MYRTLE BEACH FEATURES

Guarding the gates to the Grand Strand: Courses on the periphery starting to get creative in attracting golfers

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (Nov. 25, 2002) -- Attracting golfers to Myrtle Beach traditionally has been as difficult as getting teenage girls to a boy-band concert. The concentration of courses in the Grand Strand is second to none, the price is usually right, and the mild climate allows for year-round play.

But as any head professional or director of golf pulling down hours at a course on the fringes will tell you, not all Grand Strand locations are created equal. Luring players to centrally located facilities in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach is a cinch compared to getting golfers to make the trek to Pawleys Plantation or Ocean Isle Beach, N.C.

"I would think that it has to be one of the largest designated golf markets in the country," says Patrick Crean, general manager at Crow Creek Golf Club in Calabash, N.C. and former GM at Magnolia Greens Plantation just south of Wilmington. "You can come here and golf for a week and never see most the area, and golfers have to drive by 30 other courses to get to yours if it's on the outskirts."

Today's Grand Strand is defined as a swath of golf-laden, Atlantic coastline approximately 60 miles long and 10 miles wide, stuffed with more than 100 golf courses.

The majority of maps generated by the marketing conglomerate Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, the Myrtle Beach Sun News and the Convention and Visitors Bureau list Georgetown as the southern most point on the Grand Strand and Southport, N.C. as the northern terminus. The Atlantic Ocean is the Grand Strand's eastern boundary, while the western edge is somewhat more nebulous.

West Kingston Country Club in Aynor - formerly Rolling Hills Golf Club - is widely accepted as the region's westernmost course. But Diamondback, Northern Pines and the Carolina Country Club also flank the Strand's northwestern edge via Highway 9.

Anchoring the South Strand

Georgetown is just a half an hour south of Pawleys Plantation, but for all intents and purposes, it's a world apart from the Grand Strand. Blessed with a charming downtown, an enviable location on Winyah Bay, and true Low Country flavor, this historic paper mill town draws more comparisions to nearby Charleston than it does Myrtle Beach.

The original Winyah Bay golf course was a hard scrabble nine-holer built for use by the local paper mill workers. Eventually, the 85-acre parcel fell into the hands of George Marlowe who approached architect P.B. Dye about expanding the course to 18 holes. Dye's price tag was a bit hefty for Marlow, but one of his assistants -- Matt Sapochak -- jumped at the opportunity. Sapochak created the new Winyah Bay layout by using four of the original holes and six original green sites. He gutted some holes, rerouted others and eventually rebuilt all the bunkers.

The result is a well-conditioned shotmakers course that weighs in at just over 6,000 yards and plays to a par 70. According to head golf professional Greg Seidel, Winyah Bay focuses most of its marketing efforts on local golfers. Because U.S. 17 northbound from Charleston is not a heavily traveled route into the Grand Strand, Winyah Bay can't rely on the arrival- and departure-day traffic.

"The fact that we are on the south end of the south end, we don't catch anyone on the way in or out," Seidel says. "From time to time, we get people who are flying in and out of Charleston (and are on their way to Myrtle Beach). Or some guys have wives that are interested in going to Charleston, and they stop here along the way."

Seidel and Sapochak - who doubles as Winyah Bay's general manager - learned early on that local play and a few passers by weren't enough to fill up the tee sheets. To bolster afternoon play, they looked to the spill-over market from the popular, high-end courses of Pawleys Island.

"One of the things that happens frequently is that players in Myrtle Beach don't pre-book a second round, and they rely on getting a replay in the afternoon," says Seidel. "But a lot of times that course is full, and the guys are looking for another place to play. We single tee, so that gives us a chance to get some of their overflow because we have the first tee open in the afternoon."

Winyah Bay is also unabashedly aggressive with its price points, luring golfers from as far away as Myrtle Beach and Charleston. The course runs a "dollar days" coupon in the Sun News for a round of golf with cart for $23 Sunday through Wednesday that also includes $1 beers and hot dogs. Even on Fridays and Saturdays, golfers can make their way around Winyah Bay for as little as $32.

A new beginning

For 13 years, Rolling Hills Golf Club was the first course to greet golfers arriving to the Grand Strand from points north and west via Highway 501. But the course's reputation for poor conditions and shaky management kept local and traveling golfers at bay. The club's owner recently seized control of the Gene Hamm designed course, changed the name to West Kingston Country Club, and rebuilt all the greens.

• Reader forums • Myrtle Beach course reviews • Myrtle Beach course guide • Visit GolfCarolina.com

"It's like a restaurant. If you get a bad meal, you aren't going to come back," says head professional Mike Blanton. "They have to bring the meal back to you. We are trying to bring this course back to golfers. Our general manager is advertising locally in the newspaper. We changed the sign out front and did some local advertising initially. We are getting aggressive with price points to get play back up."

West Kingston places rack cards in selected hotels in an attempt to lure some golfers away from the heart of the Strand. But Blanton says the majority of the course's play comes from locals.

"We catch a few people on the way in to the beach, but once they get there they aren't coming back out here," he says.

With its new greens, name change and blue-plate pricing, West Kingston is sure to net its fair share of Aynor and Conway golfers. A round of golf at the refurbished course is $31 and can dip even lower in the afternoon and during the heart of winter.

Staying in front of them

Crean faced one of his greatest challenges as a golf management professional during his tenure at Magnolia Greens Plantation. Wilmington has a strong set of golf courses but is not known as a golf destination. With its location south of the city, Crean was expected to bring in Grand Strand golfers to fill empty slots on the tee sheets.

"If you are located on the way in or out of the beach, you have to hit on that," he says. "A lot of golfers have a Thursday through Sunday package but they get here on Wednesday afternoon. They are looking for a place to play that afternoon where they have enough daylight for 18 holes."

Crean also says he believes it's important for courses on the fringe of the Strand to stay involved in professional organizations and outings.

"You have to be creative and get your face in front of people," he says. "You need to find the people who can send you business."