Myrtle Beach Fall Specials

September through December is a great time to visit Myrtle Beach for a golf package. Temperatures have cooled down and the beach crowds are gone, while lodging and course rates are lower than the spring.

Pitfalls to watch out for during these months are course conditions and hurricane season. Courses with bent grass greens will “punch” (aerate) their greens in September, and nearly all courses will overseed their fairways in late October or early November. It generally takes at least two weeks for greens to recover from aeration, and overseeding will result in “cart path only” conditions for at least 2 weeks. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the historical peak in early to mid-September, although Mother Nature does not always pay attention to the calendar. We can help you navigate the aeration and overseeding schedules of the courses, but we recommend that you consider purchasing travel insurance to protect yourself against hurricanes and other problems that may arise before or during your trip (please see the next article).

Please visit our Fall Specials page to see a good sample of packages that take advantage of great lodging and golf courses rates.

We Believe In Travel Insurance!

During the last three years, two members of our staff had vacation plans cancelled or cut short due to emergencies. In one case, our employee found out that he needed emergency surgery just days before he and his family were to embark on a 7-day cruise. In the other instance, our employee was notified of the death of an immediate family member. In each case, travel insurance policies saved our people a significant amount of money (about $1,200 in one instance, and nearly $7,000 in the other). We are now firm believers in considering travel insurance whenever we travel.

Here are some good reasons to consider purchasing travel insurance:
1. Your flight is cancelled or you miss a connection.
2. Your bags are lost or delayed.
3. You lose or damage your eyeglasses or require prescription drug replacement.
4. You lose your wallet and require an emergency cash advance.
5. You have to cancel or interrupt your trip due to illness.
6. A hurricane forces cancellation or interruption of your trip.

We usually purchase our travel insurance from Travel Insured International, and we are agents for this company. You can get a free quote by clicking on this link:

Ryder Cup 2010 Packages

Golf Packages of the Carolinas is pleased to offer travel packages to attend the 2010 Ryder Cup being held at the Celtic Manor Golf Club in Newport, South Wales, from October 1 – 3, 2010. These packages include Thursday through Sunday tickets to the match, lodging in your choice of several hotels, daily transportation from the hotel to the Ryder Cup, breakfast, taxes and gratuities.

7 Myrtle Beach Area Courses On America’s Greatest Courses List

Seven Myrtle Beach area golf courses appear on Golf Digest's 2009 - 2010 list of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses.

The 2009 - 2010 list includes the following courses (ranking shown in parenthesis):

The Heritage Club (#33)
The Dunes Golf & Beach Club (#38)
Tidewater Golf Club & Plantation (#41)
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club (#66)
Grande Dunes - Resort Course (#77)
Barefoot Resort & Golf - Fazio Course (#96)
Barefoot Resort & Golf - Dye Course (#99)

Last year there were ten area courses on this list. Four courses fell off the list and one was added. The Grande Dunes - Resort Course is a newcomer to the list. The four that dropped from the list are Tiger's Eye, River's Edge, King's North, and True Blue. We don't believe these courses decreased in quality, for the most part. We think they were "pushed" off by other courses that gained in popularity and quality. For instance, the newcomer, Grande Dunes - Resort Course, has continued to gain in quality and name recognition as the course has matured since its opening in 2001. In our opinion, it is definitely a better course now then it was 2 or 3 years ago. This is supported by the fact that the National Golf Course Owners Association named it the 2009 National Golf Course of the Year. Meanwhile, we don't believe that Tiger's Eye, King's North and True Blue have slipped at all. They are still great courses. River's Edge has struggled with the conditions of its greens the last few years, so we can see where it could fall off the list. However, the course is renovating its greens this summer, so we hope to see it come back to prominence.

The bottom line here is that the Myrtle Beach area still has more courses appearing on the list than any other area (more than Kiawah, Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst, Las Vegas, Robert Trent Jones Trail, etc.). You should really consider playing one of these courses the next time you are in Myrtle Beach. Our golf directors can steer you to the best values and help you build a package that meets your budget. Please contact us at 1-800-732-6999 to get the ball rolling.