Myrtle Beach is for Golfers… and More

Go All In on South Carolina’s Grand Strand

For anyone that devours, guzzles and inhales the Royal and Ancient pastime, there are few golf experiences finer than Myrtle Beach. If you doubt it, either you’ve been living off planet or you’re among the few who have resisted a pilgrimage to this 60-mile stretch of nirvana on South Carolina’s northeastern shores.         

Most travel aficionados already value Myrtle Beach’s many virtues, and maybe some of its lesser, more notorious ones. But if you haven’t experienced the Grand Strand, steel yourself to be astonished.

Fact is, Myrtle Beach is to golf what bacon is to breakfast—some people hardly consider one without the other. Go ahead… poll your golf-savvy buddies and see what destinations float to the top: Pinehurst, Scottsdale, Orlando, Pebble Beach and Bandon will be there. And so will the Strand and its 100-plus golf courses, to say nothing of those celebrated Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday packages that entice even budget-minded hackers to go all in.

Tempting really is the operative word. Play ranges from tradition-steeped linksland styling to wetlands-infused coastal parklands designed by America’s finest architects, including Robert Trent Jones, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Arthur Hills, Jack Nicklaus, Rees Jones, Arnold Palmer, Mike Strantz, Tom Doak and Davis Love.

Courses worth playing include historic Pine Lakes Country Club (pictured top), a 1927 routing that was recently updated; venerable Dunes Golf & Beach Club; the brutish and highly decorated layouts at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club (pictured below); the trio of designer tracks anchoring Barefoot Resort; and the coastal challenges of Tidewater Golf Club.

While golf is the overwhelming sustenance of choice, there is serious off-course fodder to be found, especially when a Carolina sunset saturates the strip. Entertainment, ranging from live country music to off-Broadway theater, has added considerably to the Strand’s status as a top American tourist destination.

Attractions include Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum; perusing the state’s first legal moonshine distillery at Palmetto Moonshine; the parrot-head adventures of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville; a casino cruise aboard the splendid gaming yacht Big M; or a time-traveling encounter at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.

It’s just a sampling, but a clear indication that Myrtle Beach is a clear-cut candidate for your next golf vacation. Experience the Grand Strand and see what your friends already know: It’s a feast of Lowcountry memories worth savoring again and again.

For more information go to visitmyrtlebeach.com.

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Chris Duthie is a contributor to Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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