The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Spread along the shores of South Carolina’s Atlantic coast, and once the hideaway of pirates like Blackbeard, Myrtle Beach is one of America’s top resort destinations, a glorified Blackpool in the sun, plus golf. Whether it’s for a weekend break or a family holiday, everything is provided.
Deep sea fishing, parasailing, funfairs and amusements, daily shows, aquariums. The ‘Grand Strand’ alone consists of 60 miles of stunning beaches, hotels, condos and campsites, and more then 80 golf courses. 14 million visitors annually come to experience Myrtle Beach, and more than 3 million rounds of golf are registered.
The courses, designed by Joe Fazio, Pete Dye, Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus are world-renowned, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club (Robert Trent Jones) was described by Lee Trevino as a “fabulous golf course.” (Probably because he won.) The 2nd PGA Tour Myrtle Beach Classic will be held there on 8th May, and will have a $3 million dollar purse.
200 miles south of Myrtle Beach lies Hilton Head island. When the RBC Heritage Classic is held there Tour players bring their families to stay at the Sea Pines Resort for the week. Americans say Hilton Head island is classy and expensive, Myrtle Beach is downmarket but more fun.
Justin Thomas’s usual caddie Matt Minister, off work with a back injury, must have been as sick as a parrot watching Justin collect the RBC Heritage winners cheque, his first PGA Tour victory since 2022, and his stand-in caddie Joe Greiner picking up a six-figure bonus cheque. After collecting their loot they probably both celebrated by heading up to Myrtle Beach for Big Macs and GoKarts.
Some three hundred miles up the coast in Charlotte, North Carolina, Quail Hollow Club will hold the PGA Championship from May 15-18th. Rory McIlroy won his first Wells Fargo Championship in 2010 at Quail Hollow aged 20. He then proceeded to win it again in 2015, 2021 and 2024.
The organisers are probably fed up with giving him the trophy every time, they even lengthened and altered the course to fool him but to no avail.
Considered one of the best courses in the US, measuring 7,442 yards from the tips, it is one of the most challenging courses on Tour averaging almost one stroke over par per round.
The last three holes on the course, the Green Mile, include a lake on the par 4 16th and par 3 17th, and a creek along the left of the par 4 18th. The one-shot 17th has become the course’s signature hole, requiring a forced water carry of some 200 yards to a sloping green, Keegan Bradley said: “There’s just no letup on that course.”
Several players call Quail Hollow home, including Webb Simpson and Harold Varner. Rory McIlroy could call it home too, especially if he wins the PGA Championship this month.
The name of Ping’s new BunkR wedge gives you a clue as to it’s purpose, To help you get out of bunkers.
Ping say: “The wide sole and iconic EYE2-style shaping enables golfers to employ a normal, square-faced technique to get up and down from the bunker. A key element of the BunkR’s design is it’s friendly bounce. The club moves through the sand with ease, minimising resistance, and the 64° loft allows golfers to pop the ball high into the air and land it softly onto the green.”
Great, instead of the old Sand Servant we used to buy for £29.99 we can now pay £199 to do exactly the came thing. Good work Ping!
DAVID LEADBETTER TIP: When facing a water hazard focus on a target high up behind where you want your ball to go. Seek out anything on the horizon, like a hill or a tree, and visualise your ball soaring towards it then dropping on to your intended target. Worth a try at La Serena, where on average a duck gets hit twice a week (and he’s getting very fed up with it.)
Until next time: Happy Golfing.
Contact Mick for regripping and repairs. 638 859 475.
