The Grand Strand is worth celebrating in 2018
The Grand Strand is worth celebrating in 2018
THE GOLF RECESSION that started in the mid-2000s and ran into the 2010s was somewhat devastating . In 2013 alone , nearly 200 courses nationwide reportedly shuttered their doors .
The golfing mecca along South Carolina ’ s northern coastline was not immune , as more than 20 courses closed up shop in a span of 18 years .
It makes 2018 that much more special for a handful of Founders Group International options in the area . Three courses under that company ’ s umbrella will celebrate their 30th anniversaries this year , while two more will reach significant milestones of their own .
Four different design groups were responsible for the layouts , and the five courses in and around Myrtle Beach span the north end of the 60-mile stretch known as the Grand Strand all the way down to its southern-most course . There is a major renovation project , as well as another that outlasted two other full 18s on its own property .
Now , their unique offerings have them each ready to pop some champagne .
NICKLAUS AND NICKLAUS No one would fully credit the Golden Bear with the Myrtle Beach golf boom of the 1990s . After all , the likes of Robert Trent Jones and Arnold Palmer had previously designed courses There . Still , when Nicklaus signed on as the primary architect for two courses simultaneously , it bolstered the area with one of the biggest names to ever grab a club or lay out a course .
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