FEATURE STORY

Tidewater's Dirty Little Secret Could Bolster Its Reputation

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

CHERRY GROVE, S.C. (October 10, 2002) - If you are familiar with the Grand Strand golf scene, you are probably familiar with most of the story lines surrounding the Tidewater Golf Club. Tidewater opened in 1990 to rave reviews and has since gone on to become one of the top two or three courses at the beach. With a setting enjoyed by few golf courses in the Southeast and a layout that is both practical and clever, there's good reason for this lofty ranking.

As is the case with most good stories, a few good subplots have developed along the way. First, Tidewater was outfit with some nice bentgrass greens. Then, those greens weren't nice enough so they were replaced with better ones. Over the summer, the nicer bentgrass greens were replaced with a new strand of Bermuda grass known as Tif Eagle because frankly, it's just hard to grow bentgrass greens this far south.

If it's hard to grow bentgrass greens this far south then don't you wonder why Tidewater had them in the first place? The answer is two fold. First, bentgrass is a superior putting surface and its what the guys up north are used to rolling on. Second, Tidewater's designer of record, Ken Tomlinson, believed that having bentgrass greens was paramount to setting the course apart from the other 100 plus courses in the greater Myrtle Beach area.

That's right, designer Ken Tomlinson.

Never heard of him? Unless he has done your taxes or gotten you off the hook for tax evasion, you probably haven't. You see, Tomlinson is a tax attorney. That's right, one of the best courses in the Grand Strand and one of the top tracks in the entire state was designed by a layman.

Now that's a story.

Headlines read "Local Lawyer Makes Good by Designing Highly Ranked Golf Course."

A feel good story, even. Maybe even a little too good, you say.

What are the odds that a lay designer could drop his pencil, turn off his computer, and whip out a golf course, much less a great one? It would be one thing if Tidewater had gotten better with age, say, as Tomlinson brought in some professional consultants to alter this or fix that. But this course was good to go right out of the gate. It was ranked No. 62 in Golf Magazine's inaugural Top 100 You Can Play list in 1996 and could have entered the fray even earlier had the list been in existence.

As it turns out, those odds aren't so good. There's more to Tidewater than meets the eye.

"There were a bunch of us that submitted layouts for that course," said Hilton Head based golf course architect Clyde Johnston. "But I think he wound up taking Rees'."

Rees, as in Rees Jones. The U.S. Open Doctor himself. Architect of some of the world's most famous golf courses. Son of legendary course designer Robert Trent Jones and brother of course designer Robert Trent Jones Jr.

"I did the layout, the routing, and the clearing plan but he never signed my contract," Jones told MyrtleBeachGolf.com. "He only paid me for the routing plan. I think he did the same thing to (Arnold) Palmer on another South Carolina course."

Jones did go on to say that Tomlinson designed the greens and most of the bunkers. But he also took on the tone of man who had been taken to the cleaners.

"The guy's a lawyer," he said. "What do you expect? There was an article in Golf Digest about all the courses that have been ghost designed. It happens a lot."

The irony of it is, associating Jones with Tidewater could do nothing but improve the value of the course. Short game guru Dave Pelz once said that Jones may be the best practicing golf course designer on the face of the planet, Tom Fazio not excluded. Just don't expect Jones' name on the scorecard anytime soon.

"I can't comment on that," said Tidewater head professional Chris Cooper.

Tidewater reopened in early August after taking two months to swap out its relatively new A-1 bentgrass greens for the new Tif Eagle Bermuda grass. The word on the street was that the change tore Tomlinson's heart out.

Conditions: 4.5 (out of 5) Layout: 4.5 Par 3's: 4.5 Par 4's: 4.5 Par 5's: 4 Service: 4 Practice Facilities: 3.5 Club House: 4 Pro Shop: 4 Pace of Play: 4 Value: 3.5 Overall Rating: 4.1

Everyone should be happy. The new Tif Eagle greens are nearly flawless. They rolled as true and fast as bentgrass before being overseeded with poatriviales grass a couple weeks ago. While the bunkers don't have the alabaster white glow they had three years ago when they were filled with quartz, the rest of the course is in immaculate shape.

"When you mention the best golf courses in Myrtle Beach, there are two, Caledonia and Tidewater," Cooper said. "They are very different courses but they stand out above the others."

And these two very different courses have been heading two very different directions in Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play List. Caledonia has been holding steady in the low to mid 30's and in the 2002 edition of the list, the Mike Strantz designed jewel came in at No. 32. After debuting at No. 62 in 1996, Tidewater shot up to 39th in 1998, slipped to 47th in 2000, and plummeted to 85th this year.

"The advances that have been made in architecture and with all the new courses, it's easy for an old course to slip," Cooper said. "And it depends on when the raters and panelists get to see the course. If they were out here when it's overseeded and stripped up, they'd see it is still the great course is used to be."

Indeed, Tidewater has done about all it can to please the critics. Conditions are as good as they've ever been. The third, fourth and 12th and holes are still three of the most scenic in the state and the 18th is still one of the toughest par-4's in the Grand Strand. If its service the critics want, the outside attendants at Tidewater still get your clubs out of your trunk and the folks in the pro shop treat you like you've been lost at sea for three months without golf or food.

There is one last thing the folks at Tidewater could do to impress the critics: Tell the golfing world about the Rees Jones designed layout at Tidewater. Sometimes the truth can set you free.

The Vitals

Tidewater Golf Club and Plantation
Phone: 1-866-409-2177
Course info. & scorecard >>

Where to Eat

Turn east on Minneola and head towards the historic waterfront at Little River. You'll find a smattering of local joints serving up the region's specialties, blue crab and Grouper. The River Side Tavern is set in an old house and is easily one of the best "locals" joints in the North Strand. Chances are, the guy that caught your Grouper dinner is sitting right next to you. Crab Catchers serves up excellent (you guessed it) crab dishes, but the restaurant's double-decker hamburger is the stuff of legend. Back out on the Highway, Italian eateries and sports bars dominate the landscape. The Varsity Club was voted "Best Bar" by Myrtle Beach Golf Magazine, and is a local favorite with its 75-cent Natural Light drafts and 37 televisions.

Where to Stay

The Hampton Inn North Myrtle Beach-Harbourgate is a sand wedge away from Tidewater, Glen Dornoch, Heather Glen and just a 15-minute drive from the legion of courses in Brunswick County, across the Stateline. The Hampton features recently refurbished suites, complete with refrigerator, coffee maker, behemoth TV, love seat and data ports. An indoor pool, fitness center, and lounging area with TV are located just off the main lobby, and boat slips are available across the street. Continental breakfast is provided every morning, as are fresh copies of USA Today. The hotel does not have a full service restaurant on site, but the Marker 350 across the street serves up excellent seafood and steaks. Rates for the fall golf season are as low as $55 per night, and golf packages are available upon request. For more information, or to make reservations, call 1-866-409-2177.