2

Myrtle Beach, SC — Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, Portrush, Myrtle Beach — the names conjure images for the devoted golfer.

Myrtle Beach, you may be thinking, sounds a bit out of place. You don’t hear it mentioned as a bucket list destination nor has it hosted any major championship. But after a week at the 38th World Amateur, I have a newfound appreciation for this mecca of golf.

Along an Atlantic Coast strand of about 50 miles, there are close to 100 golf courses in the greater Myrtle Beach area. And the layouts are beautiful with streams and lakes crossing properties of giant Carolina pines with sandy soil conducive to good golfing turf and available for bunkers and nasty “waste areas” to be avoided.

The World Amateur is sponsored by a consortium of golfing and tourism interests in this booming seaside destination 90 miles north of Charleston and Kiawah Island where Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship in dramatic fashion last May.

Howie Alexander and George Rowe of Tyler and Randy King of Texarkana were with me in our pursuit of serious golf for a week, having been thwarted for two years now by the pandemic in our efforts to get back to Northern Ireland for the Causeway Coast Amateur. So King suggested the World Amateur in Myrtle Beach and we thought “why not.”

Our foursome joined 3,000 of our closest friends in a competition for four days on 56 different courses. There were more than 63 flights of 50 golfers determined by age and average scores back home, aka a certified golf handicap. Each flight was assigned a rotation of four courses with King and Alexander paired with me in one flight and Rowe in another.

Before delving into the angst involved in competitive golf for the ardent amateur, an exploration into the appeal of Myrtle Beach seems in order. Unlike Hilton Head to the south, or Pinehurst to the north, there is no element of wealth or elitism often associated with golf. And that’s a good thing. The working man loves golf as much or more than the professional or business person.

“It seems this is all about premium golf courses at discount prices, “ Alexander said as we marveled at signs leading to golf courses appearing on just about every corner like gas stations in other towns.

Alexander, King and I played Pine Lakes, International Club, Wild Wing Plantation and Pawley’s Plantation, all good golf courses. Rowe played Litchfield, Glen Dornoch, Arcadian Shores and Oyster Bay, with Glen Darnoch his favorite. Then in true golfnut fashion, we played the TPC Myrtle Beach just for fun on our final day before heading home.

Each of us had our favorites with Alexander the low man at the International Club, a tight layout with out of bounds and lateral water hazards on just about every hole. Alexander was able to play the shorter course well while King, a bomber, much preferred the longer and more open Pine Lakes.

My favorite was the Avocet course at Wild Wings Plantation, a beautiful and demanding course designed by Jeff Brauer of Arlington, in collaboration with 3-time major champion Larry Nelson. Brauer brought some of the same concepts at Avocet to East Texas in his work several years ago at the Tempest Golf Club near Longview.

Now about the trauma of medal play, counting every stroke for four days. The tournament had one local adjustment — a maximum of a 9 for any hole. I met that maximum on my final day at Pawley’s Plantation, a Jack Nicklaus design through the marshland and brackish on Pawley Island, a barrier reef about 15 miles south of Myrtle Beach. It is a gorgeous setting but devilishly difficult. Marshland is intimidating and it swallowed my ball on the par-5 14th hole and that, coupled with another 3-putt effort on the green, resulted in my tap-in for a cursed 9. It reminded me of that old Beatles tune, “number 9, number 9.”

Before the tournament, I set a 360 total as my goal which translates to 90 for each round. I thought it attainable for a guy with a 13.2 handicap that is trending northwards. And so I found myself grinding big time the final nine holes, hitting some good shots to have a chance with a birdie on my final hole.

On my 72nd hole, a tight but short 350-yard par 4, I pushed my drive into the trees but got a good ricochet back onto some hard dirt 200 yards from the green. A good 3-hybrid left me short of the green but close with a chance to chip in and make my goal. But in “strictly amateur” fashion, the chip was short and I missed my par putt for a 94 and a 362 total for 72 holes.

It was ugly but keep in mind we putted out every putt and there were no mulligans or a “breakfast ball,” as the starter at TPC described the second drive off the first tee that many courses allow. Alexander was mortified when he learned I had clipped him by a single shot for the four days of labor during our vacation. King and Rowe fared better but that was expected. King is powerful and Rowe a smooth swinger of the golf club with great knowledge of this most difficult game.

More than the golf, it was meeting the people that was most rewarding. The first day at Pine Lakes, I met George Sabb, in the car business, from Atlanta; Anthony Rabonza, a firefighter from Los Angeles and Las Vegas; and Blake McSherry, an insurance agent from the Raleigh area of North Carolina. All great guys, as were others I played with the next three days. I especially enjoyed riding in the same cart the third round with Roy Koegler of Western Pennsylvania, a retired steel mill maintenance man who embodies Bernhard Langer’s advice for playing well in your 60s and 70s. Koegler is playing at his high school height and weight!

The final round I played with Michael Doucette of Maine who is also at his high school weight and he had an 83 at Pawley’s Plantation but finished 5th in our flight, the Mid Seniors.

I also remember Ken, the starter at Wild Wings Plantation whose final bit of advice was, “if you can’t play well, have fun anyway.” That was the same advice I received from friends before the tournament.

The great Bobby Jones once said there is no comparison between competitive golf and a friendly weekend round at your local course. So true, for Jones, the greatest amateur golfer ever, decided to retire from competitive golf at the ripe old age of 28.

I’m still torturing myself at 68 but loving it.