Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, affectionately know to golfers around the world as the "Grand Strand," boasts close to 100 golf courses ranging from high-end private clubs to affordable daily-fee options. What's more, with the beach, countless dining choices, and a wide range of lodging, Myrtle Beach remains one of the most popular golf spots in the world.
It's not easy to get players in and out while enjoying a solid round of golf. Azalea Sands Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach, however, has found a way to do both. And Azalea Sands has made it clear that it won't sacrifice long-term customer satisfaction for a quick buck now, Ian Guerin writes from the Grand Strand.
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What's a golfer's fantasy? Playing the Old Course, Augusta and Pine Valley, of course. With Myrtle Beach being Myrtle Beach, these fantasies too can be fulfilled at International World Tour Golf Links, where all of the 27 holes are homages to famous holes around the world.
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Barefoot Resort & Golf's Fazio Course sits at the heart of the resort, between the Dye and Love Courses. Like many European courses, the Fazio Course doesn't return to the clubhouse after nine holes, however it is no British linksland layout. This course is thoroughly Carolina Lowcountry, with lush native grasses and forests of live oaks and pines.
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Just a few hours from Augusta, Ga., is the site of the annual Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters pro-am. This year's event, which features PGA Tour players who played in the Masters the week before as well as celebrities, will be Monday, April 9, at the Pete Dye Course at Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach. It marks the 10th consecutive year the Dye Course has hosted the tournament, which is the largest single-day fundraiser in South Carolina.
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Wicked Stick Golf Links has stayed true to its blue-collar appeal. In many ways, it's in the style of one of its co-creators, John Daly. Located on the south end of Myrtle Beach, the club attracts golfers of all skill levels. True to its roots, the course provides an open links style with plenty of room for error. The motto of the course, after all, is "Grip It and Rip It." Getting beat up isn't part of the equation.
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No golf course along the Grand Strand has played a better host to so much history than The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, located in the heart of Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design has served as the playground for hackers, hopefuls and heroes since opening in 1948.
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The Sandpiper Bay Golf & Country Club -- in Sunset Beach, N.C., just north of Myrtle Beach -- is literally surrounded by its competition. But as golf developments have sprung up around it, the 27-hole club hasn't gotten lost in the shuffle. In fact, it was named the 2010 course of the year by the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association after finishing a major three-year renovation. Sandpiper Bay isn't cruel and conniving like so many modern layouts, and there's something to be said for straight-forward, well designed holes.
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The Signature Golf Group, a South Carolina-based management company, slowly -- but surely -- has Heron Point Golf Club on the mend. Although there's still plenty of work ahead, Signature believes it can bring this course on the northern end of the Mytle Beach Grand Strand back to life, Ian Guerin writes.
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As the fall golf season in Myrtle Beach rolls around, there's lots of great news on the Grand Strand. A handful of area courses rebuilt their greens this summer, a positive sign that course operators are willing to spend money on a future that could be brighter than the recent past. Expansion efforts continue at Myrtle Beach International Airport, which will allow for even more regional traffic. And several new restaurants and night spots have opened including Jimmy Buffett's Landshark Bar and Grill on the new oceanfront boardwalk.
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Golfers who play Wild Wing Plantation will likely experience their first round on the nine-hole Hummingbird Course, whether they know it or not. Wild Wing is spending this summer on a major greens renovation on the 18-hole Avocet Course, so it's going to use the Hummingbird to substitute some holes. And, for a course that often goes unnoticed, that will be a very good thing, Ian Guerin writes.
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