FEATURE STORY

By land or air, getting around Myrtle Beach becoming simpler

By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor

(July 27, 2004) – It isn’t especially difficult to find a golf course along that thin ribbon of coastal land that stretches about 70 miles from the North Carolina border south to Georgetown, S.C.

The Grand Strand is tucked precariously between the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other. Turn your head every couple of miles and you’re likely to see golfers swarming along manicured fairways and greens like ant colonies.

But there are two problems: Getting to relatively isolated Myrtle Beach, the epicenter of Grand Strand golf, and getting around once you get there.

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For traveling and local golfers, both problems are becoming easier thanks to ongoing improvements.

Two major highways have been completed in the area, and an interstate highway expected to eventually funnel golfers in from as far away as Detroit has just overcome a potentially serious roadblock.

Add to that the fact that the area has added a handful of direct flights to and from major markets, and suddenly the transportation dilemma looks a lot brighter.

The new roads in particular are helping Myrtle Beach’s notorious congestion.

"It’s been a big issue," Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce spokesman Stephen Greene told TravelGolf.com. "We’re such a major distance from a major highway – over 40 miles from I-95 – that getting here can sometimes be an issue."

About 40 percent of Myrtle Beach visitors arrive by car, truck or mini-van. Interstate-73 is still in the planning stages, a whopping $2 billion project that is expected to link Myrtle Beach to Detroit, including a 90-mile stretch in South Carolina.

The project just passed a major hurdle when local and federal officials, along with environmental groups, agreed to reduce the study area to exclude environmentally sensitive areas, primarily the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge.

I-73 has been a major focus of Myrtle Beach tourism officials for quite some time. The latest move goes a long way toward realizing the project by cutting the impact studies from five to three years. Construction is scheduled to start immediately after the studies are complete.

"I think it was a good win for the environmentalists, and it helps us move over another hurdle that might have been in the way," Greene said.

A more immediate pressure valve is the completion of Highways 22 and 31. Highway 22 is a 28-mile, east-west road that comes in off 501, where construction is also finally completed.

Highway 31, also called the Carolina Bays Parkway, is a six-lane, limited access road on the western side of the waterway that runs almost to the North Carolina border where it connects with Highway 9.

"It gives us another route that allows golfers to move around the market," Greene said. "It’s easier to get around and make those multiple tee times, or even those tee times right after they land or take off. So obviously, they will take some pressure off existing roads."

The new roads have made life easier for Myrtle Beach-area golf packagers.

"Highway 31 is one of the greatest little enhancements to those folks who want to stay centrally and enjoy the nightlife, but then still take advantage of the courses to the north," said JT Kobelt of Carolina Golf Travel. "This new parkway is making a central stay more viable, where you can still ride and tackle some of these northern courses."

Golfers who want the entertainment value of the central Strand now have about a 25-minute ride to the newer, lower-priced courses to the north.

"That thing is six lanes and 65 mph with no cars on it," Kobelt said. "It really has made a big difference. We do more than our share of week-long stays, and you have more of a stretch to keep the price economical and to keep the course quality up. Invariably, you’re going to run the fellas up north a few days, and that highway has made it really easy."

In addition, the recent announcement of new air routes means even more golfers can fly directly into Myrtle Beach International Airport. United Airlines said last week it will start daily, direct flights from Chicago, Myrtle Beach’s third-largest market, and Washington, D.C.

Regional air carrier Air Wisconsin will begin twice-daily flights from Chicago O’Hare and four daily flights from Washington’s Dulles airport in mid-February.

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. 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.