REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

Hooters takes to the air, Robber's Roost closes for the summer

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (June 9, 2003) -- You won't find calendar worthy babes in tank tops and short-shorts serving plates of wings and pitchers of beer. But make no mistake -- Hooters Air is the real deal. Just not that real deal. The fledgling airline is a big hit with passengers traveling from Atlanta, Newark and Baltimore to the Myrtle Beach International Airport.

While most airlines are skimping on meals and amenities, Hooters Air is rolling out the, er, orange carpet. Hooters of America Inc.'s Chief Executive Officer Robert Brooks purchased the airline last year from N.C.-based Pace airlines and has cut no corners since taking over in March. All of Hooters Air's 737s have been upfit with large leather seats, and feature additional leg room.

Oh, and each flight is graced by the presence of at least two Hooters girls. Hey, we just said they weren't serving brews and wings.

Hooters Air has also jumped on the simplification bandwagon, a la Southwest and Jet Blue. All seats are the same price and there are no blackout dates or Saturday night stay requirements. Of course, the prices don't hurt. A one way fare to Myrtle Beach from Atlanta is $59 and a round trip is a paltry $99.

• MBGH resorts to 'Mafioso' • Divine secrets of the Myrtle Beach • On the Road to Augusta

Hooters Air recently added direct service between Baltimore/D.C. and Myrtle Beach to its menu. One diehard, capitol area golfer will be taking advantage of the new route this summerc

"The drive from Baltimore to Myrtle Beach is roughly 7.5 hours," said Tom Aliff, a Baltimore resident and Grand Strand regular for the past 13 years. "The non-stop flight on Hooters will be approximately 90 minutes. All other carriers go through Charlotte or Atlanta and sometimes there are long layovers. When you use the two main carriers, Delta and U.S. Air, to get to Myrtle Beach, you are talking about a good four to five hours (total)."

Aliff also said price was a major consideration. The major airlines typically charge more than $300 for a non-direct, round-trip fare, while Hooters Air charges only $268 for the direct flight. Yet despite leather seats, scantily clad women, and low fares, planes have been running at just 50 percent capacity.

Two logical explanations exist for the deficit. One, it's a new airline and branding takes some time in this tenuous travel market. Two, the 737s have been modified to fit only 112 passengers and the total capacity is simply lower. The first is more plausible, because capacity (in theory) should not affect load factor.

In a related Hooters note, the inaugural Hooters Air Medal Match-Play Shootout will take place at the Dye Course at Barefoot Resort on June 26-29. The tournament is an official event on the NGA Hooters Tour schedule, and features a $120,000 purse. The Medal Match Play Shootout will follow the regularly scheduled Hooters Tour stop at Carolina National in Bolivia, N.C.

Robber's Roost's future in question

The Roost is in need of a serious boost. The venerable North Myrtle Beach course has stopped taking tee times, effective immediately, and no reopening date has been set. The existing 30-year lease on the course, held by Lewis Young, expires on Sept. 30 and will not be renewed.

The course is owned by 23 members of the Tilghman family, including former North Myrtle Beach mayor Phil Tilgham. Robber's Roost opened in 1969 and was one of the original 12 courses to open in along the Grand Strand. History aside, a precedent was set in the area of "old course withers in new market place" when Gator Hole closed a couple years ago and resurfaced as a shopping center.

While the Tilghman family is not ready to throw in the towel, all signs point to a Gator Hole, part deux. Assuming a lease on a golf course in the Grand Strand in a downtrodden golf and tourism market is bad business, much less one in dire need of an estimated $100,000 in capital improvements.

Caledonia completes bunker project

The renovation project that led a couple of Myrtle Beach visitors to make a scathing post in the former On the Green Magazine golf forum has been completed. The Caledonia Golf and Fish Club recently completed a revamping of all 64 of its Mike Strantz designed bunkers. The $300,000 project entailed replacing the dirt colored sand with feldspar -- a visibly striking white sand consisting of quartz. Famous feldspar bunker examples include Augusta National and Tidewater Golf Club and Plantation. Now, if Caledonia could just find heavy equipment that runs in stealth mode.

Around the green

Richard Lee, owner and partner in the Witch, Wizard and Man-O-War played in the Senior PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, PA. Lee missed the cut with a 79, 78. It is still not etched in stone that the second course at Grande Dunes will be private. GD officials say they will see what the market bears, and then make the call on the Nick Price/Craig Schreiner designed layout's classification. If you missed it, Myrtle Beach placed six courses in Golf Digest's ranking of America's Top 100 Greatest Public Courses. The Dunes Club, Barefoot Love, King's North, Tidewater, Tiger's Eye and Caledonia made the list, with the highest ranking going to the Dunes (No. 15).

Pine Lakes International will be featured on the Golf Channel June 21 at 8:30 p.m. The venerable course, known locally as "The Granddaddy" is a host site for the regional Drive, Chip and Putt Championship.