South Grand Strand Offers Great Golf and Old Southern Flavor

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

April 26, 1999

SHANE SHARP IN THE SOUTH STRAND: THE FIRST IN A THREE PART SERIES ON GOLF IN MYRTLE BEACH'S HIDDEN GOLF HEAVEN.

PAWLEYS ISLAND, Sc -- Most golfers who ramble into Myrtle Beach from Ohio, Michigan, or some other snowy northern environ don't really care where they end up golfing along South Carolina's Grand Strand. All they know is that there are over 100 courses in the vicinity, a NASCAR Cafe for the kids, and beautiful beach for those members of the party that will not be chasing the little white ball over the extended weekend.

Its what may not know that could turn out to be the most pleasant surprise of all - Myrtle Beach's "South Strand" offers some of the best new golf in South Carolina set amidst some of the last remnants of old Lowcountry flavor.

The first time visitor to America's "Golf Capital" may be a bit surprised upon learning a few facts about the greater Myrtle Beach area. One, the city limits are so built up with souvenir shops and tourist traps that most of the highly touted new courses have opened up north of the border in North Carolina, or west along the traffic saturated Highway 501.

Two, congestion is becoming so bad in Myrtle Beach due to unchecked growth that the quest to play 36 holes a day needs to be accomplished by finding either a) two courses you want to play located within a mile of each other, or b) a layout that sports more than one set of 18 holes. Third, points one and two can be made irrelevant by making a b-line down Highway 17 to the coastal communities of Murrells Inlet, Litchfield Beach, and Pawleys Island.

This scenic region of the Grand Strand defines what most South Carolina locals refer to as the "Lowcountry" - the coastal area between Charleston in the south and Myrtle Beach in the north. Its a region framed by mostly undeveloped coastline to the east and the sleepy banks of the Waccamaw River to the west. Swampy wetlands and draping Oaks replace many of the repetitive pine trees found elsewhere along the coast, and a sense of history pervades the area like the aroma of a hearty Lowcountry meal.

Enough flowery language about the serene beauty of the South Strand, let's get into the real details of this golfing jewel. For those of you who cling to the simplicity of numbers rather than the subjectivity of descriptions, check this out: there are 11 first rate courses within about a 10 mile radius of the epicenter of the South Strand - Litchfield Beach. For those of you who identify with golf course design, check this lineup out: Tom Fazio, Mike Strantz, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Dan Maples. MURRELLS INLET

Wedged between the upscale community of Pawleys Island and the hustle and bustle of the Myrtle Beach Strip, "the inlet" as the locals call it, is as unpretentious an establishment as you'll find along the Strand. Inlet food is legendary, what with eateries such as Drunken Jack's, River City Cafe, and some of the only remaining Mom and Pop seafood joints in the Strand. Inlet golf, while not pretentious, is first class all the way.

Blackmoor

The Gary Player designed course at Blackmoor may be the first track to pop into your radar screen while in the Inlet. Set on a former Lowcountry plantation, Blackmoor's layout traces the banks of the Waccamaw river like Grant's troops on a flanking maneuver. Blackmoor provides what golfers hold as the ultimate offering of the Golf Gods - the feeling of being completely alone with your golf game, your playing partners, and the beverage cart girls.

In fact you may have a better chance of seeing a wild turkey than a wild tee shot from the foursome behind you. Despite the flatness surrounding it, Player's clever use of mounding provides for some strategic shotmaking that will force you to think about the ramifications of your shot after it lands. According to Head Professional Jay Smith, it is the signature hole of the course - the 390 yard par-4 No. 14 that defines the Blackmor experience.

"The 14th is a great hole," says Smith. "There are two ways to play it, and you can be rewarded or punished for both".

TPC of Myrtle Beach

The new player on the South Strand golf scene just may be its heaviest hitter. The recently opened TPC of Myrtle Beach sports a Tom Fazio design that is allegedly friendly to the average golfer. If the temptation to respond with "I'll believe it when I see it," is overwhelming, then put your money where your mouth is and go play the TPC.

You may be surprised to find out that Fazio has abandoned the temptation to create a marshy target course and has instead placed a premium on length and (of course) negotiating obscure bunkers. The TPC will host the PGA Senior Tour Championship starting in 1999, which was formerly held at the Dunes Country Club in north Myrtle Beach.

What will add to the both the atmosphere of the tournament and the everyday round of golf is the lack of tacky development along TPC's fairways. The site for the TPC course is a former pine tree farm, and it appears that this solitude may persist with the help and clout of the PGA.

Wachesaw East

Wachesaw East may soon begin to experience what is known as the "spillover effect". Yes, for those of you scoring at home that is the technical term. This Clyde Johnston layout, which is typically described as having a Scottish feel, is located adjacent to the new TPC of Myrtle Beach and will in all likelyhood absorb some of the demand for high quality golf in Murrell's Inlet.

One thing is for sure, no matter how many golfers make their way through Wachesaw East, every last one of them will appreciate the course's large, flat greens that actually allow for numerous birdie put opportunities. Unlike some of its South Strand brethren, Wachesaw is a refreshingly straightforward layout that does not make its mark by deceiving the unsuspecting duffer.

NEXT WEEK, MYRTLE BEACH GOLF STAFF WRITER SHANE SHARP MOVES SOUTH ALONG THE STRAND TO CHECK OUT GOLF CLUBS, FISH CLUBS, AND ALL THAT IS LOW COUNTRY.