MYRTLE BEACH FEATURES

Overrated and underrated of the Grand Strand, take two

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (Nov. 5, 2002) -- Few golf destinations in the U.S. evoke polar emotions like Myrtle Beach. Some golfers think the Grand Strand with its 120 golf courses, cheap buffets and souvenir shops is the best thing since women's tennis relaxed its dress code. Others reproach it as tacky, overdone, and congested.

For the record, we agree with both sides.

Having an opinion about the Grand Strand and its environs is overrated. Just show up and enjoy what you get for the money. By the way, money is underrated, so stay out of those seedy gentlemen's clubs. Speaking of overrated and underrated:

Overrated season- The peak spring and fall golf seasons. Sure, the weather is nice and all your favorite restaurants are open. But is it worth the five-hour rounds of golf, double teeing and steep greens fees just to get to wear shorts and shirtsleeves? Also, if you want to grab a table and a meal in places like Murrells Inlet, Calabash, or Restaurant Row, take a number, stand in line and wait your turn.

Underrated season- The late fall shoulder season. What few leaves the beach has are changing, the daytime temperatures still reach the 60's, the courses are lush green from overseeding and you can actually find an open hole. What's more, the majority of eateries you have come to know and love over the years are still open for business.

Overrated golf course- The venerable Dunes Club is a mainstay in Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play and will always be one of the Strand's most historically significant golf courses. But the Senior Tour Championship picked up and moved and a handful of new courses offer better scenery and similar challenge for less coin. A close second: Calabash Golf Links. A nice, affordable family-run course, for sure, but four stars in Golf Digest' s "Places to Play" ratings?

Underrated golf course- The Surf Club or Pawleys Plantation, take your pick. The Surf Club may have the best greens in the entire Strand, but this venerable track is constantly eclipsed by the beach's newer, "modern" layouts. Pawleys Plantation was the South Strand's Cadillac course before Caledonia, the TPC of Myrtle Beach and True Blue came around, but it gets little ink these days despite being a flat out gorgeous golf course. Right in the mix: The Thistle, a 27-hole Tim Cate designed facility with thoughtful, challenging holes, unwavering conditioning and great service. Not far behind: The Witch, a Dan Maples track in the middle of nowhere with acres and acres of spooky trees, ponds and bridges.

Overrated golf hole- The par-3 13th at Pawleys Island. The scenery is jaw-dropping. The hole design is head-scratching. The 69-yard devilish one shotter requires a tee shot to the small side of a double green that is guarded by water on the front, left side and back. Adding to the debauchery are the feisty prevailing cross winds and the shoebox sized tee box. Close seconds: The par-5 ninth at River Edge, the "Gambler" at King's North and the par-4 first at Willbrook Plantation.

Overrated place to stay- On the beach. Lugging clubs through lobbies and on elevators is about as much fun as watching a Bengals/Texans game. Sure, part of the allure of golfing at the beach is bedding down at the beach. But if you've ever been to the Grand Stand in the summer, you know to avoid the sandy stuff like Steven Segal movies.

Underrated place to stay- Golf villas. No golf destination in the states teems with on-course accommodations like the Grand Strand. From True Blue to Sandpiper, you can procure a nice two or three bedroom villa with a full kitchen, two or more bathrooms, and a patio looking out on a green fairway for less cash than the two or three hotel rooms it would take to house you and your boys.

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Overrated putting surface- The new strands of Ultra Dwarf Bermuda. Over the past few years, True Blue, Tidewater, Wachesaw Plantation East and a handful of other courses have swapped bentgrass for this hardy turf. Hey, we don't blame the superintendents. Pushing 40,000 plus rounds a year through a course "blessed" with 90 percent humidity makes maintaining bentgrass nearly impossible. But we don't want to hear about how they roll as true as bentgrass or how they look just as good. It is still Bermuda folks, so let's call a spade a spade.

Underrated putting surface- Bentgrass, in all its soft, light green, 12-on-the-stimp rolling glory. If you've ever wanted to drop down and roll around on the greens at the Surf Club and River Club before polishing off your three-putt, no worries - it's perfectly normal behavior.

Overrated notion- The idea that first-rate service is a thing of the past at Grand Strand golf courses. You may not get scented towels and bag tags anymore, but there is plenty of love to go around. What is better than fish chowder at Caledonia and Pine Lakes or toasted almonds at Tidewater? Or how about getting chatted up by some 60-year old retiree starter from New Jersey every morning before you tee off? Okay, we had you at fish chowder.

Underrated head professionals and golf directors- Christa Bodensteiner at Waterway Hills, Nate DeWitt at the River Club and Willbrook, Bruce Harper at Rivers Edge, Patrick Crean at Crow Creek, Robert Spangler at Tradition, Jay Smith at Prestwick, Rich Ballinger at Shaftesbury Glen, and the Mac Daddy of them all, Mac Main at Pine Lakes.

Overrated place to eat- Restaurant Row. Too much traffic, too much neon, and too many buffets serving about the same food.

Underrated place to eat- Murrells Inlet. A virtually "chain-free" environment filled with mom-and-pop seafood joints, a vintage dive sports pub, a fresh seafood market, and spectacular views of the marsh. A close second: Calabash, N.C.

Overrated golf superstore- All of them except Martin's.

Underrated golf superstore- Martin's. Okay, so it's hard to call a golf superstore that racks up Myrtle Beach Golf Magazine's "Best of" award every year, but you don't realize just how good Martin's is until you get back home and don't have a million different choices of golf balls, clubs and apparel available to you at rock bottom prices.