READER MAIL:

Readers Respond to Links Group Editorial

Editor's note: MyrtleBeachGolf.com has received a number of responses to Shane Sharp's recent editorial on the Links Group expansion ("Links Group Gets Green Light To Expand, Grand Strand Golf To Suffer?"), and we're printing a sampling here. We welcome your comments to sharp@travelgolf.com or GolfBoards.com.

Dear Editor,

This type of negative and incendiary headline and article reflects poorly on your organization and adversely affects the golf industry, which I believe is the industry that your company is in.

At a time when the travel industry is reeling from the September 11th tragedy, the golf industry should pull together...and that includes the golf media. Fortunately, your headline is an exception to the camaraderie and team spirit that has been the norm since the disaster.

The ownership and management of the Links Group are good citizens in the Myrtle Beach community and committed to delivering good customer service. Unfortunately, companies from time to time experience difficulties with their businesses. This is not the time to hit them when they are down There are so many good stories to tell, especially about the destinations that you cover, so why dwell on the negative?

This headline is not indicative of the coverage that I have seen from your organization in the past and can only hope that it was a momentary departure from "business as usual."

Sincerely,
Mike Tinkey
Deputy Executive Director, NGCOA
mtinkey@ngcoa.org

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• Discuss this at GolfBoards.com • Links Group Gets Green Light To Expand • More Myrtle Beach Features

Dear Shane,

I work with Dave Richards at Golf Marketing Services. I am based in northern Michigan/Gaylord. Great piece on the links group...very well written:). It's about time someone actually wrote about the real world of golf instead of sugar coating the over supply and downward trend right now. It would benefit myrtle beach golf holiday to turn a few of those courses into shopping centers and entertainment, but even that is getting over built now!

Also, I want to meet the judge who gave them the ok to move forward to expand..how about that logic:)...some Michigan courses could use him:):):)..

Anyways, if you ever want to visit you can contact either Dave or myself..nice job!

Sincerely,
Kevin Frisch
Golf Marketing Services

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Dear Shane,

Thanks for The Links Group article. As it happens, I've had a couple of calls about that unique bankruptcy/expansion contradiction since I cover all sports facilities and venues (including golf) for the SportsBusiness Journal.

At some point in the near future, I'm going to address this in my magazine column.

Ironically, I was down in the Myrtle Beach area last fall to do a story on what developers get for their money by hiring a big-name architects -- especially former playing stars like Palmer, Nicklaus, Norman, etc. The development I visited as a model was Rivers Edge up in Shallotte.

It turned out to be an interesting story. Arnie showed up for a few hours on a Saturday and they sold $3.5 million in home sites to invited guests that weekend.

Anyway, en route to Shallotte (and having never been to Myrtle Beach previously since I'm from the West Coast), I wanted to play another course and I just picked Quail Creek off the Web.

I remember being sorely disappointed in the place and, frankly, I subconsciously lumped the whole Grand Strand experience into that one day.

Obviously, I didn't know the individual owners or course managers at the time, but still, the image lingered. I loved Rivers Edge and would play there anytime, but when I got home (Tega Cay, just across the South Carolina border from Charlotte), I told my wife I didn't think I'd be too hot to go play the Myrtle Beach area.

All that's just anecdotal, definitely, but reading about struggles within The Links Group begins to put all this into perspective.

Steve Cameron
scameron@bizjournals.com

Contact the author of the Links Group editorial, Shane Sharp, at sharp@travelgolf.com. Sharp is a Contributing Writer with TravelGolf.com..