So once again we are in the countdown mode for our early April trek to Myrtle Beach. I have been poking around the archive for some advice from previous years but not having much luck. As a group leader I would love to have a searchable index for area courses listing details and descriptions of pros and cons for holes to be used for the above catagories.
Here is an example I was able to find from Art (thanks again)from last year:
This year I have a group of 27 (still looking for #28) with a wide range of skills and abilities around the golf course.
Our line up this year is all south end as we are staying at Ellington resort in Murrel's Inlet. Our Close to Pin in 2 shots is played on short par fours with dog leg or other landscaping feature. Because of our wide range of abilities we lean toward shorter par 3's for close to pin (not looking for 160-190 carries over water).
Courses I need info on include Litchfield, Pawleys Plantation, River Club and finish up with Blackmoor. Any advice will be much appreciated.
Thanks for looking,
Bryan
ps, our other 2 courses are Tradition and Wachesaw E which I have info from Art's post last year.
There aren't many questions like this, so the archive doesn't have much to find on
this topic.
Litchfield: Long Drive = 13 --- Short 4 = 14 --- Par 3 = 17
Pawleys: Long Drive = 11 --- Short 4 = 10 --- Par 3 = 13
River Club: Long Drive = 3 --- Short 4 = 7 --- Par 3 = 14
Blackmoor: Long Drive = 18 --- Short 4 = 8 --- Par 3 = 15
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Sorry I can't help with specific holes for your lineup. As Art replied, the risk/reward par 4 #8 at Blackmoor might work for your short par 4. Everyone wants to take the shortcut anyway; now they would have an extra reason to. 🙂 For our daily competitions, I found a long time ago that our range of ability and length make a long drive contest less desirable to my guys. I like your idea of a shorter par 4 in two and may steal that one. We also have a CTP on all par 3s. We never play too far back so even if over water everyone has a chance to reach them. I added a longest putt made on #18 since that's the one thing a less skilled player has a pretty fair shot to be competitive with everyone else. Over the years, the winners of CTP and LP have been pretty evenly dispersed over ranges of ability.
We also have a quota game that I think gives the higher handicappers a fair shot and in fact if someone gets hot they can blow away their quota easily with a couple of good holes. Altogether, we pay out the 1st 3 places in quota, plus all the par 3 CTPs and the LP. We may have 1 or 2 guys get shut out over the course of the week but everyone feels like they have a shot and are not just feeding the kitty for others.
Our group also uses the quota system and it has worked really well for us. We have guys with single digit handicaps and ones with 30+ hdcps. We stopped doing things like long drive and close to the pin because only a few in the group would have much of a chance to win.
Number Six at Arcadian Shores gives one the opportunity to air it out. Number seven at the same course is a pretty daunting short hole with a challenging second shot.
Art, once again you have come to my rescue. I gotta say you have a wealth of information for "anything Myrtle Beach" and I have found it all to be pretty much spot on.
Froggyson, you are welcome to the close to pin in 2, we've been doing it about 5 years. There's 1 hole at Oyster Bay, 13 I think, that is the absolute best for that format. From the tee over water to a landing area, then on to an elevated green with water on the right.
We also do a POKER with scores from 2 par3's, 2 par 4's and a par 5 used to make a poker hand. The holes are blind draw after the round and everyone uses the same holes.
Our first round is a scramble and day 2 is a blind draw doubles partners. Next up we have a 3 day tournament that pays 1st & 2nd place for LOW GROSS & LOW NET with the final day being a LOW GROSS / LOW NET.
I've been looking for another daily prize and I think your longest putt may be exactly what I'm looking for.
Thank you all for looking and your comments.
Bryan
Dobbs, Your courses didn't have a lot of holes that stuck out for your contests or they
had 2-3 holes about equal for the contest. Only BM #8 is a unique short hole in the lineup.
With a big group of 28, you could split into 2 flights, if you have a wide range of handicaps.
Then you don't get as much handicap bickering when either a high or low handicap wins.
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How were the prize holes and conditions?
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Would agree with Art on most holes, but at Blackmoor would go with Hole 4 for your Par 3 and Hole 1 for your Par 4, hole 8 is a good Par 4, but everyone needs to take the same route to keep it honest.