Hard as it is to believe now – with tee sheets packed and golf suddenly cool again in the broader cultural zeitgeist (thanks, Happy Gilmore) – the early 2000s were a rough stretch for the game. Myrtle Beach, like much of the country, saw more than a few golf courses close, and in the process, the area lost a little of its personality in five layouts with names as quirky and memorable as any in America.
They may be gone, but they certainly aren’t forgotten.
1968 was a glorious year for great golf course names. North Myrtle Beach was just beginning to make its mark when two Russell Breeden designs opened within months of each other: Robbers Roost and Possum Trot.
Robbers Roost sat just blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, its pine-lined fairways guarded by the ocean breeze. Who knows where the name came from, but that primo location eventually led to the demise of Robbers Roost. The land became worth far more than the middle-of-the-road layout it hosted, and the course closed in 2003.
Possum Trot was a name you couldn’t forget if you tried. Its logo featured a possum with a golf bag slung over its shoulder, and the name itself came courtesy of a Golf Digest contest in 1968. Imagine a national golf magazine letting its readers christen a course today? Didn’t think so.
A close second in the name game was Gator Hole Golf Course, a Rees Jones design once owned by the family of former Golf Channel star Kelly Tilghman. Wedged between Highway 17 and the Atlantic, it resided on real estate that was primed for development; hence it is now home to Gator Hole Shopping Center.
Then there was Raccoon Run in Socastee, a Gene Hamm design named for the area’s nocturnal scavengers. It kept locals and visitors smiling until 2005, when it closed to make room for more people moving to the Grand Strand.
While the name doesn’t elicit the same sort of reaction, Waterway Hills (top photo) has earned a spot on any list of courses that have helped differentiate Myrtle Beach in a crowded golf travel market. The experience at the Rees Jones design, once home to 27 holes, was highlighted by a gondola ride across the Intracoastal Waterway, allowing players to enjoy memorable views and an only-in-Myrtle-Beach arrival at the clubhouse until its closure in 2015.
Yes, population growth made some closures inevitable, and the loss of those courses didn’t damage the destination, but I’d still like the opportunity to walk into the pro shop and buy a Possum Trot hat.
