Playing in Myrtle Beach — II

16Nov09

The Heritage Club and clubhouse

It was the wettest golf trip of my life, but one of the most fun.

We had planned on 54 holes and got in 41—due mostly to the tenaciousness of the guys on the trip (see Nov.  12 blog)—so we get our golf fix, rain be damned.

Unfortunately, our press trip—led by yours truly—to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last week coincided with Hurricane Ida in Latin America. We saw nothing but cloudy skies from the time we landed early Monday afternoon to when boarded our early Friday morning Direct Air flight to Niagara Falls, NY.

I learned quickly that we had a keen group. Upon arriving at the swank Marina Inn at Grand Dunes, we all agreed to meet in the lobby in 15 minutes before heading to the range at Grand Dunes. I came down 10 minutes later. After sitting there for 10 minutes, I sent a text to Heath Carter, my contact with Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday that I was waiting for the guys. He sent back, “Everyone is at the range.”

The official start of the trip began with an incredible meal that night at the Sea Captain’s House, one my favourite seafood places on the Grand Strand since I first started visiting here 20 years ago. Right on the beach, it hits all the right notes.

Our first course was Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links in North Myrtle Beach on Tuesday morning. Most of Glen Dornoch winds through 80-100 foot pines, but the fairways are quite generous. As the name would suggest, there are links-style elements to the Clyde Johnston-designed course, including some massive dune-like bunkering. It also borders the beautiful intracoastal waterway which is highly traveled by massive yachts and cool powerboats.

Glen Dornoch builds to a climax with three testy finishing holes, including the par-three, 212-yard 17th which is mostly carry with marsh left and massive dunes and pot-style bunkers right. The 18th gives you a choice of three landing areas with varying degrees of difficulty.

The rain intensified about halfway through, but everyone soldiered on. Even with great rain suits, most of us had never been wetter on a golf course. On the way back to the Grand Marina, we stopped at Martin’s Golf and Tennis Superstore and nearly everyone bought rain gloves.

We had our first of a few incredible encounters with red meat at Greg Norman’s Australian Grille, an elegant steak house where even the arms chairs were terrific. Despite the great meal, we had a sense of foreboding that Ida might scupper golf on Wednesday.

Indeed, the wind and rain lashed the windows of the hotel all morning. We were scheduled to play True Blue, but the course was understandably closed.  Nonetheless, we took the 30 minute drive to the south end of the Grand Strand and had lunch in True Blue’s lovely, cottage-style clubhouse.  We held on to faint hope we could return to True Blue on Thursday afternoon for nine.

After a look at True Blue’s sister club Caledonia Golf and Fishing Club and its sweet 18^th hole, we ventured into a ritzy neighbourhood with million-dollar homes. We made our way the venerable plantation-style white clubhouse of The Heritage Club. The gentleman behind the counter commiserated with us about the rain, noting the course was empty except for “four nut bars.”

Scott MacLeod of Flagstick cocked his eyebrow at me and looked at me, signalling—sorry Scott—”I’m a nut bar.” A quick check-in with the guys confirmed that all eight were willing, and we made arrangements to play the back nine.

With our rain gloves, umbrellas and rain suits, we headed on foot out as the rain pounded down. David Cowx of Tee to Green said, “I’ve been caught in rain this hard, but I’ve never teed off in it.”

The course was the wettest I’ve ever played, with little rivers coursing across the fairways, forcing us to jump over them, and we sloshed through some low-lying areas filled with inches of water.

Amazingly, none of the bunkers had puddles and only one green had any accumulation. David and I were amazed at how our feet stayed dry with today’s golf shoes, and we recalled how there used to be shoes that were specifically “waterproof.”

Designed by Dan Maples , the Heritage Club is big and beautiful with classic parkland features, notably majestic oak trees, some draped with Spanish moss, and enormous greens with sweeping slopes. The consensus in our group was, “I could play here every day.” Golf Digest ranked it No. 46 on its latest lranking of America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses.

The rain didn’t ruin the day. It made it. Playing in the gloom and rain gave the course a mysterious atmosphere that made the nine holes an adventure. (Cowx and I also won our match, as we each knocked in putts of about 80 and 60 feet respectively.) In the bar afterwards, everyone was buoyant—no pun intended—and we agreed that the elements can sometimes elevate a routine game into a treasure.

We had another amazing encounter with red meat—actually 13 different kinds at Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse. At Rioz, waiters bring various cuts of steak, pork and lamb on giant skewers right to your table, and then cut off pieces that you select with massive knives. It was novel, fun and tasty. Randy McDonald ventured: “I’d love to see the damage that a football team would do in here.”

On Thursday morning, we pulled up at The Legends 54-hole complex off Highway 501 to see course employees with parkas and hoods trying to fend off the cold, wind and light rain. It was about 5C when we teed off, everyone wearing layer upon layer, even toques.

The Moorland Course designed by P.B. Dye is broad with links features such as wood planks in bunkers, double fairways and elevated greens, some of which were massive.  The 15^th green is 60 yards long, rising about eight feet up to a tier. Our group hit about 20 putts from the front and only one of us got it within six feet.

Afterwards, we got boxed lunches to go and bolted back to True Blue for nine. Despite being closed the day before, the course was surprisingly playable. Designed by the late Mike Strantz, True Blue has a lot going on, but it all seems to work into a seamless hole. True Blue is No. 87 on Golf Digest’s list of top 100 U.S. public courses.

True Blue is not as funky as his famous Tobacco Road in North Carolina, but Strantz was an incredibly creative architect who managed to create exciting golf holes that are inviting, captivating and very playable.

He weaved multi-shaped waste bunkers sprinkled with love grass throughout the course that not only add eye candy, but also make it very easy to scoot around in carts, rather than being restricted—especially on wet days—to a single cart path. I also love how he runs bunkers into water.

We had a great match that included my opponent David Cowx holing out a 6-iron for a two on No. 6. The match required a playoff on 10 with Jean-Sébastien Légaré sinking a 20-foot birdie putt for the good guys, and then we played 16, 17 and 18.

The finishing holes at True Blue are also amazing, particularly the view from the 18^th tee with a giant pond flanking the left side and the blue, wooden clubhouse behind the green. Due to a tall bunker wall bordering the pond, you cannot see much of the fairway that turns left, so it’s a semi-blind tee shot and a touch scary.

Our last dinner was at Frank’s Outback, just a down Highway 17. It was neat. We sat in a part of the restaurant made with canvas; it’s like you’re in a giant tent. To keep us warm, there are heaters like you find in hockey arenas hanging from the ceiling. The wonderful food ranges from seafood to steak, and a few guys stayed consistent. Asked what he does for a living, Jackson Hayes remarked, “I eat meat.”

We boarded our flight back to Niagara Falls dark and early on Friday morning as rain continued to sprinkle. Of course, within a few days, the usual weather in Myrtle Beach for November had returned—highs in the low 20s and sunshine.

Oh well, great golf trips always involve lots of stories, and this one had plenty.

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