 REPORTER'S NOTEBOOKGrand Strand layouts
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Blackmoor, Aberdeen and the Parkland Course at Legends Resort all made the switch to TifEagle and should be in pristine condition as the fall season begins in earnest.
"The renovation project went exceedingly well," said Bob Zuercher, operations director for Blackmoor Golf Club. "The course is in excellent condition, and we are very excited to welcome golfers for the fall golf season."
The installation of TifEagle greens was just one component of the renovations performed at Blackmoor while the course was closed for two months over the summer. Blackmoor also refurbished all of its existing sand traps, added bunkers on holes one, three and 11, and remodeled its clubhouse to allow for the addition of a new full-service snack bar.
While TifEagle is the green of choice for many facilities, bentgrass remains the games premier putting surface. Sea Trail Golf Resort is installing an A1/A4 blended bent grass on its Dan Maples Course. The course has been closed for two months but is expected to reopen in mid-November.
In addition to the greens work, Sea Trail Plantation is modifying five tee boxes, refurbishing the existing bunkers, refining the cart paths and updating the landscaping to improve air circulation throughout the course.
Sea Trail to host elite junior tournament
The top-ranked male and female juniors, who didn't turn 19 before Sept. 16, 2003 and remain full-time high school students, were invited to participate in the event. Participants will play 36 holes on the first day of competition and 18 on the second.
Up to 120 players are expected to compete, including reigning U.S. Junior Girls champion Sukjin-Lee Wuesthoff of Toms River, N.J.
"This will be the first big event of the new rankings year. It will give some younger players the chance to compete nationally for the first time, while giving the more experienced players a chance to jump start the new year," said Jim Nugent, Golfweek publisher.
The boys will play on the Rees Jones Course, and the girls will play the Willard Byrd layout at Sea Trail.
Pan Am to offer direct flight service to Myrtle Beach
Travel to the Grand Strand is about to get considerably easier for residents of New England. Pan Am will begin non-stop service from Manchester, N.H., located just 53 miles North of Boston, to Myrtle Beach International Airport on Oct. 9.
Pan Am also will be offering direct service from Myrtle Beach to Orlando Sanford International Airport.
Pan Am will be offering flights from Manchester to Myrtle Beach every Thursday and Friday with the flights slated to land at 10:20 a.m., leaving plenty of time for a round of golf. The return flights will fly out of Myrtle Beach on Sunday and Monday. Flights into Orlando will run on the same days.
Just the facts please
The DuPont Coolmax World Amateur Handicap championship is in the books, and the event will be remembered for much more than its 20th anniversary. An event that has seen everything from hurricanes to marriages, experienced a couple of unique firsts this year.
Stan Nodland, a 72-year-old Jacksonville Beach, Fla., resident, shot a gross 83 and a net 68 to become the oldest player to win the World Championship playoff. Nodland, who was playing in the event for the sixth time, won flight 37 to earn his first trip to the championship round.
On the other end of the spectrum, 14-year-old Billy Fox was the youngest player in this year's field and the youngest player to win his flight. The Bensalem, Pa., native shot a gross 88 and a net 75 to earn a tie for 15th. Had he not taken a quadruple-bogey 9 on one hole, Fox would have been in the hunt for the crown. With the Golf Channel watching him at one point, Fox showed remarkable poise playing with players at least 20 years his senior.
The final tally for the 2003 DuPont Coolmax World Amateur Handicap Championship included 3,725 players and 11 holes in one. The tournament, which is open to any amateur golfer with a certified United States Golf Association handicap, welcomed players from all 50 states and 25 foreign countries. The average handicap for male participants was 12, while females had an average handicap index of 18.4.
There were 402 golfers from Florida that participated in the event, more than any other state. North Carolina sent 359 golfers and 324 Texans participated in the event.
Man O'War