Myrtle Beach in early March part duex

[99prblms]

I know @iacas already has a thread like this going but my situation  is a bit different. I'm going to Myrtle Beach for a little getaway with my wife. My wife does not golf but has begrudgingly allowed me to golf once a day we're there. So obviously I'll be hitting these courses up as a single. I've never been there before so any suggestions or tips would be awesome. I'm staying at the Holiday Sands North near the boardwalk if anyone is familiar with the area can you recommend some good courses near that area.. Should I pre-book or just wait til I get there and use Golf Now or something... And obviously I don't want to play anywhere that may be annoyed by people coming as a single.

[iacas]

My recommendation is to contact @bnlongdriver. If you've seen the Myrtle Beach ads running here, you can also wait until you see one of those and click on them and see his site. Or PM him about setting up a nice little package for you. He knows the area really well and can get you onto the best courses that wills bit your tastes and location.

[99prblms]

17 minutes ago, iacas said:

My recommendation is to contact @bnlongdriver. If you've seen the Myrtle Beach ads running here, you can also wait until you see one of those and click on them and see his site. Or PM him about setting up a nice little package for you. He knows the area really well and can get you onto the best courses that wills bit your tastes and location.

Awesome! Thanks a ton @iacas

[rhetzel]

BE sure to keep in mind driving time if you are staying up North. There are plenty of great courses North, South and Central. If you are staying up North and playing say, Caledonia or True Blu, it is a decent drive there and back adding travel time may upset the wife a bit. Do your homework. Have fun!

[99prblms]

1 hour ago, rhetzel said:

BE sure to keep in mind driving time if you are staying up North. There are plenty of great courses North, South and Central. If you are staying up North and playing say, Caledonia or True Blu, it is a decent drive there and back adding travel time may upset the wife a bit. Do your homework. Have fun!

Thanks.. I dont plan on playing anywhere more than 10 miles from where I'm staying. I already had the 'time of play and travel' talk with my wife. So I'm looking at specifically courses in North Myrtle. Though I'm not a very good player quite yet, I'm not concerned with the difficulty... or price... I really just want the experience and to say  "I've played there".. I should have prefaced this thread with 'I haven't been out Wisconsin in 25 years' lol... so you can understand my excitement being able to play in Myrtle Beach.

Edited February 13, 2016 by 99prblms

[wolfpackguy]

Okay I think you may be a little confused on your location...You said that you are staying at Holiday Sands North close to the Boardwalk.  Your Hotel is centrally located in Myrtle Beach.  A lot of people not familiar of the area mistakenly think that "North Myrtle Beach" is referring to an area in the Northern part of Myrtle Beach.  Actually it is a separate city that is located a good ten miles from where you are staying.  The closest "North Myrtle Beach" courses to you would be the Barefoot Resort courses which are about 13 miles from you and are considered higher end courses where you will be paying probably around $125 per round to play unless you book a package deal or play with a member.  The next closest North Myrtle Beach courses which are mid-tiered and a little more price friendly that may seem to be what you are looking for are a little farther north into North Myrtle located probably about 15 to 17 miles from where you are staying.  

The closest courses to where you are staying include Myrtlewood, Pine Lakes Country Club, River Oaks Plantation, World Tour, and the Legends courses.  All are probably right within the amount of travel time that you are looking at. 

I would second the earlier poster that you contact @bnlongdriver.  Tell him (Brian) what you are looking for and he will set you up nicely.  I would definitely avoid GolfNow for anything related to Myrtle Beach.  Very few courses down there work with Golf Now and the few that do are lower tiered courses that you probably wouldn't want to play as there are many better choices for the money that you will be playing.  Looks like you will be going right as the peak golf season is starting to get underway so last minute deals, although probably available, will be a bit more difficult to come by.  However, if this is the route that you want to take, again I would contact Brian as he has the ability to get a lot of very good "48 hour" rates.  If you go ahead and contact him now and let him know that's the way you want to go, he will be able to keep you in mind and as the time of your arrival nears will have a better idea of what to find you. 

 

[99prblms]

9 hours ago, wolfpackguy said:

Okay I think you may be a little confused on your location...You said that you are staying at Holiday Sands North close to the Boardwalk.  Your Hotel is centrally located in Myrtle Beach.  A lot of people not familiar of the area mistakenly think that "North Myrtle Beach" is referring to an area in the Northern part of Myrtle Beach.  Actually it is a separate city that is located a good ten miles from where you are staying.  The closest "North Myrtle Beach" courses to you would be the Barefoot Resort courses which are about 13 miles from you and are considered higher end courses where you will be paying probably around $125 per round to play unless you book a package deal or play with a member.  The next closest North Myrtle Beach courses which are mid-tiered and a little more price friendly that may seem to be what you are looking for are a little farther north into North Myrtle located probably about 15 to 17 miles from where you are staying.  

The closest courses to where you are staying include Myrtlewood, Pine Lakes Country Club, River Oaks Plantation, World Tour, and the Legends courses.  All are probably right within the amount of travel time that you are looking at. 

I would second the earlier poster that you contact @bnlongdriver.  Tell him (Brian) what you are looking for and he will set you up nicely.  I would definitely avoid GolfNow for anything related to Myrtle Beach.  Very few courses down there work with Golf Now and the few that do are lower tiered courses that you probably wouldn't want to play as there are many better choices for the money that you will be playing.  Looks like you will be going right as the peak golf season is starting to get underway so last minute deals, although probably available, will be a bit more difficult to come by.  However, if this is the route that you want to take, again I would contact Brian as he has the ability to get a lot of very good "48 hour" rates.  If you go ahead and contact him now and let him know that's the way you want to go, he will be able to keep you in mind and as the time of your arrival nears will have a better idea of what to find you. 

 

Yea... obviously I'm very unfamiliar with the area.  North Sands.. North Myrtle.. oops... but I am glad you cleared that up for me. Barefoot is one of the courses I wanted to play. So I'm glad that's still fairly close. Hopefully Brian gets back to me soon as I will be leaving in a bit over 2 weeks. Again, thanks for clearing that location error up for me. 

[wolfpackguy]

No problem man.  I used to bar tend at a little spot on 13th Ave North, in North Myrtle Beach...I can't tell you how many times I got phone calls from people looking for our bar while on 13th Ave. North, in Myrtle Beach. I had to explain to them they were about 20 miles away from me and I'm still not sure they understood what I was talking about. lol  If you don't here from Brian through email in the next day or so shoot me a private message and I will find his number, I have it somewhere around here in this pile of paperwork that is currently on my desk that needs attention.  This is probably his busiest time of the year with lots of people finalizing and booking their spring trips.  Sometimes it's quicker to get in touch by phone.  Enjoy your trip and can't wait to hear how it goes.  Hopefully will be making a trip down to play very soon myself.

[99prblms]

8 hours ago, wolfpackguy said:

No problem man.  I used to bar tend at a little spot on 13th Ave North, in North Myrtle Beach...I can't tell you how many times I got phone calls from people looking for our bar while on 13th Ave. North, in Myrtle Beach. I had to explain to them they were about 20 miles away from me and I'm still not sure they understood what I was talking about. lol  If you don't here from Brian through email in the next day or so shoot me a private message and I will find his number, I have it somewhere around here in this pile of paperwork that is currently on my desk that needs attention.  This is probably his busiest time of the year with lots of people finalizing and booking their spring trips.  Sometimes it's quicker to get in touch by phone.  Enjoy your trip and can't wait to hear how it goes.  Hopefully will be making a trip down to play very soon myself.

I appreciate that.  But you don't have to go out of your way to find his number.  I've emailed his work email... and PM'D him on here. If he doesn't get back to me by tomorrow, I plan on just looking for a package deal on my own. If you could just recommend some nice courses to play near where I'll bring staying,  that'd be awesome. And I'll be sure to do a follow up post about my trip when I get back! 

[wolfpackguy]

Okay if it was me in your shoes here is what I would do.  I would start out at Myrtlewood for a warm up course.  They have two 18 hole courses to choose from, Pine Hills and Palmetto.  Both offer pretty much the same difficulty and are of the same quality, with a little bit of variance in their respective layouts.  This is the course closest to your location and you should be able to get on in early March for about $50 bucks a round for either course you choose.  If you are wanting to play Barefoot, I would probably choose the Norman or Love course.  Either one presents a nice challenge but yet are more forgiving on mishits than Fazio or Dye.  A lot of the Norman course runs along the intercoastal waterway and much of the Love course is on the grounds of an old Southern Plantation site.  Of the two Love will be a bit more difficult as I find some of the greens tougher to hold an more undulating. Here is a hint...if it fits into your time schedule I would look into playing barefoot on either Wednesday or Sunday afternoon as they have really big reduced rates on those days that could save you quite a bit of money. 

My third choice if you are wanting a little something different would be World Tour. Another course that isn't far from your area.  World Tour's concept is each hole is a replica of a famous hole from courses around the world. I.e. the 17th at Sawgrass, holes from Augusta, St. Andrews, Oakmont, Royal Troon etc.  A lot of the snootier golfers write this off as gimmicky, but I find it kind of neat and truthfully Myrtle Beach in general is kind of a gimmicky town (but fun) lol.  At any rate, the course is well maintained and a quality course reasonably priced at probably around 75 bucks. 

My fourth choice is going to send you maybe a little bit farther of a drive than Barefoot (but not much of one), but in the opposite direction down in Pawleys Island. The few extra minutes I assure you will be well worth it and the beauty of this course will negate any problems than the grief you may get from the wife. lol   Caledonia!!!  If money isn't an object you REALLY need to play this course.  Looking at about $150 for a round at Caledonia. It is often described as close to Augusta that you will ever play due to the landscaping and scenery here. It's located on an old Southern rice plantation, carved out of a coastal forest  with centuries old live oaks and spanish moss hanging from the tress and flowering shrubs and azaleas. Challenging but very playable for someone of your golfing ability.  Consistently the top ranked public course in the state and one of the top ranked in the nation.  It truly is the gem of Myrtle Beach golf and I have never heard any complaints from anyone who has played Caledonia. 

[99prblms]

So Brian emailed me today. He was very inquisitive of what type of golfer I was and the kind of courses I liked. Pretty specific, which I loved, cause he s looking to give me exactly what I'm looking for. Funny, I just emailed him and told him the exact words you just said lol. I would like to start with Myrtlewood as a warm up cause he explained to me that it was a good scoring course with generous fairways.  I don't care about gimmicky /signature courses. As long as they are well kept and sonewhat challenging, it's fun for for me. We have a course like that here in Wisconsin. I've heard lots of good things about Caledoia reading the reviews. Even if I don't play it this year, I am certain I will be back to if I enjoy my golf experience enough. 

[wolfpackguy]

Glad you were able to get in touch with Brian.  I'm sure he will set you up nicely with what you are looking for.  Hopefully by the time you return to Myrtle for your second trip I will be living there once again.  If you don't make it to Caledonia on this trip, or even if you do, next trip I will play it with you.   Can't wait to hear how your trip went.  Any other questions you have about the area don't hesitate to ask.  Doesn't have to be golf related.

[99prblms]

On Monday, February 15, 2016 at 5:59 PM, wolfpackguy said:

Glad you were able to get in touch with Brian.  I'm sure he will set you up nicely with what you are looking for.  Hopefully by the time you return to Myrtle for your second trip I will be living there once again.  If you don't make it to Caledonia on this trip, or even if you do, next trip I will play it with you.   Can't wait to hear how your trip went.  Any other questions you have about the area don't hesitate to ask.  Doesn't have to be golf related.

So Brian and I have the intenerary all ironed out pretty much. Starting off with Myrtlewood Palmetto. Then playing Prestwick. Then he offered to take me out for my 3rd round somewhere. Actually he offered to take you out. He checked this thread out and thought I was you. Lol! He started talking about Carolina stuff and I'm like 'lol I think you're a bit confused add to who I am'... but he said even though I wasn't you the offer still stood haha. I told him next time I visit I planned on playing with you. He'll be in that group now too! Awesome guy from what I can tell so far! Can't wait to get out there, and share my pics and stories when I come back!

[wolfpackguy]

Good deal man glad you were able to get in touch and he was able to work it out for you.  I know you are going to have a blast and look forward to playing with the both of you someday.  Make sure you pack clothes for all types of weather.  Early March in Myrtle could be 80s one day and cold with heavy winds and rain the next. (Cold being relative to the area as I'm sure it doesn't compare to Wisconsin).  You guys are flying down I assume?

[99prblms]

Yessir...we will be flying. Looks like it'll be in the 60's... rainy? Hopefully that forecast changes though... either way I'll be well prepared!

[wolfpackguy]

Thing about Myrtle Beach is there can be showers in the forecast and it might last for 30 minutes and be pretty for the rest of the day....also there might be a shower at 15th ave north and 10 blocks in either direction might not see a drop.  Be glad you are flying...I've actually made that drive once.  Back  in college met some females down in Daytona one year on spring break.  Decided to go visit one of them in Fon du Lac, WI over easter weekend. Me and another guy left out of Raleigh, NC at 5 p.m. on Thursday drove straight through taking turns driving at each gas fillup.  Arrived in Fon du Lac at like 1 p.m. on Friday.  Partied hard that weekend and headed back Sunday morning hungover and hating life. Cars were dodging the remnants of the previous nights fifth of liquor that was left in my system as I hung out the window and my buddy barreled us through Milwaukee at about 80 mph down the interstate. No time to stop, had to make it back in time for work.  Made it back just in time to shower and be at work at 9 A.M. monday morning.  Couldn't imagine pulling that off these days at my current age.  Helluva road trip when you are in college though. lol

[99prblms]

Yea, I actually live 40 mins north of a Fon du Lac. 

Initially we were going to drive also. Decided to fly though. I've never flown so I was a bit against it. I'm not too comfortable being up that high and having no control lol.

I was also sketchy about taking my clubs on the plane.  I'd be devastated if they got lost during the flight... layover. .. or changing of planes since it's not a direct flight.  So I did send them with Ship Sticks. Heard good things... hopefully they'll be at the hotel when I get there! I may try to hit up a driving range right away! 

[wolfpackguy]

Let me know how it goes with Ship Sticks...Going out to Vegas in a couple of months and considering using them rather than having to drag them around the airport shuttles and all that.