Motorized golf carts began conveying players en masse over the links sometime in the 1950s, enabling golf course architects to build courses on more mountainous and spread-out terrain from that point forward, as walking the entire course was no longer a necessity.
Fast forward more than half a century, and another form of golf-course transportation is taking hold: the GolfBoard. The inventors of the device, a one-rider, four-wheeled, 115-pound vehicle, encourage golfers to use it to “surf the Earth” or “surf the turf.” Fittingly, one of its inventors is Laird Hamilton, a veteran of the professional surfing circuit.
Advocates of the GolfBoard tout it as a tool to help speed up play on golf courses, due in large part to the fact that only one rider can use a GolfBoard, whereas the vast majority of golf carts are shared by two golfers, who must therefore zigzag all over the course in order to reach spread-put golf balls. Furthermore, GolfBoard aficionados claim that the physical activity involved in powering and swivel-steering a GolfBoard constitutes a much better workout than sitting and riding in a standard golf cart.
Given that Myrtle Beach has always been a popular and cutting-edge golf destination, it was only a matter of time before the GolfBoard craze arrived on the Grand Strand. And in November 2015, True Blue Golf Club in Pawleys Island became the first Myrtle Beach area golf course to welcome them.
True Blue might be the perfect course for GolfBoards to make their Myrtle Beach debut, too. Some of its massive, undulating fairways may even resemble a half-pipe to board enthusiasts taking to the links. And the smooth sand paths make for a perfect surface for navigating between holes. Just as long as you don’t give in to any daredevilish temptation to “catch big air” off the slopes of any of True Blue’s sandy waste areas, the experience of powering a GolfBoard from the first tee to the 18th green should be a totally rad one indeed.
GolfBoards are currently available at True Blue Golf Club and are rumored to be coming soon to sister course Caledonia Golf & Fish Club as well as a couple other as-yet-unnamed Myrtle Beach-area golf courses. They generally cost an upcharge of $29 above the cart fee at True Blue, and for those seeking a little extra sense of thrill and the feeling of the breeze ruffling their khakis on the course, they’re worth every penny.
To book tee times at True Blue and other Myrtle Beach area golf courses, be sure to visit our full golf course list HERE.