Destination: Myrtle Beach

At the heart of the 70-mile "Grand Strand," Myrtle Beach sits in the heart of one of the most golf-rich regions of the world, featuring more than 100 golf courses ranging from Brunswick County in North Carolina, to historic Georgetown in South Carolina. It's string of beaches down Long Bay also make it one of the most trafficked summer vacation hotspots on the east coast as well.

Myrtle Beach is just a quick flight from the cities of the northeastern seaboard, the area has been a popular beach and boating vacation destination for years, but it wasn't until about the 1960s when it became one of the east coast's top golf vacation destinations. That was largely a result of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday's creation of the "golf package," which offered groups savings by booking golf and lodging together, a formula that has remained successful to this day. Accommodations in Myrtle Beach are almost exclusively condo-style units with full kitchens, helping groups save on dining costs by keeping the fridge stocked with groceries throughout their trip if they choose.

Myrtle Beach became famous as a result of its bargain golf courses, but experienced a great increase in mid-to-upscale range starting in the 1990s. While the construction boom has finally slowed, today there is a season and golf course for every wallet size on the Grand Strand. In fact, many of the 100-plus golf courses in Myrtle Beach have over 10 seasonal rates, ranging from April-May peak season to low seasons in the summer, and around the holidays, which keeps rounds by visitors to around 4 million annually.

Today, the Grand Strand is home to many of the best public golf courses and resorts in the nation, including the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and the four courses at the Barefoot Resort, while there are still plenty of bargain plays, sports bars and seafood buffets around every corner.

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