MYRTLE BEACH FEATURE

Brunswick County at the Crossroads

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. - Legitimate golf destination, or convenient, "in-between" market? This is the question that faces bucolic Brunswick County as the Grand Strand begins its eminent rebound from the travel slump brought on by the tragic events of Sept. 11.

The arguments for Brunswick County being a true golf destination are compelling, and the body evidence is substantial. The county is home to over one quarter of the Grand Strand's golf courses, and has been the most active region of the Grand Strand in terms of new course construction over the past five years.

And its not just the quantity of golf that has put Brunswick on the map: Three of the last four "Best New Courses" in North Carolina as rated by North Carolina Magazine are located in this sleepy, coastal region. Courses like Tiger's Eye, Rivers Edge, Carolina National, the Thistle and the Player's Club make the "must play" list in thousands of golf packages.

The irony, according to some Brunswick County golf officials, is that golfers often don't realize that they have left Myrtle Beach.

"A lot of people are playing Brunswick County courses in golf packages, and they don't even know it," says Patrick Crean, head professional at Magnolia Greens Plantation, a 27-hole golf facility located just south of Wilmington. "A lot of the newer courses that are coming on line are in Brunswick County and these are the ones golfers want to play."

Golfers may want to play in Brunswick County, but when it comes to the "staying" side of the equation, officials say that the county comes up short on accommodations.

"Until we have the accommodations, we won't be a major destination," says Bruce Harper, head professional at Rivers Edge Golf Club in Shallotte. "It is a real conundrum because if we build lots of hotels, and start to look like Myrtle Beach, we lose part of what makes Brunswick so appealing."

  Even if the Brunswick County Tourist Development Authority, the guiding arm for tourism in the county, sanctioned more building, the infrastructure is not in place to support major hotel chains and restaurants.

U.S. Highway 17, the county's main arterial, is a four lane roadway lacking grade separations and other traffic channelization and control points necessary for major development. Moreover, the Brunswick County sewer system is primarily septic, which goes a long way in explaining the proliferation of golf courses in the area, and the lack of accommodations.

"When you are limited to septic, there are only so many things you can build on your land that can turn a profit," says Crean. "It just so happens that a golf course is one of them."

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For years, Brunswick County has marketed itself as a great place to play on the way to and from Myrtle Beach. Lumping itself in with the rest of the Grand Strand has been profitable for small towns like Calabash, Shallotte, and Bolivia that can use any economic stimuli they can get.

But as courses from Georgetown, S.C. to Caswell Beach, N.C. search for new revenue sources, old marketing associations and techniques are being questioned in terms of their overall impact. Brunswick's reliance on pass through traffic has been profitable for the majority of golf facilities, but local officials are examining the potential revenue gains that could be realized from keeping players in the county for longer time periods.

"With the growth of the coast from Wilmington to Charleston, we'd like to see the County become a destination," Harper says. "But the key is lack of accommodations. There are no big franchise hotels and all we really have are the rooms at Sea Trail and Brunswick Plantation."

Joy Causey, Director of Marketing at Calabash Golf Links, is heavily involved with South Brunswick Island 's Chamber of Commerence. Causey believes that Brunswick County has reached a crossroads in its emergence as a golf destination, and that new marketing strategies can't just be developed over night.

"There was a time when there were a few golf courses up here, and we were just sort of an appendage of the Grand Strand," Causey says. "But over the past few years, so many new courses have opened up here that we have to start thinking about our role in this whole thing, and how to market it."

Causey and friends have plenty to fall back on, when it comes to the county's advantages. Unlike Myrtle and North Myrtle Beach, Brunswick County isn't overrun with tacky tourist traps or overwhelmed with gaudy beachfront hotels and condos.

Due to infrastructure limitations, intense land uses are few and far between in Brunswick, and as a byproduct, there is little to no congestion on the area's roads. This translates into smooth sailing for golfers who want to travel between courses to play 36 holes a day.

"In talking to a lot of people that play in Brunswick County, it is a little bit more laid back type of golf package and golf getaway," Crean says. "Sure, there are two or three new hotels that have been built, and there are some golf villas at Brunswick Plantation and Oyster Bay. There are even some great restaurants, and you have Calabash with all its seafood. But this area is all about the golf and not the extraneous stuff."

Harper says that it's often a savvier brand of golfer that makes his or her way to Brunswick County.

"The region attracts older players that have made five or six trips to Myrtle Beach, they have done all the night life and they want to focus on golf," Harper says.

Causey believes that it will be important to capitalize on loyal visitors, but reaching out to new blood will be the key to putting Brunswick County on the map as a true golfing destination.

"We have a lot of new fairways to fill up," she says. "Just bringing the repeat players back won't get it done. We have to branch out with our own identity, but we also have to stay true to what got us here."