FEATURE STORY

Take a Hike: Myrtle Beach golf courses tough on walking

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (April 28, 2004) -- Morning dew clings to the freshly cut grass. The sun rises over a reed choked marsh as a Blue Heron flies off in search of food. Golf bags are piled up at the bag drop like camping gear. The promise of another heavenly day on the links brings a smile to dozens of faces.

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The entire scene almost has a Bagger Vance like quality to it. That is, until a squadron of golf carts zooms away from the staging area loaded down with enough beer to supply a frat party. Ah yes, chances are if you're playing 18 or 36 holes in the Myrtle Beach area, you're taking a golf cart.

Prefer hoofing it? Too bad. The majority of golf courses along the Grand Strand do not allow walking. Not in the afternoons. Not on the weekdays. Not even in the off-season. Since its emergence as the Golf Capital of the World, Myrtle Beach and golf carts have almost become inseparable.

"Walking to play golf in Myrtle Beach is almost non existent," says Brian Vest, head professional at the Dunes Golf Club.

The Dunes is one of the few courses that allows golfers to sling the bag over their shoulders and walk to their heart's content. Members can walk any time of day, week, or year and guests can walk in the afternoons. Vest says that some members are committed to walking every round. But most guests opt for carts because the rate is the same, walk or ride.

"Make a golfer pay the same rate and most of the time he is going to take the cart," Vest says.

Golf cart dominated destination

And take they do. Carts are used for approximately 90 percent of the rounds played on local courses, according to the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owner's Association. Because of this demand, courses must maintain fleets of 80-85 carts per 18 holes. It's not uncommon for multi-course facilities, like Legends Resort and Wild Wing Plantation, to have fleets of over 300 carts.

"I would say that 95 percent of our business is resort play and they want to ride," says Danny Young, president of Legends/Barefoot Golf. "A lot of it is just the economics. We have to pay for the leases and upkeep of the carts and to do that we have to use them."

Legends/Barefoot prohibits walking on all eight of its resort courses. Young is quick to point out, however, that carts are a necessity at courses like the Love and Fazio tracks at Barefoot where the distance between holes precludes walking.

"Courses these days are built with development in mind," he says "They are built to sell real estate, not promote walking."

Burroughs and Chapin, owners and operators of seven 18-hole layouts around Myrtle Beach, only allows walking on one of its courses -- Pine Hills at Myrtlewood -- but only in the off-season months of December and January.

"By and large, our guests in season are golfers who want to play 36 holes and drink beer," says Keith Stanzel of Burroughs and Chapin's golf division. "It is hard to walk around with a lot of beer."

Stanzel says that Burroughs and Chapin maintains approximately 80 carts per 18 holes to meet existing demand. In the peak spring and fall seasons, additional carts are added to the fleet to help with double teeing and break downs.

All this bodes well for Kevin Kennedy, a local territory manager for Club Car, Inc. - one of the industry's leading golf cart manufactures. Contrary to popular belief, however, Kennedy says most local courses don't purchase their golf cart fleets.

"With interest rates the way they are, most clubs are leasing right now," he says. "With Myrtle Beach being a resort golf destination, they want to keep their fleet looking shiny and new so they change them out every four years."

Cart leases range from $50 to $60 a month, per cart. New carts, by comparison, range from $5500 to $6500.

"This is a unique market down here," Kennedy says. "I am a traditionalist and I grew up in the caddy ranks of the Northeast. But here, it is a touristy clientele and rounds are important. We even equip the carts here with larger coolers with water and beer in mind."

Instant Reader Feedback "I like to walk. It's my exercise in summer, so when I go to Myrtle Beach, what I try to do is ride the cart with someone like me in my group and we alternate holes. One (person) walks and one takes the cart, only coming over to drop off clubs and then ride the cart to the next tee if it is a long way. Otherwise, I walk that, too." Frank Phillips, 12-handicap from Kahnawake, Quebec. "The first year we got to Myrtle Beach (1989), we were planning to walk every day. It was near the end of August and we were on a budget trip because we were still in college. We walked the first day and practically died from the heat. It's been carts ever since. When a course is crowded it ends up not being any faster by taking carts. You can walk just as fast because even though the carts move faster, you catch up to the carts while they wait for the group in front to clear out of the way." Keith Callahan, 9-handicap from Brewster, NY

Walking as a science

OK, so you still want to plan a walking based golf trip to the Grand Strand? It is possible, but first there's a good bit of homework to be done. For example, Aberdeen Country Club in North Myrtle Beach allows walking after 1 p.m. according to the MBAGCOA. However, a call placed to Aberdeen's proshop revealed that walking is allowed at any time.

Confused? It gets worse. The MBAGCOA lists Black Bear Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach as allowing walking after 3 p.m. any day of the week, any time of year. Yet walking is strictly forbidden at the course during the peak spring and fall seasons according to the proshop. Tiger's Eye Golf Club in Sunset Beach, N.C. allows walking anytime, but there's a little catch. Only hoofers with a motorized pull cart are allowed to walk the Tim Cate designed layout.

There is one common thread among Myrtle Beach courses when it comes to walking: golfers pay the same to walk as they do to ride. Under this scenario, courses don't sacrifice cart fees, the source of 20 to 30 percent of total revenue, depending on the season. According to the MBAGCOA, the average Grand Strand cart fee is $21. At a high-end course, the fee can be as high as $25.

"I can pay for a (leased) cart for the entire month with about two cart fees," says one local head professional speaking under condition of anonymity. "The profit margin on carts is ridiculous. Courses charging walkers a cart fee is just plain greed."

A haven for walkers

"We've let golfers walk here since 1972," says Tracy Conner, long time general manager at Bay Tree Golf Plantation in North Myrtle Beach. "Walking is an integral part of the game and a key component of junior golf."

Walking is allowed on Bay Tree's three, 18-hole courses year round. In the peak spring and fall seasons, walkers are charged a cart fee. But in the summer and winter months it's green fee only.

"You can walk 18 holes out here in the winter for about $19," Conner says. "We are fortunate that we have 54 holes. For most courses, it is a financial issue. If we only had 18 holes, it would be an issue for us, too."

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.