The five biggest Myrtle Beach golf moments of the last decade weren’t easy to settle on, but we sorted through the course openings, honors and other goings on to narrow the list. After ranking moments six through 10, we are ready to unveil our ranking of the top 5 Myrtle Beach golf moments of the new millennium.
Without further ado:
5. 25 Years of the World Am – Check the PGA and LPGA Tour schedules and see how many events, beyond the majors, have survived 25 years. Longevity isn’t an easy thing for a golf tournament to attain, particularly an amateur event, but the World Amateur Handicap Championship has done it. Every year more than 3,000 players make the trek from all 50 states and more than 25 foreign countries to participate in the 72-hole event. The World Am is a success story and its 25th anniversary was a milestone worth remembering.
4. Opening of Grande Dunes – The opening of Grande Dunes brought a new level of luxury to the Myrtle Beach area. Upscale golf and real estate were nothing new, but Grande Dunes was a project unlike any other along the Strand. Sure the Roger Rulewich designed golf course was a hit, but it was the totality of the project – the Marina Inn, including Ruth’s Chris, the Grande Dunes Marriott and the real estate - that brought a new element to Myrtle Beach.
3. Monday After the Masters – In 2003, Hootie & the Blowfish brought their annual Monday After the Masters Celebrity Golf Tournament to Myrtle Beach. Nine years later Darius Rucker is one of country music’s hottest stars and the tournament is one of the nation’s best. Myrtle Beach has proven to be an ideal destination for an event that attracts big names (Samuel L. Jackson, Annika Sorenstam and Bill Murray were among the 2009 participants) for a good time and a good cause. Millions of dollars have been raised for charity and the event, one of the most popular on the Myrtle Beach golf calendar, shows no signs of slowing down.
2. Golf Digest Ranks 10 Area Courses Among Top 100 –Myrtle Beach has enjoyed a well deserved reputation as golf’s best value destination, but that occasionally overshadowed the number of elite courses that call the area home. Golf Digest’s ranking of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” in 2007 changed all of that. Golf Digest ranked 10 Grand Strand courses among the nation’s best public layouts. Golf Magazine and Golfweek have all also honored multiple Myrtle Beach courses as being among the nation’s best layouts and the International Association of Golf Tour Operators named the area the International Golf Destination of the Year in 2008. The first decade of the century will be remembered as one where Myrtle Beach earned deserved recognition for the quality of golf it offers, in addition to its value.
1. Opening of Barefoot Resort – On April 13, 2000, Barefoot Resort simultaneously opened courses designed by Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, Davis Love and Greg Norman. It remains, arguably, the most audacious multi-course project ever undertaken. Nearly 10 years out the facility is one of Myrtle Beach’s most popular, but that doesn’t obscure the enormity of the Resort’s opening. No other destination could dream of opening four high-end daily fee courses on the same day. Barefoot did it in Myrtle Beach and the area’s first landmark moment of the new millennium remains its most prominent.
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