We’re going to go out on a limb and guess that if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you like golf.

And if you enjoy that game, chances are you like other ones, too.

And if you like other sports, chances are you like seeing them live.

Without one of the Big Four, South Carolina’s Grand Strand is home to some huge sporting events throughout the calendar. There’re high-level hoops, baseball stars of tomorrow (and maybe the day after), some of the fastest humans on the planet, NCAA Division-I football (and a bowl game) and one of the oldest and most established high school football all-star games in the country.

Live sports? Yeah, we got ‘em.

TRACK STARS EN MASSE
Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium is going to be mentioned multiple times. But we’re going to start with the seemingly endless supply of track stars who head to the multipurpose venue each spring. The Myrtle Beach Collegiate Challenge, Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational and multiple college conference and/or national championship meets are held here each March and April. It’s a huge collection of track and field talent. And it’s not out of the question to see any of the participants trying to qualify for the Olympics soon after.

MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS
As a Single-A Affiliate for the Chicago Cubs, the Pelicans’ brand has hit new heights after an impressive start under the Atlanta Braves. That’s all fine and good for the baseball junkies, but games here don’t require you to be a seam-head to enjoy yourself. The low-key environment allows fans to move freely about the concourse. There’s a section of high-top tables on a first-come, first-served basis down the third-base line of the outfield and a picnic area mirroring it on the first-base side. It’s arguably Myrtle Beach’s most established entertainment option.

GO CHANTS!
Not all that long ago, Coastal Carolina University was a two-year institution. And a little sooner than that, it was still a member of the University of South Carolina system. Then, major change happened in droves. The school went out on its own, established a football program for 2003 was playing in the FCS playoffs by 2006. A few years later, the entire sports landscape at CCU was moving up the ladder. Football went FBS and then in 2016, the Chanticleers’ baseball team won the College World Series. Coastal’s facilities are top notch, and the product on its two biggest fields is almost always in the realm of dominant to at the very least competitive.

BOWL SEASON
Speaking of Coastal Carolina, its football home, Brooks Stadium, has served as the only bowl game host in the state of South Carolina since the founding of the Myrtle Beach Bowl in 2020. The contest rotates between members of the Conference USA, Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference as necessary. It’s typically played the week before Christmas and serves as one of the opening games of bowl season. Since it’s run by ESPN Events and gets a ton of national runs, its popularity is growing by the year.

BOWL SEASON, PART II
In 1947, just two years after the conclusion of World War II, a group of football coaches and administrators founded a little high school football all-star game that spent years bouncing around the state. Once played during the summer, it was eventually moved to immediately following the conclusion of the high school season and brought to Myrtle Beach. The tradition lives on each December. Altogether, 88 of the top high school football players in the Palmetto State participate in the game every year. Alumni of the game include past and current NFL standouts, with potentially more always coming down the pipe.

HOOPING AT THE BEACH
Long-time locals often point to 1981 as the start of Myrtle Beach’s sports tourism industry. Yes, golf had been attracting visitors for a few decades by then. But the Beach Ball Classic high school basketball tournament started that year and changed everything. Every December since, the tournament has focused on bringing in the top high school players and teams from around the country. Kobe Bryant. Baron Davis. Grant Hill. Kenny Anderson. Danny Green. Grayson Allen. Vince Carter. Rasheed Wallace. Raymond Felton. All of them appeared at the Classic between Christmas and New Year’s. Many of the next crop of NBA stars will, too.