Listen up, masters of the putting game who visit the Grand Strand for your annual golf vacation:
You may have been taken to the cleaners by your long-driving buddies on some of the Myrtle Beach golf courses that don’t test the many facets of the short game as much as you’d have liked.
Now its time for payback. Book your group at a golf course where the greens are the real show, up the ante, and take no prisoners.
Some Grand Strand greens require a little more savvy than the rest. If you’re looking for a golf course that will put your group’s flat sticks to the test, try out one of these five courses that boast some of the area’s best, and most challenging greens.
Oyster Bay Golf Links
Legends Golf Group mogul Danny Young designed Oyster Bay Golf Links with course architect Dan Maples, and those familiar with the sloping greens at the Heritage Club (another Legends course) will be in for the same test here. Oyster Bay features not only some of the area’s best marsh scenery but some of the most diabolically sloping greens along the coast.
The TifEagle Bermuda greens are kept slightly on the slower side as a result, otherwise they’d be practically unplayable.
Like True Blue in Pawleys Island, there’s even a hole here with alternate left-and-right greens, so be sure you’re firing at a green with a flag on it – otherwise that’ll make one difficult two-putt.
The Dunes Golf & Beach Club
When you miss a putt at the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, arguably Myrtle Beach’s most coveted round of golf, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. Because this prestigious club is semi-private, rounds are kept down compared to some of the other clubs that rely solely on tourist play, and it means there will be little chances of spike marks or pitch marks sabotaging your roll.
Rees Jones’ oversaw a renovation of this classic Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course from the 1940s, one of Myrtle’s oldest, and a big part of the upgrade was the installation of faster, A1 bentgrass greens. Keep this in mind and play your approach shots and chip shots below the hole.
Barefoot Resort’s Fazio Course
Putting is loads of fun on Barefoot Resort’s Fazio Course, thanks to smooth, usually lightning-fast A-1 bentgrass greens. That’s the good part. What’s tricky is that Tom Fazio loves his bulldozers, and the greens, with their sheer size, can be difficult to read because its harder to ever feel level on them. Fazio’s shaping is usually more gradual, unlike Pete Dye’s often sharp tiers and ridges, so seemingly insignificant breaks can end up being severe, and vice-versa.
True Blue Golf Plantation
Critics of the late course designer Mike Strantz say that his greens, while original, don’t fit the design of his holes all that often. Whether you appreciate the artistic beauty or loathe the sometimes-bizarre designs of them, you’ll be awestruck by the imaginative complexes at True Blue Golf Plantation. Even better, the TifEagle Bermuda turf is kept in firm and fast condition most times of year. No green is like the other here, so give each putt its due diligence.
Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club
The A.W. Tillinghast-inspired raised greens at Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club are difficult to hit and guarded by large bunkers. They’re also usually very large in nature, so lag-putting is a premium. They aren’t the most sloping greens in Myrtle Beach like Oyster Bay or Heritage Club, but the A1 bentgrass greens are kept in firm and fast condition and the slopes are subtle, so be sure to get in your Camilo Villegas “Spiderman” crouch and get your read down right.
Myrtle Beach Golf: Putt for Dough
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club bursts on to Orlando golf scene with Rees Jones in charge
With the opening of Waldorf Astoria Orlando in October 2009, the iconic hotel brand plunged into the golf business. But with Rees Jones as course designer, Waldorf Astoria ensured it won’t be just another golf resort in an already crowded market.
Carved from a rare piece of vacant wetlands in the heart of Disney, Waldorf Astoria Golf Club was 10 years in the making before it opened in conjunction with the adjoining Waldorf Astoria and Hilton hotels.
This is Jones’ first course design in Orlando, but he’s confident of its place in the region’s golf scene.
“The course is different than any in Orlando, because it has an old, classic look,” Jones said.
The bunkers, in fact, were carved to be reminiscent of hazards designed at courses a century ago.
Jones earned the moniker, “U.S. Open Doctor” for his reconstruction of such classic venues as Bethpage Black and Congressional Country Club. And while Waldorf Astoria Golf Club doesn’t have the history to host a U.S. Open, Jones believes its inviting characteristics could attract the state’s biggest amateur events.
“There’s no housing,” he said, “and the tees and greens are near each other. So if you had a state amateur here, you could easily walk it.”
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club: Design overview
Contrary to most resort golf courses in Orlando that feature generous fairways and large greens, Waldorf Astoria G.C. is more of a shot maker’s delight – particularly around the greens, which are small and elevated with run-off areas. Short-game shots require creativity and precision.
True Florida golf characteristics shine through, though, as eight holes include water hazards off the tee, and eight holes feature water into the green. But most of the water is behind the greens.
Five sets of tees ensure the course is suitable for every level of golfer.
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club: Key holes
Since Jones built Waldorf Astoria Golf Club as a tournament-caliber golf course, it’s no surprise that the meat of the round begins on the back nine and continues until the end.
The 624-yard 12th is the longest hole by 60 yards. Adding insult to injury, it plays into the prevailing southerly wind.
Taking golfers from one extreme to the other, No. 13 is an enticing 322 yards from the tips, the shortest par 4 of the day. But before you quickly pull driver, notice the imposing lake that hugs the entire left side of this dogleg left. It’s a classic risk-reward opportunity.
The 14th and 15th holes take you through the most exposed part of the golf course. With water and bunkers in play off the tee and into the green, just try to hang on if the wind is blowing.
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club’s 17th is a whopping 482 yards from the tips, the longest par 4 on the course.
The home hole is a reachable par 5, but the green falls off on three sides into water.
If you can play Nos. 12 through 18 without getting into too much trouble, you’ll probably beat your partner, whether it’s a friendly game or the Florida Amateur.
Waldorf Astoria Golf Club: The verdict
Because of Orlando’s coffee-table-like topography, golf courses can’t survive on aesthetics alone. Elements of style and service are imperative. As you’d expect from a luxurious hospitality company, Waldorf Astoria pulls out all the stops in this regard, with such items as valet parking, a modern clubhouse and towels dampened at one end for easy club cleaning during your golf round.
The golf course feels like a modern, private club that’s well maintained. Though it’s smack dab in the middle of Disney, you wouldn’t know.
For the high-end, traveling golfer who’s not exactly giddy about a return trip to see Mickey, a stay-and-play at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando will bring that elusive sense of calm to your family vacation. So relax and enjoy the trip. Just remember to keep the wheels greased for that tough stretch on the back nine.
Texas Legends Junior Tour – Championships
The Legends Junior Tour, a joint venture between the Texas Golf Association and the Northern and Southern Texas Sections of the PGA, was established in 2005 under the umbrella of the TGA foundation. By joining forces a tour was created that is the place for top-tier junior golfers to compete, and is unrivaled with respect to depth and quality of the starting fields, as well as providing access to some of the best courses in the state. Junior players, both male and female ages 12-18, who have exhibited the skill level necessary to compete on a more distinguished stage, have the opportunity to compete in professionally managed events conducted by the three leading golf organizations in Texas. In just a few short years, the Legends Junior Tour has grown into one of the largest in the country, annually conducting 20+ competitions across the state, some of which are highlighted below.
HP Byron Nelson Junior Championship
“Winners are different. They’re a different breed of cat.” – Byron Nelson. This Texas Legend certainly knew something about winning, having won 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945. The HP Byron Nelson Junior Championship draws the world’s top junior golfers and warrants them an opportunity to live up to the high standards set by one of golf’s greatest ambassadors. Celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, the HP Byron Nelson Junior Championship has quickly become the top invitational junior event in Texas. Held annually at Dallas’ Lakewood Country Club, past champions have included Ryan Baca in 2000 and 2001, Justin Fraley, KT Livingston, Charlie Holland, Eric Durbin, Alex Moon, Cody Gribble, and two time defending champion Jordan Spieth.
Texas State Junior Championship
The Texas State Junior Championships boasts one of the best fields in the state, with nearly 300 top-level competitors participating. The Championship is held in Austin, and divides the field into four divisions; Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under, Girls 15-18 and Girls 14 & Under. Headed into its 83rd year, this premiere championship annually grants a chance to the best junior golfers in Texas to be crowned a ‘State Champion,’ and join an impressive list of past winners including Ben Crenshaw, Jeff Maggert, Bruce Lietzke, Scott Verplank and Angela Stanford.
George Hannon Invitational
The inaugural Legends Junior Tour George Hannon Invitational got off to a great start this year at Spanish Oaks GC in Bee Cave. The George Hannon Invitational was the brainchild of the Hannon Cup Society, a group dedicated to the preservation of the character and ideals of George “Coach” Hannon. Hannon is a PGA Professional who is best known for coaching the University of Texas Golf Team to two National Championships and for recruiting such future Hall of Famers Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite. Earlier this year the Hannon Cup Society asked the Legends Junior Tour to administer an elite junior tournament that would showcase Austin’s best golfers and golf courses. This annual event will rotate between some of Austin’s finest facilities. The legend of George “Coach” Hannon and his commitment to junior golf will continue to be exemplified through the coming years of the George Hannon Invitational.
Texas Cup Invitational
In just four years, the Texas Cup Invitational has become one of the elite junior events in Texas. Participants are invited based on their play throughout the year on the Legends Junior Tour as well as their Golfweek ranking. This year the Texas Cup returns to The Honors GC in Carrollton October 24-25. An elite field of juniors from Texas and the surrounding region will be looking to join a distinguished list of past winners including Drew Allenspach (2005), Ricky Fowler (2006), Devin Miertschin (2007), and Jack Lempke (2008).
Jackie Burke Cup
The Jackie Burke Cup features 12 players from North Texas versus 12 players from South Texas competing in three forms of play: Foursomes, Four-Ball and Singles. Much like the Ryder Cup, participants earn a place on their respective team by virtue of their play throughout the year. Each team consists of the top-8 players in the Boys 15-18 division, top-2 Boys 14 & Under and top-2 Girls from each region. The South dominated the event its first three years with victories at Champions GC (2005), Spanish Oaks GC (2006) and Whispering Pines GC (2007), but the North captured their first victory last year at Miramont CC. This year’s event is going to be held November 14-15 at Crown Colony GC in Lufkin. Serving as the last Legends Junior Tour event in 2009, the Jackie Burke Cup will once again allow either the North or South to stakes its claim as the premiere region in Texas.
Texas Legends Junior Tour – Spring Break Series Set For March 15-21
he Legends Junior Tour will host the Spring Preview at Gentle Creek GC in Prosper, on March 15-16. This event will be the first Major Championship of the 2010 LJT season. This will be the sixth consecutive year the Legends Junior Tour will host a Championship at Gentle Creek, joining Lakewood Country Club in Dallas as the only two clubs that have hosted a Legends Junior Tour event every year since the Tour’s inception in 2005.
With the typical summer date moved to student’s Spring Break week, Gentle Creek will offer a very different challenge to those only familiar with playing it in the onslaught of Texas heat when the course is fast and dry. The D.A Weibring designed layout demands players are both accurate and long with tee shots and irons. That will not be enough, however, as Gentle Creek also features undulating Bermuda grass greens that test a players putt-reading ability and speed control.
“The golf course will certainly present itself a little differently in March [than in July], there won’t be as much roll, but the greens will be more receptive to approach shots,” said Jim Sanders, Director of Golf at Gentle Creek. “Our membership and staff is very excited to have the Legends Junior Tour out to Gentle Creek again this season.”
As one of four Major Championships, the Spring Preview is also important to many players trying to earn invitations into other events on the Legends Junior Tour schedule. Players can make huge leaps on the Player of the Year Points list, as this event will award double points to the Top 1/3 of the field in all four age divisions (Boys 15-18, Boys 14 & Under, Girls 15-18, Girls 14 & Under). While the season is still young, the point standings are vital to earning exemptions into the HP Byron Nelson Junior and Texas Boys & Girls Junior Championship. The Top-5 finishers in the Boys 15-18 division in the Spring Preview will earn an invitation to the HP Byron Nelson Junior Championship. The Girls Champion will earn an exemption to the State Junior Girls Championship. AJGA tournament exemptions will also be awarded.
The Spring Preview will be the first of two events held during Spring Break. The second event is the third annual Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic. Named after one of Texas’ true golfing legends, the Jimmy Demaret Junior Classic was first held in 2008 at Mr. Demaret’s home course, Onion Creek Club. Last year, the tournament moved to Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Slick Rock Course and this year it moves a little further south to Riverhill CC in Kerrville.
As part of the Legends Junior Tour’s fourth annual Spring Break Series, any player who registers for both Championships will receive a $25 discount off each entry fee. So join us for two nationally-ranked events at two of Texas’ best golf courses!
Koasati Pines Collegiate Classic
Koasati Pines@ Coushatta Kinder,LA
Tournament Dates: 02/15 – 02/16, 2010
Par: 72 72 72
Yardage: 6025 6025 6025
Fin Team Scores
1 Lamar University 320 307 308 935 +71
2 Sam Houston St. U. 314 321 301 936 +72
3 UTSA 328 312 303 943 +79
4 Houston Baptist Univ 323 309 315 947 +83
5 ULM 308 325 317 950 +86
6 South Alabama, U. of 334 321 308 963 +99
7 McLennan CC 330 319 315 964 +100
8 Central Arkansas 332 321 316 969 +105
9 TX A&M CorpusChristi 334 320 317 971 +107
10 McNeese State Univ. 337 323 325 985 +121
11 Redlands CC 332 332 322 986 +122
12 Dallas Baptist Univ. 348 339 329 1016 +152
13 Stephen F. Austin St 343 334 340 1017 +153
14 Centenary College 359 347 338 1044 +180
Fin Name School Scores
1 Julie Aime Lamar 80 73 71 224 +8
2 Balbina Guajardo HBU 79 75 73 227 +11
T 3 Angela Drane ULM 74 77 77 228 +12
T 3 Linda Persson Lamar 79 75 74 228 +12
5 Shelby Hardy Sam Houst. 78 77 74 229 +13
T 6 Kaitlin Higginbotham Rdlnds CC 74 79 77 230 +14
T 6 Meghann Stevens Sam Houst. 79 81 70 230 +14
8 Paige Gibson HBU 78 75 78 231 +15
T 9 Claudia Wolf So Alabama 80 77 78 235 +19
T 9 Rebecca Sorensen Cent. Ark. 80 79 76 235 +19
T 11 Ryann White TAMUCC 82 78 76 236 +20
T 11 Summer Batiste UTSA 85 77 74 236 +20
T 13 Ashley Thorpe Lamar 81 78 78 237 +21
T 13 Jessica Borth Sam Houst. 77 82 78 237 +21
T 13 Lina Lagergren ULM 77 79 81 237 +21
T 13 Sarah Nicholas Mclnan CC 80 79 78 237 +21
T 13 Shelly Martinez UTSA 82 79 76 237 +21
T 18 Madison McClain UTSA 81 79 78 238 +22
T 18 Nina Offenberg So Alabama 81 79 78 238 +22
T 20 Bruna Spengler UTSA 80 79 80 239 +23
T 20 Jessica Schiele Rdlnds CC 82 81 76 239 +23
T 20 Whitley Patterson Mclnan CC 83 79 77 239 +23
T 23 Alexandra Hopson HBU 79 77 84 240 +24
T 23 Landa Stewart Sam Houst. 80 81 79 240 +24
T 23 Shannon Jungman UTSA 88 77 75 240 +24
T 23 Taynee Pearson ULM 77 84 79 240 +24
T 23 Wallis Spears SFA 73 83 84 240 +24
T 28 Courtney Peeler TAMUCC 82 80 80 242 +26
T 28 Sara Hillman Cent. Ark. 83 80 79 242 +26
T 30 Ashley Watkins TAMUCC 82 84 77 243 +27
T 30 Megan Reynolds McNeese 83 78 82 243 +27
T 30 Ragna Loafsdottir Mclnan CC 85 80 78 243 +27
33 Lacy McKinley McNeese 84 81 79 244 +28
T 34 Jillian Gregston Mclnan CC 82 81 82 245 +29
T 34 Whitney Novak Dallas Bap 87 77 81 245 +29
T 36 C.J. Bobbitt Cent. Ark. 80 87 79 246 +30
T 36 Gaia Olcese HBU 84 80 82 246 +30
T 36 Heather Wilbur Dallas Bap 82 81 83 246 +30
T 36 Randi Fischer McNeese 85 80 81 246 +30
T 36 Victoria Gustafsson ULM 80 86 80 246 +30
T 41 Anna SellenRunefjell So Alabama 85 84 78 247 +31
T 41 Fanny Eineren So Alabama 88 81 78 247 +31
T 41 Meghan Musk Sam Houst. 82 86 79 247 +31
T 41 Stine Pedersen Lamar 81 81 85 247 +31
T 41 Sydney Martien McNeese 80 87 80 247 +31
T 46 Ana Garcia So Alabama 88 86 74 248 +32
T 46 Ellie McKinley Sam Houst. 86 81 81 248 +32
T 46 Lauren Van Gerven Lamar 80 82 86 248 +32
T 49 Brooke Braun Cent. Ark. 85 82 82 249 +33
T 49 Julia Roth Cent. Ark. 85 80 84 249 +33
T 51 Chelsey Watkins TAMUCC 88 78 84 250 +34
T 51 Sanna Vihervaara Cent. Ark. 84 87 79 250 +34
53 Natasha Lee HBU 90 79 82 251 +35
T 54 Brianna Maynard HBU 82 85 86 253 +37
T 54 Jennifer Herrmann McNeese 85 85 83 253 +37
T 54 Kelly MacPhail Rdlnds CC 89 83 81 253 +37
T 54 Lina Billing ULM 81 85 87 253 +37
T 58 Jennel Alexander Lamar 89 82 83 254 +38
T 58 Taylor Quienalty McNeese 86 87 81 254 +38
60 Noelle Willcoxon SFA 92 79 85 256 +40
61 Maggie Ray McNeese 86 84 87 257 +41
T 62 Chelsea Simmons SFA 92 85 81 258 +42
T 62 Kristen Tucker Dallas Bap 89 87 82 258 +42
T 64 Claire Whitis Centenary 85 85 89 259 +43
T 64 Morgan Coppels McNeese 88 91 80 259 +43
T 64 Rachel Grinnell Centenary 93 82 84 259 +43
T 67 Alaina Cleland McNeese 83 87 91 261 +45
T 67 Jordan Nixon McNeese 91 87 83 261 +45
69 Allison Flake SFA 86 87 90 263 +47
70 Morgan Dockery Mclnan CC 90 87 87 264 +48
T 71 Jessica Marquart Centenary 88 91 86 265 +49
T 71 Kyndal Rose Centenary 93 89 83 265 +49
T 71 Taylor Griffin Dallas Bap 94 85 86 265 +49
74 Julia DaneshFar Dallas Bap 90 94 83 267 +51
T 75 Cecilia Jeon TAMUCC 88 95 86 269 +53
T 75 Justine Kemp Centenary 93 91 85 269 +53
77 Brittany Beckett Rdlnds CC 91 92 88 271 +55
78 Sarah Harper Rdlnds CC 87 89 97 273 +57
79 Christa Williams Dallas Bap 93 95 88 276 +60
80 Erin Daurity SFA 92 94 96 282 +66
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Team Statistics
Average Score: 331.57 323.57 318.14 324.43
Rounds Below Par: 0 0 0 0
Rounds Even Par: 0 0 0 0
Rounds Above Par: 14 14 14 42
Player Statistics
Average Score: 84.08 82.64 81.15 82.62
Rounds Below Par: 0 0 2 2
Rounds Even Par: 0 0 0 0
Rounds Above Par: 80 80 78 238
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