Great Golf! The Pearl!
The Pearl’s fast rolling greens and finely manicured fairways are cut through the southern North Carolina forest and border the coastal marshland and Calabash River.
This dramatic property has been enhanced with an array of gardens and water features that add to the difficulty and splendor of each hole.
In addition to the magnificent landscaping, The Pearl is home to a variety of wildlife. You’ll share the course with herons, egrets, eagles, deer, and our resident gators. The Pearl is as challenging as it is beautiful.
In 1988, one year after it opened, The Pearl was nominated “Best New Public Course” by Golf Digest. Both Courses have also been ranked 
among the top courses in the Carolinas.
The Pearl East is a traditional course and The Pearl West is a links style course. Select East or West below for more in depth description of each course and hole by hole tips.
888-947-3275 – 910-579-8131 Click Here to download our scorecards
Insider’s Guide to NC’s South Coast & Wilmington
Save $6.00 off! If you want to know what the locals know, the Insider’s Guide is for you.
Written by longtime locals and true insiders who offer personal and practical perspectives that readers trust.
The Insider’s Guide to NC’s Southern Coast & Wilmington takes you to the clean, quiet, family oriented beaches of North Carolina’s Southern Coast and introduces you to the intriguing city of Wilmington, including the historic downtown riverfront.
Regular Cover Price: $15.95
On Sale:
$9.95 Buy it at http://Islands-Art.com
Sea Trail 3 Night/3 Round Pkg.
March 13, 2011 by Gary
Filed under Great Golf Package Deals
Three Night/Three Round All Inclusive Package From $201: Read more
Legends 3 Nite/3 Course: $216
November 23, 2010 by Gary
Filed under Great Golf Package Deals
Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort The Winds Resort Beach Club and play any 3 of the 4 Legends courses and receive lunch and 2 beers at their clubhouse.
- Legends’ Oyster Bay course is on the northern end of Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand in Sunset Beach, N.C
- Centrally located just off Highway 501 in Myrtle Beach, Heathland Moorland and Parkland courses are nestled within the Scottish-inspired Legends Golf & Resort.
Package includes:
- 3 Nights Lodging
- Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
- Daily Round of Golf Any Three Of The Legend’s Four Courses
- Courses are Oyster Bay, Heathland, Moorland and Parkland
- All Cart Fees
- All Greens Fees
- Daily Housekeeping
Prices based on 2 golfers in a *Camellia Guest Room. 4 golfers in a 2 bdrm/2 bath suite or 8 golfers in a 4 bdrm/4 bath Resort House. *Camellia Guest Rooms are non – oceanfront, rates are available for oceanfront one bedroom suites -please call for details.
To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk
Willard Byrd Course at Sea Trail
Sea Trail Golf Resort is home to layouts designed by the Open Doctor, Rees Jones, Dan Maples, who has designed more Myrtle Beach golf courses than any other architect, and Willard Byrd, who completed the trio with the opening of his course in 1990.
On the name recognition index, Byrd doesn’t enjoy the cache of his Sea Trail compatriots, but his work at the Sunset Beach, N.C., facility might be the best of the bunch. The Willard Byrd Course at Sea Trail has an ideal combination of playability, challenge and value that appeals golfers.
The Byrd course isn’t particularly long, playing 6,750 yards from the blue tees and 6,251 yards from the white tees (where most of us play), so long, forced carries and the need for a space-age driver are minimized.
Byrd created a layout that allows golfers ample opportunity to hit the driver, but doesn’t make length a prerequisite for success. The course, which has seven doglegs of varying severity, rewards shot-making and creativity, challenging players to hit a variety of shots.
Those challenges are what make the course appealing to low-handicappers despite the relative lack of length.
“Byrd is more demanding on the good golfer,” head pro Eddie Pratt said. “That’s why they like to play it.”
Mid to high handicappers are fond of Byrd because it isn’t overly penal from the white tees. Regardless of your handicap, Byrd rewards players that pay attention to where they are hitting the ball. Playing to the proper side of the dogleg and awareness of hazards are vital success.
“It’s more of a shot-makers course,” Pratt said. “It’s not a course where you hit it, find it and hit again.”
The Byrd Course is home to several large man-made lakes – the biggest is 20 acres – but the water isn’t an overbearing threat. The course’s fairways are plenty wide, giving players ample room to find the short grass.
The key to success lies in a player’s ability to execute with short irons. There aren’t many long approaches, but the greens are well guarded, most of them surrounded by sand. If you miss a green, you will likely be chipping out of or over a bunker.
If the threat of missing the green weren’t enough, hitting it hardly ensures success. The Byrd Course’s greens are often large and multi-tiered, so hitting the right part of the green is vital to scoring well.
One thing players don’t have to worry about is the condition of the greens. Sea Trail installed new Champions Bermuda on the greens as part of a two-year project, and the results have been well received.
The par 3, seventh hole on the Byrd Course is head pro Eddie Pratt’s favorite hole.
Par 3s
The par 3s are Byrd’s strongest collection of holes. The seventh, a 190-yarder, is Pratt’s favorite hole on the course and the 186-yard 12th isn’t far behind. Both holes require relatively long tee shots over sand and require a sturdy commitment to your club selection. They encapsulate what’s so enjoyable about the Byrd Course – a good score is very much within reach but It must be earned.
The 174-yard second hole requires a carry across one of the (alligator filled) man-made lakes to another three-tiered green. The 16th is the longest par 3 from the blue tees, playing 202 yards, but the shortest from the white tees (155 yards). With no water and healthy size green, it’s the easiest hole on the back nine, according to the scorecard.
Par 4s
Byrd’s par 4s speak to its reputation as a player friendly course. While the par 4s feature several doglegs, not one of them plays longer than the 392-yard fifth hole from the white tees. Setting the fifth hole aside, there isn’t another par 4 that stretches to 380 yards from the white tees. With even minimal distance off tee, players will have manageable approaches.
A prime example is the fourth hole (407 blue/378 white), which features an almost 90-degree dogleg left. A 225-yard drive from the white tees will leave players well positioned, but a waste bunker runs along the left side and mounds on the right complicate any mistake in that direction.
The aforementioned fifth hole is the course’s hardest. In addition to being long and straight, the hole has subtle elevation change.
“On the tee box it looks flat but there is a steady incline,” says Pratt. “You are always hitting one or two more clubs than you expected on your second shot.
The most difficult hole on the back nine, according to the scorecard, is the 400-yard, 10th hole, a dogleg right with sand on both sides of the fairway, and a relatively small green.
The final two-shotter is the 382-yard 17th hole. Long hitters can bomb away but a lake runs up the entire left side of the fairway and mounding on the right can punish a slice. The 17th green is classic Byrd; it’s large – 39 yards deep – but surrounded by four bunkers.
The third hole is a 525-yard par 5.
Par 5s
The par 5s on the Byrd Course offer players a couple chances to pick up strokes.
The third hole (535 blue/468 white) is relatively short but it has a severe dogleg right. A large waste bunker and a tree on the right side make cutting the corner difficult. Play this one by the book and be content to reach the green in regulation. The ninth hole isn’t complicated. It’s long and straight. If you can get home it two from the 542 yards on the blue tees (or 517 from the whites) more power to you. Most of us can’t.
Opportunity potentially beckons on the 13th hole (528 blue/493 white), but there is a significant risk-reward component. The hole is straight but each side of the fairway sports a large bunker and one of the course’s lakes runs in front of the green. Long hitters can go for the green in two, but you better be certain you can get there. Any ball that is short will be wet.
The 18th is regarded by many as Byrd’s easiest hole. It’s short (468 blue/442 white) and not overly tight, giving many players the opportunity to go for the green in two, assuming your drive is in the fairway.
The Verdict: The Byrd Course at Sea Trail doesn’t receive the accolades of its Grand Strand brethren (including the on-site Jones Course), but it’s a good layout with good conditions. There isn’t much housing, and players have the opportunity to score if they play well. If you are a low handicapper, play from the blue tees and enjoy the challenge.
In short, if the Byrd Course offers value and challenge, a combination everyone seeks on a Myrtle Beach golf trip.
Spirit To Launch Non-Stop Service
Non-Stop Service From 5 New Markets, Including Washington, DC
It just got a lot easier for residents of Washingon, DC, Pittsburgh, Charleston, WV, Montreal, Buffalo, Toronto and Niagara Falls to take a Coastal Carolina golf trip!
Spirit Airlines introduced the next phase of the ultra low cost carrier’s Grand Strand expansion as it announced non-stop service to five new cities from Myrtle Beach. Effective May 5, 2011, Spirit will begin seasonal service to the following new markets:
• Washington, DC Reagan National Airport – daily non-stop service to our Capital’s close-in airport.
• Plattsburgh, NY – four times per week.
Located in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York on the shores of Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh is centrally positioned near Albany, New York; Burlington, Vermont; and Montreal, Canada.
• Niagara Falls, NY (near Buffalo, New York and Toronto, Canada) – three times per week.
In addition to Niagara Falls being a tourist destination in itself, the Niagara Falls International Airport is also conveniently located near Buffalo, New York, and just across the border from Toronto, Canada.
• Latrobe, PA – four times per week.
Located in southwestern Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh.
• Charleston, WV – three times per week.
State Capital serving all of West Virginia.
To celebrate, Spirit is offering $9 introductory fares* (each way based on round trip purchase) available today and tomorrow only at www.spiritair.com.
Schedule for Spirit’s Myrtle Beach (MYR) – Washington, DC (DCA) seasonal service effective May 5, 2011:
Depart Arrive Flight # Stops Frequency
From Myrtle Beach to Washington, DC: 10:05 pm 11:30 pm 548 0 Daily
From Washington, DC to Myrtle Beach: 6:00 am 7:25 am 547 0 Daily
Schedule for Spirit’s Myrtle Beach (MYR) – Charleston, WV (CRW) seasonal service effective May 5, 2011:
Depart Arrive Flight # Stops Frequency
From Myrtle Beach to Charleston, WV: 6:15 pm 7:30 pm 278 0 Tue, Thur, Sun
From Charleston, WV to Myrtle Beach: 4:10 pm 5:25 pm 279 0 Tue, Thur, Sun
Schedule for Spirit’s Myrtle Beach (MYR) – Latrobe, PA (LBE) seasonal service effective May 5, 2011:
Depart Arrive Flight # Stops Frequency
From Myrtle Beach to Latrobe: 6:10 pm 7:30 pm 412 0 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
From Latrobe to Myrtle Beach: 4:20 pm 5:35 pm 415 0 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
Schedule for Spirit’s Myrtle Beach (MYR) – Plattsburgh, NY (PBG) seasonal service effective May 5, 2011:
Depart Arrive Flight # Stops Frequency
From Myrtle Beach to Plattsburgh: 3:50 pm 5:55 pm 820 0 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
From Plattsburgh to Myrtle Beach: 1:15 pm 3:20 pm 819 0 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
Schedule for Spirit’s Myrtle Beach (MYR) – Niagara Falls, NY (IAG) seasonal service effective May 5, 2011:
Depart Arrive Flight # Stops Frequency
From Myrtle Beach to Niagara Falls: 3:20 pm 5:05 pm 226 0 Tue, Thur, Sun
From Niagara Falls to Myrtle Beach: 1:00 pm 2:45 pm 289 0 Tue, Thur, Sun
$9 Introductory Fares* (each way based on round trip purchase):
One-Way Applicable date
Myrtle Beach – Washington, DC $9 5/10/11, 5/13/11, 5/17/11, 5/20/11, 6/8/11, 6/10/11, 6/15/11, 8/5/11, 8/9/11, 8/19/11
Washington, DC – Myrtle Beach $9 5/7/11, 5/9/11, 5/10/11, 5/18/11, 6/1/11, 6/7/11, 6/11/11, 8/2/11, 8/13/11, 8/16/11
Myrtle Beach – Charleston, WV $9 5/10/11, 5/12/11, 5/17/11, 5/19/11, 5/24/11, 6/7/11, 6/9/11, 8/9/11, 8/11/11, 8/16/11
Charleston, WV – Myrtle Beach $9 5/8/11, 5/10/11, 5/15/11, 5/17/11, 5/22/11, 5/24/11, 6/5/11, 6/7/11, 8/2/11, 8/7/11
Myrtle Beach – Latrobe $9 5/11/11, 5/13/11, 5/18/11, 5/20/11, 5/25/11, 5/27/11, 6/8/11, 6/10/11, 6/15/11, 6/17/11
Latrobe – Myrtle Beach $9 5/9/11, 5/11/11, 5/16/11, 5/18/11, 5/21/11, 6/6/11, 6/8/11, 6/11/11, 6/13/11, 6/15/11
Myrtle Beach – Plattsburgh $9 5/11/11, 5/13/11, 5/18/11, 5/27/11, 6/1/11, 6/3/11, 6/8/11, 6/10/11, 6/15/11, 6/17/11
Plattsburgh – Myrtle Beach $9 5/9/11, 5/10/11, 5/11/11, 5/17/11, 5/18/11, 5/21/11, 6/7/11, 6/8/11, 6/14/11, 6/15/11
Myrtle Beach – Niagara Falls $9 5/10/11, 5/12/11, 5/17/11, 5/19/11, 5/24/11, 5/26/11, 6/7/11, 6/9/11, 6/14/11, 6/16/11
Niagara Falls – Myrtle Beach $9 5/5/11, 5/10/11, 5/12/11, 5/17/10, 5/19/10, 5/22/11, 5/24/11, 6/7/10, 6/9/11, 6/5/11
About Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines (www.spiritair.com) is the largest Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean. As the unbundling leader in the industry, Spirit allows consumers the option of paying only for the features they value without subsidizing the choices of others. Its all-Airbus fleet flies more than 150 daily flights to 40 destinations. The company is based in South Florida.
Course Review: Meadowlands
Course Review: A Quality Round Awaits at Meadowlands Golf Club
Meadowlands offers people great conditions, value, customer service and consistency of experience, all qualities that people seek in a course.
The parkland layout places an emphasis on playability. There are no blind shots from the middle of the fairway, no elephants buried under the greens, or long forced carries. Meadowlands isn’t a pushover, but it rewards good shots and doesn’t unnecessarily penalize mid to high-handicappers.
A prime example, several years Meadowlands removed 11 bunkers. The bunkers never came into play for low handicap players, but were positioned to gobble up balls hit by golfers who need the most help. The idea wasn’t to ease the challenge but to make sure high handicappers didn’t consistently have to face an additional set of hazards.
“We try to work on making the course as playable as possible,” head pro Mac Hood said. “It’s our job to make the game fun.”
Meadowlands succeeds in making the game enjoyable. The course measures just over 7,000 yards from the tips, but it has four set of tees between 5,041 and 6,591 yards, giving men and women an opportunity to score.
Most men play the heron (6,591 yards) or egret (6,080 yards) tees, and Meadowlands has generous landing areas and large greens. Players don’t have to split the middle of the fairway to have a reasonable approach, but don’t swing wildly as water is in view on 17 of 18 holes.
Meadowlands also has a pair of women’s tees (cardinal – 5,041 yards and hummingbird – 5,512 yards) and has been ranked among the Top 100 Women-Friendly Courses in America. Throw in a newly added set of “family” tees that are typically about 200 yards from the hole, and the course offers a good time for everyone.
While many layouts allow players to ease into the round, architect Willard Byrd challenges players from the opening tee. The first three holes at Meadowlands are demanding par 4s, capped by No. 3, a 480-yard whopper that requires a pair of carries over water.
Even from the heron (455 yards) and egret (408 yards) tees it’s a long hole and the approach over water is a demanding one, though Byrd left bailout room. It’s unquestionably the toughest hole on the course.
Meadowlands relents after the opening holes. The fifth is a short par 5 (484 yards from the tips), and the remaining par 4s offer birdie chances, particularly the seventh and 17th holes, both relatively short.
If you need to pick up a stroke down the stretch, the par 3, 15th hole is the place. The hole is 160 yards from the tips and the green is large and relatively flat. Take dead aim off the tee and on the green.
After your round, Meadowlands features a clubhouse that pays homage to the area’s historic roots in the farming industry. A rough, wood exterior welcomes players into a clubhouse that features a homey feel and it has an expansive back porch overlooking the course and water. It’s a great way to cap a round.
The Verdict: If Meadowlands is on your itinerary, it’s typically an indicator your group leader has done a good job. Players will find a good course, conditions, customer service and value. It’s a recipe for happy golfers and Meadowlands has been serving it for 13 years, much to the delight of players that do their homework.
The Nine Irony By Tom Rieber
The Nine Irony, the latest in the Nick Thomas Mysteries series by Local Author Tom Rieber is now available online.
Nick Thomas is a little bit of all of us; believable, lovable, tough when need be and sensitive. He is a man who got a second chance at life after hitting bottom and turned his life around.
And life was good, that is until one fateful day the walls of his life came crashing down and he finds himself framed and wanted for the murder of his estranged ex-wife.
Nick has no choice but to go underground and try and find the real killer before the police find him.
Pick up your autographed copy and join Tom’s loyal fans. You won’t be disappointed!
Big Cat 3 Nite/3 Course: $205
October 12, 2010 by Gary
Filed under Great Golf Package Deals
Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort (located just 5 -10 minutes away from the courses) and play three great Big Cat Courses:
Lions Paw, Panthers Run, Tigers Eye
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Package includes:
- 3 Nights Lodging
- Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
- Daily Round of Golf On Each Of The Big Cat’s Three Courses
- Courses are Lions Paw, Panthers Run, Tigers Eye
- All Cart Fees
- All Greens Fees
- Daily Housekeeping
Prices based on 2 golfers in a *Camellia Guest Room. 4 golfers in a 2 bdrm/2 bath suite or 8 golfers in a 4 bdrm/4 bath Resort House. *Camellia Guest Rooms are non – oceanfront, rates are available for oceanfront one bedroom suites -please call for details.
To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the Golf Desk
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Click here to learn more about:
Lion’s Paw Golf Club awarded 4 STARS in Golf Digest’s “Places To Play” has been described as the eminent Willard Byrd’s finest work.
Wild and untamed, rustic and quiet, this magnificent course presents a lion’s share of adventure and challenge accompanied by nature’s best scenery.
The finishing hole plays open from the tee and then flows through the trees to the green.Golf Digest also declared Lion’s Paw “The best in the Myrtle Beach area.”
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Panther’s Run was born to be a different kind of challenge. Masterfully designed by Tim Cate, this course meanders through nature preserves and tests your abilities to blend precision with distance.
Wide fairways twist and turn with water features to create visually scenic views. Bring your best game for the especially challenging #4 and be pleased with a score of par! Golf Digest agrees and placed Panther’s Run on their prestigious “Places To Play” list, as well as a “Top 30 in Myrtle Beach” rating from Links Magazine.
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Tiger’s Eye Golf Links is another dazzling design by Master Architect Tim Cate. Opened in 2000 with 18 unforgettable holes, this big cat is tough to tame, featuring 60 foot elevation changes, undulating fairways, sparkling lakes and a stunning par three island green. In 2007, Golf Digest ranked it among their “Top 100 U.S. Public Courses.”
Be sure to take a moment to enjoy the Tiger’s Eye clubhouse veranda and the stunning panoramic view- truly every golfer’s dream!
To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk
The Glens 3 Nite/3 Course: $237
October 11, 2010 by Gary
Filed under Great Golf Package Deals
Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort….
Play all three Glens Courses - Shaftsbury Glen, Glen Dornoch, Heather Glen:
Package includes:
- 3 Nights Lodging
- Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
- Daily Round of Golf On Each Of The Glen’s Three Courses
- Courses are Shaftsbury Glen, Glen Dornoch, Heather Glen
- All Cart Fees
- All Greens Fees
- Daily Housekeeping
Prices based on 2 golfers in a *Camellia Guest Room. 4 golfers in a 2 bdrm/2 bath suite or 8 golfers in a 4 bdrm/4 bath Resort House. *Camellia Guest Rooms are non – oceanfront, rates are available for oceanfront one bedroom suites -please call for details.
To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk
Click here to learn more about:
Shaftsbury Glen Architect Clyde Johnston brings back the traditional look. You will think of Winged Foot as you play the newest of Myrtle Beach’s championship courses.This beautiful course should be on your must-play list…just 10 minutes from Restaurant Row via the new Highway 22.
From “Best Places to Play 2004”: The greens here “may be the best on The Strand.” The course is in “excellent shape.” It’s an “enjoyable Myrtle Beach” course that is “waiting to be discovered.” From the Golf Magazine Readers Poll: “The bent greens were the finest I have ever putted.” “Immaculate conditions and superior greens.” “Big beautiful bunkers.” Golf Digest ranking 4 stars.
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Myrtle Beach’s most talked about course.
Glen Dornoch is a masterful tribute to the legendary Donald Ross, in a spectacular setting of centuries old live oaks, marsh and Intracoastal Waterway views.
Here each hole seems to have been crafted by nature rather than by man. And the three finishing holes are among the world’s best.
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This 400-acre historic-site masterpiece burst upon the golf scene in 1987, capturing Golf Digest’s “Best New Public Course in America” honors.
Embraced by ancient oaks and pines, this awesome blend of designers Willard Byrd’s and Clyde Johnston’s talents continues to garner major publications” applause…named to Golf Digest’s “Top 50 Public Courses in America,” “Top 5 in South Carolina,” and Golf Digest’s “Places to Play” 4.5 STARS-2002. And as telling a tribute to the course, is its players’ devotion.
To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk
