For history buffs, Gutzon Borglum’s thinking behind the selection of presidents for Mount Rushmore is nearly as intriguing as the monument by itself.
While he passed before Rushmore was ultimately created, his beliefs held firm – as did the reasoning for picking Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt to adorn the mountainside of South Dakota’s Black Hills.
Now, it’s my turn to tune Borglum’s mind and apply it to Myrtle Beach’s golf landscape.
Yes, we have more than four courses. And each of them have their own identity and meaning and impact. Your list may vary from mine, and for a plethora of reasons. But this is how I see the courses in my home town.
And, more importantly, how they shaped the area in ways few thought possible just a few generations ago. This is my Mount Rushmore of Grand Strand golf.
PINE LAKES COUNTRY CLUB
Much like George Washington was chosen because of his role in the humble beginnings of our country, Pine Lakes is the course that launched it all for us. No, one course didn’t do it alone, but what it showed everyone was that something could be built from nothing, and then stand the test of time.
Since 1927, when the Granddaddy opened, Myrtle Beach golf has been re-imagined time and again. But Pine Lakes gave everyone a clear picture that all this was worth it. While courses have opened (and some closed) since, the original foundation was laid some 600 yards from the Atlantic Ocean and has remained a beacon of hope for the industry since.
PINEHILLS COURSE AT MYRTLEWOOD
Thomas Jefferson was an oft-flawed man, but his accomplishments and penchant for growing the United States led a young country to believe in more. His involvement in the Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of our once-young country and inspired even more growth. That sounds a heck of a lot like PineHills
to me.
Initially opened in 1966 as Myrtlewood Pines, the centrally located course showed tourists that golf was going to become a bigger part of our landscape, and others soon followed. Within a decade, nine more tracks that are still around opened their doors. Within 20 years, the number was even bigger. It just kept going to our present-day list of 90.
CALEDONIA GOLF & FISH CLUB
Abraham Lincoln stood for something that ultimately changed the face of a nation. And while I’m not naive enough to link the end of slavery to a tract of land, the overarching themes of prosperity and preservation very much live via Caledonia.
Mike Strantz’s first solo design changed Myrtle Beach golf for the better, giving it another focal point to serve as a highlight to our industry. The fact that it came in an area that was just about done with golf development only added to its appeal and impact. Caledonia now stands at or near the top of the local designs of just about every national list that comes out, and ignoring that metamorphosis that occurred upon its opening in January of 1994 has to be taken into consideration.
GRANDE DUNES RESORT COURSE
By the time Grande Dunes opened its doors in 2001, Myrtle Beach was already established as a haven for golfers the world over. But what the course with several holes overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and others with a flair for the modern dramatic proved to everyone that comfort can’t stand in the way of development.
To me, it’s the Teddy Roosevelt of Grand Strand golf. Roosevelt could have sat on what already existed. Instead, he reached for the stars via specific policy actions like the Panama Canal project and protections for common workers, two things Borglum cited in choosing him.
Photos for this feature from MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account
