The Grand Strand's best just got better
Three of the top public-access golf courses in Myrtle Beach are getting or just got serious upgrades from their ownership group.
Myrtle Beach National’s King’s North course, Pine Lakes Country Club and Grande Dunes Golf Club were already at or near the top of the nearly 100 courses along the Grand Strand. Ongoing or completed renovation projects aim to put all three squarely in the area’s top 10.
All three courses are fun to play and renovations enhance their visual appeal and aid greatly in offering players visual cues on preferred lines of play.
For their ownership, it’s part of a trend. In fact, over the last six years, Founders Group International – which owns and operates the three properties – has invested in upgrades at 12 the 21 courses it owns in the Myrtle Beach area.
Additionally, the group has implemented the online Noteefy booking service at its Myrtle Beach properties. The system allows olayers to register their preferences for specific tee times and dates, then notifies them when those slots open up for reservations.
Myrtle Beach National
King’s North – one of three Arnold Palmer-designed courses at Myrtle Beach National – is so named because Palmer took a hands-on role in designing it. The course opened in 1973. Last year it underwent greens and bunker renovations on the front nine and renovation are now starting on the back nine.
Brandon Johnson, who worked with Palmer Design, is heading up the renovation work. Greens are being restored to their original size and shape, which means some 30,000 square feet in lost putting surface is being added across 18 holes.
Work on the green surrounds is designed to give players more ways to attack the flag. Reshaping fairway and greenside bunkers has helped players identify preferred lines of play to each fairway and green.
King’s North plays to a par of 72 from 4,618 to 7,016 yards. Its slope ranges from 117 to 137, or above average difficulty for the bogey golfer. While there are plenty of trees, a player would have to be wild off the tee to face serious tree trouble.
“Founders Group International is leading the way, not just for those courses, but for the Myrtle Beach market as a whole,” said Chris King who operates Kingfish Communivations, a PR firm that represents Myrtle Beach golf-industry clients.
Pine Lakes
Pine Lakes Country Club is known as “The Granddaddy” or Myrtle Beach golf because it was the area’s first. Built in 1927 and designed by the first president of the PGA of America,, it was the only Myrtle Beach golf course until 1948, when the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, now a PGA Tour stop, opened. Pines Lakes also lays claim to another piece of sports history: It was where Sports Illustrated was founded in 1964.
In 2021, Pine Lakes underwent a renovation in which its bunkers were reshaped and liners were installed to improve drainage. About 1,000 square feet of putting surface was restored across the course. The work returned a a worn course with good bones to the top tier of the Myrtle Beach market.
Pine Lakes plays to a par of 70 from between 4,718 and 6,675 yards. Its slope of between 114 to 135 indicates it presents medium difficulty to the bogey golfer. It has generous fairways with plenty of room for error.
Grande Dunes
Grande Dunes Resort Club, one of the newest in Murtle Beach, was designed by Roger Rulewich and opened in 2000. The course has several holes than run along the Intracoastal Waterway, a waterway that runs 3,000 miles from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico.
The course is hilly and plays between 5,353 and 7,578 yards to a par 0f 72. Its slope of 132 from the white tees and 145 from the tips indicates its well above average difficulty for the bogey golfer. In fact, a yardage book available in the golf shop, is almost a necessity to allow players to pick a safe line from the tee.
Grande Dunes underwent it own renovation three years ago. Overseen by an associate of Rulewich, the project returned the course to as close as possible to Rulewich’s original design, said Tom VanHoogan, the course’s general manager.
Players looking for lodging would do well to consider the Marina Inn, which offers spacious hotel rooms in a variety of sizes, some of which connect to accommodate larger groups, and great service.A good example: A guest Ubering in from the airport at 1 a..m. after a lengthy flight delay encountered a night front desk clerk so cheery and gracious he wondered if his watch was wrong.
The inn caters to boat owners overnighting in its marina. The Marina Inn is just across the Intracoastal Waterway from Grande Dunes, Just off U.S. 17, a main thoroughfare through Myrtle Beach. The inn is 11 miles from Myrtle Beach International Airport.
Featured image King’s North No. 6 courtesy of Myrtle Beach National
Dan Vukelich is the Online Editor of Alabama Golf News. Reach him at dan@alabamagolfnews.com
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