Golf Travel News Sept 11, 2022

Golf Travel News Sept. 11, 2022

In golf travel news this week are items from Island Resort and Casino in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Myrtle Beach, Pinehurst and Hilton Head. All are great suggestions for fall golf trips.

Island Resort & Casino – Fall Golf Season Comes Alive

Autumn is the ideal time to experience golf in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Escanaba, MI – One of the greatest gifts golfers who visit Michigan get to experience annually is the magnificent fall colors scattered across the Great Lakes State. Those looking for a head start on the fall golf season should head to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where the fall foliage comes alive at the Island Resort & Casino, located 15 miles west of Escanaba. The Resort’s courses , Sweetgrass (2022 National Golf Course of the Year) and Sage Run, show off a vivid transformation of the autumn landscape, with scenic views of scarlet, rust, gold, and orange that are unmatched in the region.

Whether it’s a buddy trip or couple’s golf getaway, fully customizable fall packages can be booked featuring 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-night lodging options with up to four rounds of golf. Pricing starts at just $95 per person based on double occupancy. The popular Perfect Foursome package starts out at $350.00 per person for four rounds golf (Sweetgrass, Sage Run, Greywalls, and Timberstone) and three nights lodging.

Pinehurst No. 8 Reopens Following Agronomic Remastering

Fazio’s Centennial to Play Firmer, Faster with New TifEagle Greens

Pinehurst No. 8 has reopened, following agronomic and infrastructure enhancements highlighted by new TifEagle greens, fully restored bunkers with fresh sand, improved drainage throughout the course and the removal of invasive trees limiting views and inhibiting sunlight.
 
Additionally, the existing Bermudagrass turf on tees and fairways was “fraise” mowed to remove thatch throughout the course, tighten up lies and foster more rollout on tee shots. Fraise mowing is a highly disruptive mowing technique developed in the North Carolina Piedmont that effectively removes thatch, organic matter and soil from Bermudagrass in a single pass.

“No. 8 now appears crisper to the eye and plays firmer and faster the way Tom Fazio originally intended it,” says Pinehurst Resort Director of Agronomy Bob Farren. “Fazio, [Pinehurst Resort Owner] Bob Dedman and [Pinehurst Resort President] Tom Pashley all agreed that No. 8 should retain its original, commemorative design. As such, these changes are aesthetic and agronomic with no alterations to the course’s architecture.”

Opened in 1996 to celebrate the resort’s centennial, No. 8 seamlessly synthesizes the North Carolina Sandhills aesthetic with Fazio’s timeless design elements. The layout gently spills over 450 acres of rolling terrain dotted with natural wetlands and native grasses. It’s located five minutes from the main clubhouse and courses one through five with its own clubhouse and practice facilities. The new state-of-the-art Golf Pride Retail Lab opened in late June and is co-located near No. 8’s entry.

A FALL AND WINTER ‘GETAWAY PACKAGE’ THAT CHECKS ALL THE BOXES

The Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island Gives Guests the Ultimate Travel Experience

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Imagine a fall or winter getaway where the seaside destination is world class with ideal weather, endless recreational opportunities, championship golf, all at attractive and affordable rates. That’s exactly what travelers will receive when they purchase the “Getaway Package” at The Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island.

Available now through Feb. 24, 2023, reduced fall and winter rates on select villas and homes (minimum three-night stay) are available, and include an array of value-laden amenities:

• Complimentary dinner entrees for two (one time only) at Fraser’s Tavern;
• Complimentary lunch entrees for two (one time only) at Fraser’s Tavern or Harbour Town Bakery & Café;
• Preferred rates at the resort’s award-winning golf courses, including Heron Point, Atlantic Dunes, and Harbour Town Golf Links — home to the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage tournament and No. 25 on Golf Digest’s ranking of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses”;
• A portrait session on the beach;
• Unlimited use of the resort’s fitness center equipment;

• Two hours of complimentary tennis per day at the Sea Pines Racquet Club featuring 20 clay courts;
• Bicycles during entire stay for two adults to enjoy on the resort’s 15-mile network of paths (also ideal for walking).

Golf Digest Ranks 11 Myrtle Beach Courses Among South Carolina’s Best Public Layouts

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – As part of a relaunch of its “Best Places to Play” initiative, Golf Digest has unveiled its list of South Carolina’s best public courses, and Myrtle Beach dominated the venerable magazine’s ranking of the Palmetto State’s best.

The list, which included South Carolina’s top 20 public courses was compiled based on the evaluation of Golf Digest’s nationwide panel of course raters.

Eleven Myrtle Beach layouts were ranked among the golf-rich Palmetto State’s best, a group that includes The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, Barefoot Resort’s Dye, Fazio and Love Courses, True Blue Golf Club, TPC Myrtle Beach, Grande Dunes Resort Course, Pawleys Plantation, Tidewater and Heritage Club.

The Dunes Club is the area’s most storied course and a former host of the U.S. Women’s Open and six Senior PGA Tour championships. The Robert Trent Jones Sr. design first attracted national attention to Myrtle Beach and “Waterloo,” the famed par-5 13th hole, is one of America’s original “signature” holes.

Caledonia, a consensus top 100 public course, was architect Mike Strantz’ first solo design. Set on a beautiful piece of Lowcountry property, Caledonia is equal parts art and architecture, wowing players with its creativity and challenge. The course’s iconic 18th hole, which requires a carry over water to a green resting in the shadow of the clubhouse, is a perfect finish.

The longtime host of the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am, the Dye Course at Barefoot Resort features the visual deception, railroad ties and rugged challenge hall of fame architect Pete Dye was known for.

True Blue, Caledonia’s sister course and another Strantz design, features some of the area’s largest fairways, greens and waste bunkers. The expansive layout is full of unforgettable visuals and quality shot making is at a premium.

TPC Myrtle Beach is one of the area’s premier big-event venues. The Tom Fazio-Lanny Wadkins course has hosted a Senior Tour Championship and a NCAA Division I regional championship, among other high-profile events.

Grande Dunes Resort Course, which is slated to reopen September 15 after a summer greens and bunker renovation project, offers stunning views of the Intracoastal Waterway. The par-3 14th hole, which plays from an elevated tee box overlooking the waterway, is one of Myrtle Beach’s most recognizable holes.

A Jack Nicklaus design, the back nine at Pawleys Plantation features six holes that play along a tidal marsh, a stretch highlighted by the 13th hole, a short par 3 that plays to a peninsula green surrounded by marsh. Pawleys Plantation, one of the area’s sternest tests, is an unforgettable course.

Home to nine holes that play along either the Intracoastal Waterway or Cherry Grove Inlet, Tidewater is on the short list of the Palmetto State’s most scenic layouts. Recently named South Carolina’s Golf Course of the Year, Tidewater is one of the area’s most sought after tee times.

A par 71 layout, Barefoot’s Fazio Course makes generous use of natural waste areas, native grasses and Fazio’s fertile imagination. The course, which has been ranked among America’s top 100 public layouts, has water on 15 holes and natural elevation change that is unusual for the area.

The Love Course at Barefoot is renowned for a three-hole stretch – Nos. 4 through 6 – that plays around the faux ruins of an old plantation home. The fourth hole, a drivable, short par 4 back-stopped by the ruins, is a delight to play and it’s representative of the experience on the ever-enjoyable Love Course.

Heritage Club, a Dan Maples design, plays through a memorable piece of Lowcountry property, spotlighting the area’s native beauty.

For more information on Myrtle Beach golf, visit PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com.

Caledonia, True Blue Welcome 34 Collegiate Golf Teams To The Hammock Coast

Pawleys Island, S.C. — The ever-popular fall golf season along South Carolina’s Hammock Coast will begin with some of game’s best young players challenging two of the area’s best courses, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club.

The two Mike Strantz designs will be hosting Golfweek’s Fall Challenge, an event that will bring 34 collegiate golf teams – 20 women, 14 men – to the Hammock Coast for the 36-hole event September 11-13. Teams will descend on Georgetown County from as far away as California and New Mexico to compete on a pair of top 100 caliber public courses.

Women will play at Caledonia while the men will challenge True Blue.

The women’s teams competing in the Golfweek Fall Challenge are Cal Baptist, Illinois-Chicago, Winthrop, Gardner-Webb, Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville State, Stephen F. Austin, Georgetown, UNCW, Campbell, Presbyterian College, Austin Peay, Wofford, Morehead State, New Mexico State, Delaware, East Tennessee State, Lipscomb, USC Upstate and Appalachian State.

The men’s field will include Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian, Stephen F. Austin, Southern Indiana, Incarnate Word, Austin Peay, Delaware, Wright State, Tennessee Tech, Queens, Temple, Samford, Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State.

Home to 12 award-winning courses, the Hammock Coast is one of America’s most popular golf destinations, highlighted by layouts like Caledonia, True Blue, Pawleys Plantation and Heritage Club. The Waccamaw Golf Trail package, which allows golfers to choose among all 12 layouts, is the area’s most popular.