offering distances and challenges for all skill levels.  Also blind shots have been reduced and eliminated in many instances.  Forces carries over hazzards have been scaled back such that a pleasureable experience can be had by all.

If you are planning to come to Myrtle Beach and play some golf next spring Pine Lakes is definitely worthy of your consideration.

Your Golfmasters had the opportunity to attend the outing River Oaks had scheduled yesterday.  They probably did not get the turn out they expected due to the extreme heat…but the strong still played.
It’s obvious they have done a lot of work out there to bring the course back, but they still have a good way to go.  Most of the initial focus has been on the greens, which were replaced  this spring with Champions bermuda.  The greens were great, it was just getting to them that was somewhat challenging.  The other highlight of the course is the work they have done to the tee boxes.  It is evident they are doing what they can to bring the course back, but it will certainly take time.

The challenges they need to overcome, which shouldn’t be that difficult was the length of the rough.  I know the PGA championship is this weekend, but I didn’t expect to experience rough like they had out there.  It was extremely long, and you almost had to step on your ball to find it.  Luckily that is easily remedied but cutting the grass.  Should be a quick easy fix!

The location of this course can’t be beat, being right on 501 and very close to everything that Myrtle Beach has to offer.  It is obvious the change in management is dedicated to righting the ship, and we’ll have to watch as this course continues to progress.

Eagle Nest is the latest North Myrtle Beach Golf course that has replaced it’s bermuda greens with the latest and greatest.  Eagle Nest closed in June to replace their greens with Mini Verde Ultradwarf Bermuda Grass.  Many courses in the area have made the switch over the past several years to a more heat tolerant surface.

The grass has many similar characteristics as bent grass that most northern locales play on, but it can withstand the heat of the South Carolina Summers.  Perhaps the most famous course to make this change is the TPC Sawgrass for their Players Championship.

Mini Verde represents the latest and greatest in turf technology, and Eagle Nest indicated they made the change as they see themselves being an active member in the Myrtle Beach Golf course Community for a long time to come.  The course plans to re open by early September, and will be available to play for your upcoming fall Myrtle Beach Golf Trip.

Last Thursday we had the fortune of being invited to an outing at Shaftesbury Glen.  One of the Glens group courses that is easily overlooked due to it’s location.  I can rest assured in saying it probably has the best greens around.  Bent Grass is tough to keep, especially in the heat of the summer in South Carolina no less.  They had smooth, fast greens that putted very true.

The only downside, which is completely outside of the control of the wonderful people at Shaftesbury is that it was extremely hot with hardly any breeze.  I may have lost 5 pounds on the course, but I easily gained that back with the food they were able to provide for us.

If you haven’t heard of Shaftesbury, and are driving in to Myrtle Beach from the west, you should check it out.  It is ideal for the 1st round of a golf package, as it has wide open fairways.  Great to warm up on after a long car ride.

See you next time about a different Myrtle Beach golf Course.

Golfers, Golf Nuts, Players and Hackers, This is Golfmaster Buddy,

In case you do not already know, the Golfmasters try to play and test the courses we recommend a couple of times a week. It is a requirement of our employment. We are constantly trying to keep up with the condition of the local courses. With around 100 courses along the Grand Strand it takes close to a year playing a couple of times a week to play all the courses. It is difficult but someone has to do it. This past Wednesday we had the opportunity to play Lockwood Folly, this semi-private Willard Byrd design course is truly a hidden gem, located on the Intracoastal Waterway and Lockwood Folly River it has some of the best views that you will ever see on a golf course. Golf Magazine nominated Lockwood Folly as the most picturesque course in 2002. It is located between Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Wilmington, N.C., just a few minutes from Shallotte, N.C.

It had rained very hard the night before and we didn’t know what to expect and while it was cart path only it was very playable. The greens were a little slow but they were wet and had not been cut that morning due to all the rain. Playing the gold tees because of the wetness it gave some of us the opportunity to reach a couple of the par 5s in two. The par 3s are very challenging, Golfmaster Hal made a Hole In One on the par 3 Number 11 the last time we played the course in the Spring. Twelve of the holes are water holes. The course plays around 6100 yards from the white tees and has a slope rating of 128. I highly recommend this course as one of the must play courses. You can check out the facility and some of the holes on our website http://www.yourgolfpackage.com/myrtle-beach-golf-courses/lockwood-folly-19.html

Hit them long, straight and often, Golfmaster Buddy Buddy@yourgolfpackage.com