FEATURE STORY

Myrtle Beach golf course closures: What does it all mean for golfers?

By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Oct. 9, 2006) - The golf news coming out of Myrtle Beach lately hasn't been good. The self-proclaimed golf capital of the world has been losing golf courses at an alarming rate, and many surviving clubs are scrambling to make room for housing to stay afloat financially.

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What does it all mean, for locals as well as for visitors? Well, there's good news and bad news. Being a natural pessimist, I'll start with ...

The bad news

The course closures - 13 since January 2005 - obviously mean less selection and variety.

At its height, the Grand Strand - the golf-studded stretch of beach running from southern North Carolina down to Georgetown, S.C. - had 121 courses. Golfers could choose from every type of course imaginable - parkland, beach, marsh, links, low-budget to high-end to exclusively private.

As of this writing there are 105 courses along the Stand. That's still a hefty number, and golfers still have an incredible choice. It's just that the choices are diminished.

"We're going through an adjustment period in which supply and demand are getting better aligned," said Mickey McCamish, president of marketing giant Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday and an avowed Strand booster. "There could still be two or three more closings that could occur."

Another likely impact: rising green fees.

Most observers see the closures as a natural evolution, with lesser courses being weeded out and the better ones surviving in a saturated market. With such intense competition, many courses were forced to lower their rates and offer an array of discounts to attract business. With fewer courses vying for the golfer's dollar, there will be less incentive to go low.

The redevelopment trend may be the direst aspect of the shifting market, at least from an aesthetic point of view. With profits diminishing and real-estate values rising, the siren song of redevelopment is tempting to course owners - who are, after all, businessmen and women.

The most obvious example is Pine Lakes Country Club, the oldest course in Myrtle Beach, which is embarking on an ambitious redevelopment plan.

Since March, nine courses in Horry County have submitted redevelopment plans to local authorities, according to Myrtle Beach Online.

Increasingly, that carefree walk in the park without looming condos and intrusive homes is becoming a thing of the past along the Grand Strand. Don't expect anyone to build another Caledonia or True Blue that combines great golf with a pristine setting. As elsewhere, core golf is becoming an anachronism in Myrtle Beach.

The good news

The good - or at least better - news is that, generally speaking, the defunct courses were not among the Strand's elite. There are still a number of excellent plays available - seven Myrtle Beach courses made Golf Digest's Best in State rankings and 28 carry player ratings of 4½ stars in the magazine's 2006 Best Places to Play guide - and they're probably not going anywhere.

Great courses like the Davis Love III and Pete Dye courses at Barefoot Landing, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Caledonia, True Blue, Tidewater Golf Club and TPC of Myrtle Beach will likely be around for a long time to come.

And there are still good "value" courses, like Arrowhead Country Club, the The International Club, Willbrook Plantation, The Witch Golf Links, Thistle Golf Club, Prestwick Country Club, Pearl Golf Course and the tracks at Ocean Ridge and Sea Trail Plantation.

By contrast, look at some of the courses that have shuttered, are considering it or are going the redevelopment route.

Burning Ridge West, Robbers Roost and Raccoon Run all closed. None had good reputations.

Beachwood Golf Club, Azalea Sands, Colonial Charters, Cypress Bay, Deer Track South, Eastport, Green Acres and The Wizard have started or are trying to start redevelopment. All are ranked in the "basement" by the Myrtle Beach Golf Association, a group that, more than most local sources, tries to honestly rate courses.

Of course, there are some respected tracks that are struggling, such as Wild Wing Plantation and the World Tour Golf Links.

Wild Wing closed two of its four courses and World Tour, a replica course that gets a lot of traffic, is turning nine holes into condos and an executive course, though it will keep five greens and build four new ones to keep its international theme intact.

The closings are somewhat tempered by one recent opening and two planned ones. The Reserve Club at St. James Plantation debuted in May. Leopard Chase is scheduled to open in February, and the former Sea Gull Golf Club will re-open as the Founders Club in fall 2007.

The upshot: The Grand Strand may be diminished, but it's still grand. Myrtle Beach hosted a little more 4 million rounds in 2005, down about 4 percent, but rounds per course actually increased.

"I think its coming back very strong," McCamish said. "And I think there's great opportunity for those courses remaining in the golf business."

The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.