We fight stereotypes just like any area of the country.
We can take it, and, for better or worse, we’ll gladly own some the Myrtle Beach faux pas. But when the myths start flying around the game, we’re gonna fight it tooth and tee. Over the years, we’ve heard some doozies that simply need to be busted down to their core.
This is about perception vs. reality.
IT’S NOT SPRING OR FALL? FORGET IT
Those busy seasons during March, April, September and October pay a lot of the bills. And it’s why the courses often put their best foot forward during those high-traffic months. Just the same, it’s not as if summer and winter rounds here are a waste of your time. Look at what many of them did in the winter of 2020 and 2021, for instance.
Instead of allowing grasses at the likes of River Club and many others to go dormant, a wall-to-wall overseeing project kept everything as green as it could be. The goal, of course, was to give more of a springtime feel (even when the temps dipped). It was rewarded with consistent play from those who appreciated the effort during the “off-season.”
IT’S RAINING; THERE GOES MY ROUND
News flash: It rains here a decent amount. And for weeks on end, it’s not out of the equation to get a little bit each day for at least a few minutes. Don’t let a little precipitation bully you into cancelling your round. Those coastal breezes move in tiny fronts all the time, and a burst or even a full-fledged 15-20 minute downpour means nothing to us.
What’s more, courses have adjusted. Upscale drainage systems were installed at a number of courses (TPC of Myrtle Beach, for instance), to withstand Mother Nature’s whims. So, whether you’re awaiting a later tee time or already on the course when the skies open up, chances are you can just chill for a few and then get back to it without worrying about a raincheck.
A JAMMED PARKING LOT/BAG DROP MEANS A LONG DAY
You pull up to a course, have to squeeze the car near the back of the lot or see a couple dozen people at the bag drop, and an eye-roll or a cringe is a natural reaction (even pre-pandemic). Don’t let it sour your mood, however. What you can only discover for yourself is that looks can be deceiving. For as many courses are here, and as much land as they take up, some property owners elected to put that to use with routing and grass, not spots for cars and an oversized bag drop. Blackmoor Golf Club is a prime example of a tiny parking lot, and Myrtlewood Golf Club’s check-in station and bag drop is an example of the other. Rest assured, you’re not going to spend any more time here than you are at other joints who had the luxury of more front-of-house space.
CHEAP ROUNDS EQUAL &%$* GOLF
Our eyes see what we want them to see, sometimes. And although there are a few courses here that are consistently going to be leading the way when it comes to the top of the greens fee hierarchy, the bottom end of the spectrum often changes by the hour. We’re not joking about that.
Literally, many of the booking services utilize a similar strategy as the airlines, ebbing and flowing their rates to keep business moving in a multitude of ways. If you catch it right, you may find a rate at a place that normally charges twice as much. That doesn’t mean it’s underwater or was just punched or it’s greens are fried. Just that its owners found a reason to drop the cost.
Take advantage while you can.
