North Myrtle Beach Features a Unique Combination of
the New and the Old

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- It’s the birthplace of the Shag, the former home of beach drag races that would go on to influence NASCAR, and proud proprietor of nearly 25 percent of the Grand Strand’s golf courses.

Ironically, the six million people that visit North Myrtle Beach every year don’t know exactly where they are. North Myrtle Beach, contrary to popular out-of-town belief, is not the northern extremity of the town of Myrtle Beach. “NMB” is a city unto itself, replete with a courthouse, a mainstreet, a new chamber of commerce and visitor’s bureau, and if you dig deep enough, plenty of civic pride.

“This has always been a family oriented part of the Grand Strand, and we still maintain that image,” says Craig Lloyd, director of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. “Of the 13 million visitors we have to the Strand each year, the majority of them pass through here.”

• Reader Forums • South Carolina Course Guide • Part One: Spring Golf Guide • Part Two: Spring Golf Guide • Past reviews by Shane Sharp

But getting people into town is only half the battle. Getting folks to recognize the fact that they aren’t in the northern “part” of the town of Myrtle Beach is the real challenge. NMB is one of the Strand’s younger burgs, as it was created in 1968 by combining the small towns of Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Windy Hill, and Crescent Beach. Over 30 years later, NMB is home to over 12,000 full time residents and a seasonal population that swells during the spring, summer and fall.

“You take a look around and this place is thriving,” Lloyd says. “It has some much going for it that we felt it would not be difficult to market.”

The Chambers’ first objective upon its opening two and a half years ago was to market the town’s geographic attributes. Unlike its sister city to the south, NMB’s northern edge is perched along the Intracoastal Waterway and makes for one heck of a scenic backyard.

“We have the widest beaches, we have the channels and marshes around Cherry Grove for Flounder fishing, and we have the marinas for deep water access for offshore fishing,” Lloyd says. “We are accessible from points north, like Wilmington and Washington D.C. and with the bypass, we are more appealing from points west.”

According to Chamber statistics, North Carolina is the leading supplier of NMB tourists each year, followed by Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. New York and New Jersey are the town’s biggest emerging markets, and Lloyd says the Chamber has been focusing a great deal of its advertising efforts in that direction.

“We see that as our next big market, including golf,” he says.

The availability of prime property along the Intracoastal Waterway in NMB led to the one of the largest golf real estate developments in recent Grand Strand history. Barefoot Resort came online three years ago, sporting four top shelf courses designed by Davis Love III, Greg Norman, Pete Dye and Tom Fazio, and hundreds of new homes and golf villas.

The Resort’s layouts were recently showcased on the Golf Channel during a Canadian Tour event that brought the area international recognition. Barefoot recently cut the ribbon on a new clubhouse, and a state-of-the-art practice facility is slated to open early this fall.

“That (the Canadian Tour stop) was big for us, because the area was exposed to a brand new audience in many respects,” Lloyd says.

NMB is also home to one of the Strand’s newest golf facilities, the 18-hole Clyde Johnston designed Shaftsbury Glen. Shaftsbury is the sister course of Glen Dornoch and Heather Glen, two of NMB’s most challenging, scenic layouts. Intermingled with the newer, upscale courses are old stalwarts like Bay Tree Golf Plantation, Azalea Sands, and Beachwood Golf Club that offer affordable, traditional golf.

“One of the unique aspects of North Myrtle Beach is its combination of the new and the old,” Lloyd says. “We have the old family run restaurants but we also have the new chains coming in. We have the antique shops but we also have new mega facilities like the shops are Barefoot Landing.”

And the entertainment options in NMB are almost limitless. The Carolina Opry and the Alabama Theater are a country music lovers dream. For those with a maritime inclination, the Little River based Sea Screamer provides tours of the Intracoastal Waterway and rides along the beach. The choices of restaurants are almost endless, with a chunk of the famed Restaurant Row flanking the south end of town and plenty of mom-and-pop joints sprinkled all around.

“Really, there’s something for everyone,” Lloyd says.

When you can play golf by day and Shag by night, its tough statement to dispute.

Join Contributing Writer Shane Sharp over the next three weeks as he explores the ins and outs of North Myrtle Beach.