– This is a given. If you’re in search of a golf destination Myrtle Beach will never let you down. So many courses, an oceanfront location for beach goers, lots of other entertainment options, lodging and dining options. It’s all there.
I’ve made annual trips to MB for about 15 years and played multiple rounds each time. One question I’ve regular gotten is `What’s the best course there?’ and my answer is always the same — `Probably the last course I played there.’
We attacked that issue a little differently this year during a Golf Travel Writers of America stay that involved playing three of the best layouts in Founders Group International, Myrtle Beach’s largest golf course ownership group. Founders has 21 courses spread over 18 facilities and also owns MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com, the leading provider for stay-and-play golf packages and online tee times in the area.
This time we won’t be tricked into considering what course is “the best.’’ Instead we’ll focus on which is the “most important.’’
That’s easy. It’s Pine Lakes.
“We have a fun year coming up,’’ said Kurtis Kuhn, Pine Lakes general manager. “We’re still working on a lot of things, but we’ll try to market it more as Myrtle Beach turning 100. The celebration won’t just be about us but about Myrtle Beach golf.’’
Parts of Pine Lakes’ past have been reported, but more will be revealed in the next couple years. For now it’s a public course with 275 golfing members. There are also some social members, but Pine Lakes has never had a famous player as its representative or hosted a particularly big tournament. And, the course has no real estate component.
“In the beginning it probably was private,’’ said Kuhn. “We may have a membership push, but Pine Lakes will never be fully private. Anybody can play here.’’
Pine Lakes is the oldest course among Myrtle Beach’s courses. It opened in 1927, and the second one, the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, didn’t open until 1948. The community once had over 100 courses, but now the number is back in double digits thanks to a changing economy.