Busy Myrtle

By Tony Leodora

Cabin fever? Do you think golfers in the Northeast are suffering a bit of cabin fever?

In the Greater Philadelphia area most golf courses have had little or no play since the beginning of December. This comes in stark contrast to the last few years, when mild conditions allowed on-and-off play throughout the entire winter. Just about every time golfers needed a fix, they were able to get it without traveling to tropical climates.

Not this year. Mother Nature has favored the skiers, but shut out the golfers.

The only people who might be smiling are those who run golf operations in places like Florida, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach and Pinehurst. Their phones started ringing off the hook a short while ago and have been keeping booking agents busy ever since.

“It’s almost like someone turned on a faucet,” explained Steve Heher, the director of golf at Heather Glen in the Little River section of Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand. “March 1 is the magic date.”

To prove his point, Glen Dornoch, the sister course of the Glens Group that also includes Shaftsbury Glen and Possum Trot, was very quiet on Sunday, February 28. About 40 players played the course, on what was a sunny and comfortable day for golf. The next Sunday, March 7, the same course had 188 players booked.

“We’re hearing those kind of reports all over,” said Steve Mays, director of marketing for Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. “Everyone is saying their advance bookings are way up over last year.”

The weather in the northeastern part of the country may be part of the reason. But the fact that Myrtle Beach is still a reasonably priced golf destination means a lot to Americans who are still watching their spending during this uncertain economy.

“The housing at this time of year is so inexpensive that it makes the golf packages very affordable, even if you chose the highest priced courses,” explained Mays.

Dave Genevro, the general manager at Barefoot Resort, put the entire situation in basic terms. “Golfers are always going to find a way to play golf,” he said. “The fact that they have been holding off a bit the last few years only causes pent-up demand. It had to break some time and that time is now.”

Mike Buccerone, senior director of operations for the courses at Grande Dunes and the newly renovated Pine Lakes International, painted an even rosier picture.

“We are very busy, and it’s only going to get busier,” he explained. “If you call any of our courses for the last week in April, we have absolutely nothing. Maybe you can get a tee time at five o’clock, where you might be able to play nine holes before it gets dark. It’s getting back to the way things were four or five years ago, when our busiest times of year were booked from morning to night.”

It looks as if Myrtle Beach has found its own kind of economic stimulus package.