The Dunes Golf & Beach Club

If you have an opportunity to play the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, do it!
This course undoubtedly deserves the top rankings it receives. From the minute you drive in the gate, until you put your golf bag in your trunk at the end of the round, you will be impressed with the quality of service, course layout, and course conditions.
The course, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones, was built in 1948, and went through a re-design by Rees Jones in 2003. It presents a classic private country club design with tree-lined fairways.
The course has a rich history of tournament golf, including the Women's U.S. Open and six Senior Tour Champhionships.
While there are many memorable holes at Dunes Club, the 11th is my favorite. It's a dog-leg right that measures 385 yards from the blue tees, and requires a good drive, followed by a challenging approach shot to a finger shaped green extending out into a marshy area. The par 4, 18th (shown above) is another favorite. It also requires a good drive and then a carry over water to a green guarded by bunkers - a tough, but memorable, finishing hole.

When you finish your round, take time to get a drink and a bite to eat at the clubhouse and take a look at the memorabilia from the Senior Tour Champion Tournaments.
While the Dunes Club is a private club, they do allow some public play through a limited number of package companies. If you would like to play this Myrtle Beach gem, call Golf Packages of the Carolinas at 1-877-732-6999 to set up your round.

Myrtle Beach Golf Course Happenings

Grande Dunes Resort Course was named Course of the Year for 2008 by the South Carolina Golf Course Owners association. Grande Dunes is a superb facility with great service and certainly deserves this honor.
Renovation work continues at Pine Lakes Golf Country Club (The Granddaddy), and a March 2009 re-opening is expected. This venerable track, the oldest golf course in the area, has undergone a complete transformation and promises to be something special.
Thistle Golf Club recently unveiled its new clubhouse, and it’s a beauty! There’s no other club facility in area that can match it in terms of size or amenities. If you get a chance, drop by and check it out. Oh, and play that great 27-hole golf course while you’re at it!
The staff at Crow Creek Golf Club expects to move into their new clubhouse at the beginning of September. That will be a nice step up for this area favorite, which is always in great shape.
Several area courses have been undergoing greens renovations this summer. Myrtle Beach National’s Southcreek Course installed new Mini-Verde greens, as did Eagles Nest. Sandpiper Bay also installed Mini-Verde on nine of its 27-holes. The course plans to replace the bentgrass greens on the other two nine-hole courses during the next two summers. Mini-Verde is a Bermuda-type grass that has a high tolerance for heat and offers a smooth surface similar to bentgrass. Several other courses in the area, including the TPC of Myrtle Beach, have gone to Mini-Verde in the last few years. Sea Trail Resort’s Willard Byrd Course also renovated nine greens this summer, installing Champions Bermuda. The remaining nine holes will be converted to Champions Bermuda next summer.
Eastport Golf Club will re-open this fall after being closed for about two years. It will be interesting to see how the course rebounds after lying dormant while its fate was being decided. It looks like Jaguar’s Lair, the next Big Cat course will not be opening in the near future due to the lagging real estate market. The sister course to Lion’s Paw, Panther’s Run, Tiger’s Eye, and Leopard’s Chase has been under construction and uses parts of the both Angel’s Trace North and South courses, which were closed about two years ago. It looks like nine holes have been completed, but we hear that a slowdown in sales of home sites around the course have forced the owner to hold back on further work at the course.

Thistle Golf Club

Had the pleasure of playing Thistle golf course last week.

A fantastic Tim Cate design, Thistle receives high marks for service and course condition. The fairways, tee boxes, and greens are skillfully manicured. Thistle is an excellent 27-hole course.

The recent opening of their tremendous clubhouse, featuring an appealing arrangement of stone, brick and mortar, has enhanced the total golf experience at this wonderful facility.

Unfortunately, my golf game on this day was not as consistent as the course condition or as pretty as the layout. While a scenic links-style course, Thistle offers some of the stouter par 5’s on the beach. The 7th hole on the west 9 is a par 5 where par is an excellent score. The 7th hole on the west 9 measures 555 yards from the championship tee. If you are fortunate enough to traverse through the two forced carries over wetlands, there is a well-bunkered two-tier green awaiting you. Any errant approach shot to this green will result in a bogey, or worse.

The greens were in immaculate shape. Pin placements on this day made three putting from any distance more than 12 feet from the hole a realistic scenario. For more information on this great course or to attain a golf proposal with Thistle included, please do not hesitate to contact one of our golf directors at 877-732-6999 or golf@seasidegolf.com

Why Use a Golf Package Company? Because You'll Save BIG MONEY!

Many people are skeptical of golf package companies. Why should they use one, when they can do it all themselves?
The answer: To save money & time.
Save Money.
If you shop around just a few minutes on the Internet, you will save money by using a reputable golf package company. I guarantee it. Why? Because golf package companies buy golf and lodging at wholesale rates. This means they can purchase a round of golf and a night of lodging at less than the market price, and sell it at less than market price. This saves you money.
Save Time.
A reputable package company knows what is going on in their market. They know which courses are in good shape, and which ones will give you a good value. They play the courses and know which courses will work for your group and which ones you should avoid. If you live out of the area, you will have to spend a lot of time to develop this information. In addition, once you develop the information, you have to know if something changes over time, such as course conditions. A reputable company will stay on top of course conditions and let you know if something changes. At the very least, they will be your advocate if something goes awry during you trip. The golf package company will have more pull with a course or lodging provider because they deal with them on a daily basis.
Here's an example.
The Big Cat Pack is our most popular Myrtle Beach golf package. It has 3 nights of lodging and 3 rounds of golf. Lodging is in a 2-bedroom golf villa, and golf includes 1 round on each of these courses: Lion's Paw, Panther's Run & Tiger's Eye. If you were coming in on October 9, 2008 and leaving on October 12, 2008, our price would be $279 per person. That price is based on 4 people sharing a 2-bedroom villa, and includes lodging, green fees, cart fees, and taxes. There are no additional charges. If you tried to set that same package up yourself you would pay $383 per person. That's a savings of 27%!!!!! You will pay $270 per person instead of $383 per person.
How do you find a reputable golf package company?
Ask questions, and check them out. See if they are members of the Better Business Bureau, or the Chamber of Commerce. Ask them for references from golf courses and lodging providers. See if they are members of local, national or international organizations.
Golf Packages of the Carolinas is an independent golf package company. That means we are not owned by a hotel, resort, or golf course. We are members of the Better Business Bureau of Coastal Carolina, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce, and the International Association of Golf Course Operators (IAGTO). We will give you an objective opinion of golf courses and lodging choices. We specialize in Myrtle Beach golf packages, and also provide packages for Hilton Head, Charleston (SC), Florida, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, and other international destinations. Our membership in IAGTO also allows us to refer clients to reputable golf package companies in markets that we don't service.
For more information, please call 1-877-732-6999, or visit our web site http://www.seasidegolf.com/.