FEATURE STORY

Hail timber? Big pine helps Indian Wells earn Myrtle Beach honors

(April 10, 2005) - Towering over the fairway, shielding large parts of the green from view, the pine tree looms like the 18th hole's own personal Secret Service agent. This isn't a golf obstacle as much as a Titleist blocker. Dikembe Mutombo knocked down fewer shots in his finger-wagging prime.

"I've only hit the pine eight million times,'' Jim Kroculick deadpanned.

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"There is this pine which is practically right in the center of the fairway, probably about 60 yards from the green,'' Kroculick said. You could almost picture the shudder over the fiber-optic phone line.

Who ever said scaring golfers doesn't pay?

The legend of the 18 pine has done almost as much for Indian Wells as the Legend of Sleepy Hollow has done for that quiet New York State town. Indian Wells is being honored as the 2004 Golf Course of the Year by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Club Owners Association. In a golf hot spot of over 120 courses that's no small feat.

While the official judging criteria was limited to quality of the golf course, quality of management, contributions to the community and contributions to the game, you can bet the pine had something to do with it.

It is one of those holes that makes a course stick out, even in area where every golf architect and his brother have seemingly tried every trick in and out of the book.

"Eighteen is definitely a hole that's memorable to most golfers,'' Indian Wells assistant pro Chris Guwaltney said.

The old pine may be the only thing that hasn't changed on this 20-year-old Grand Strand institution. After falling into financial and course disrepair, losing every bit of reputation it ever gained, Indian Wells came into the hands of an ownership group with renovation, heck resurrection, on the mind. The project started in spring of 2002 and it left few blades of grass untouched.

Literally. New Bermuda greens were just part of the makeover. Classics Golf Group replaced all 18 greens, most of the bunkers, the cart path and completely changed the clubhouse.

"One of our mottos is from rages to riches,'' Guwaltney said.

Count Kroculick among the converted. He knew the Indian Wells of before and he can tell you this is no Indian Wells of old. Not by a mammoth driver.

"They used to just grow any kind of grass and call it a green,'' Kroculick said. "Now everything is done properly."

Indian Wells Golf Club PO Box 15418 Surfside, SC 29587 Call 1-866-409-2177

To this veteran golfer who lived and worked in Pennsylvania and Texas before deciding to call Myrtle Beach home, the change in the clubhouse attitude was even more important than the transformation on the greens. Kroculick's lived long enough, golfed hard enough in enough places to know what he expects in service. And how often it's lacking.

"You go into so many places and they act like they're doing you a favor,'' Kroculick said. "That's how it used to be here too. Now it's "How can I help you?' and they mean it."

Of course no amount of smiley service can make up for an ordinary golf course. Indian Wells backs up its new catchy corporate customer service mantras with a course that is sure to test any land lover's game. Fourteen of its 18 holes carry some type of water obstacle. And merely moving up tee boxes does not insure asylum. Almost all those water traps come into play on the ladies tees as well.

When asked about the course's biggest challenge, Guwaltney does not hesitate. "Not to get wet,'' he quickly shoots back. "If you can play 18 here without losing a single ball in the water, you've done something."

It can all be quite the jarring experience for the legions of Northerners who test Indian Wells.

"When I go play other courses, like I go to play in Pennsylvania, it's a snap now,'' Kroculick said. "The worst thing you can really do on courses there is hit it into a bunker. Where as it you hit it here with the water, you've really got to be careful.

"It's a whole different game, it really is. And you see a lot of the guys who come down from up North struggling to adjust.''

No. 8 can make even the most seasoned Indian Wells regulars consider an eye adjustment. The 193-yard, par-3 appears shorter than it actually is from the tee. Kroculick's seen so many golfers leave their tee shot short, right in the path of the three deviously placed bunkers. Hello double bogey 5 or triple bogey 6!

Yet in the end, it always comes back to the pine. The closing encounter at Indian Wells is sure to resonate, if not haunt, long after the round.

"Every time I hit the pine I don't get mad,'' Kroculick said. "I just tell myself I should have hit a better shot than that."

Spoken like a conquered believer.

Hail timber!

Where to eat

Located eight miles outside of Myrtle Beach near Garden City, Indian Wells is surrounded by a variety of dining options. There's a Cracker Barrel for anyone who wants the chain's popular biscuits and gravy (and typical line-out-the-door waits). For the more cosmopolitan traveler, there's Hana's Fine Food & Sushi (843) 651-0053 which has garnered local praise. Crabby Mike's Calabash Seaford (843) 444-2722 is another option with a good rep.

Where to stay

Water's Edge Resort (843) 651-0002 isn't nearly as grand as it sounds, but it offers decent rooms at decent prices. Affordable Suites of America (843) 215-5100 is a longer stay option. All in all, you might be better off with one of the hotels in Myrtle Beach if you're looking for other activities besides golf though.