Caledonia and True Blue: Dynamic duo in Pawleys Island, S.C. set to host Golf Channel Am Tour's Myrtle Beach event

I’m a bit jealous that I’m not playing golf in Myrtle Beach at the moment.

The Myrtle Beach Classic, one of the 28 events on the 2012 Golf Channel Am Tour, will tee off this weekend at the Caledonia Golf and Fish Club (see the 11th hole above) and True Blue Golf Plantation.

Nearly 200 players have signed up to take on what I call Myrtle Beach’s dynamic duo. With apologies to the four courses at Barefoot Resort in North Myrtle Beach, True Blue and Caledonia are the best 1-2 combination along the Grand Strand. What makes them so cool is that despite both were designed by Mike Strantz, they’re almost polar opposites. Check out my reviews of True Blue and Caledonia to get a better sense of the challenge that lies ahead for the players.

Caledonia and True Blue are two of the courses that comprise the 12-course Waccamaw Golf Trail in the southern part of the Grand Strand. For a taste of the southern Strand compared to the north, check out this story.

James Kerg, 55, of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., has played in several Golf Channel events this season, with his best finish a third in the Senior Sarazan flight (12-15.9 handicap index) in November at the Elks Fall Championship in Jeffersonville, Ind. He has been playing on the Golf Channel Amateur Tour for more than five years. Golfers compete for merit points, and the first three finishers in each division will automatically qualify for the National Championship Sept. 12-13 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

There are six flights within the Open division and six more flights in the Senior division.

“Jim is a perfect example of what this Tour is all about,” said Mike Rich, Southeast Regional Director of the Golf Channel Amateur Tour. “He has traveled all over the country playing this Tour. This Tour is a great outlet for guys who played in college and want a chance to come back to the competitive game at all levels of ability.”

The Golf Channel Amateur Tour, which boasts 6,500 participants, is in its fifth season. Golf Channel has owned the Tour for the last three years. Anybody who’s serious about their game might want to give the Tour’s upcoming schedule a look.