Tropical storm Ernesto mostly spares Myrtle Beach and Grand Strand

Anyone planning to visit Myrtle Beach this weekend to play golf shouldn’t be put off by Ernesto, the tropical storm that never quite reached hurricane status. The storm mostly passed by the Grand Strand, dumping a lot of rain and some wind, but basically left golf courses intact, though soggy. It made landfall near Cape Fear, N.C. near midnight Thursday, packing winds of 70 miles per hour.

“Just some rain,” said Myrtle Beach golf packager Carson Courage. “We are checking some courses now, but nothing so far.”

The storm did disrupt the World Amateur Handicap Championships being played up and down the Strand on about 80 courses, causing delays and cancellations, but the storm largely only flirted with the northern South Carolina coast, though it did sideswipe Brunswick County, at the northernmost reaches of the Grand Strand, on the southern coast of North Carolina.

Brunswick County officials declared a state of emergency and some roads were flooded, and some beach towns faced voluntary evacuations. The county, home to about 35 courses including well-known tracks like Angels Trace, Crow Creek, Farmstead Golf Links, Thistle and Tiger’s Eye, was the worst hit, though no major damage has been reported.

Horry and Georgetown Counties were hit with rain and gusty winds, though winds weren’t as damaging as they might have been since the powerful right side of the storm stayed mostly out in the Atlantic Ocean. Horry County got six to eight inches or fain and Georgetown two to four. Only about 1,000 Horry County residents lost power, news reports said. Most tourists never bothered to cancel reservations, according to Myrtle Beach Online.