I'm part of a group planning a trip either right before or right after next Easter (March 31, 2024). One of our guys got a preliminary quote that includes staying at the Village at the Glens, and we are playing Sandpiper Bay, Meadowlands, Brunswick Plantation, Sea Trail Jones, and Valley at Eastport. A few questions..
1. Will it be possible to get on the Dunes? I know some courses that hold PGA events allow public play even 2 weeks prior, and early April would put us at more than a month early. Has anyone heard anything?
2. We went to Nashville same time last year, and 4 of the 5 courses were CPO due to overseeding. Would not have been CPO otherwise. I heard the Myrtle area does theirs in November, but I know nothing about overseeding.. do they also do a round in April?
3. Is there anywhere to stay directly on a golf course. It looks like the Village at the Glens is right across a highway from Glen Dornoch, but it would obviously not be walkable from condo to course. Does anyone know of any places to stay on property? We will have 8 or 12 guys.
Thanks in advance.
They shouldn't be overseeding anything in the spring in Myrtle. You could potentially have some weird conditions where the bermuda is coming in and there's a mix between the existing overseed and the underlying bermuda, but it shouldn't be CPO because of that.
I'm also not really sure why anywhere in Nashville was overseeding in the spring.
A ton of courses have condos; they just aren't generally owned/rented by the course itself. You'd probably need to find them on VRBO, Airbnb, or somewhere else. Legends has on-site accommodations run by the course and I think True Blue does too but they're nowhere near where you're playing. Barefoot has a bunch of condos as well, and while it's a bit closer to your course list, I think if you were going to stay on-site there it would make more sense to play their courses.
Sandpiper Bay, Brunswick Plantation, and Sea Trail all have condos on-site, but I'm pretty sure they're all privately owned (also not all are near the clubhouse; they're spread out around the whole course).
I'd try to switch out Valley at Eastport. I'm personally not a huge fan of any of the courses on your list -- they're all very close to my beach house and I rarely play any of them in favor of other courses (sometimes ones that are 30+ minutes farther away), other than Meadowlands solely because it's been in such great shape -- but Eastport specifically is close to being an executive course. It's a very short par 70; the men's tees are only 5500 yards and the tips are about 6200. Some of the holes right on top of each other and there are several where a hook or slice will put you in the center of another fairway, so you have to be on watch for golf balls coming in from elsewhere.
@cooker83 : I do agree 100 % with what @uncgolf did share with you!
Wishing you a great Myrtle Beach golf experience!
Denis Gilbert
Quebec City, Canada
Also agree with the aforementioned. Brunswick Plantation has condo units rentable in The Commons II. About half the units front the Dogwood 9 and the other half fronts the pool & Driving range. You can easily walk from these units to the clubhouse, pro shop, bar & restaurant.
Retired Insurance Broker
Depending on your criteria, that course lineup is a budget lineup.
SPB, ML, BP are the 3 best. STJ OK and Eastport near the bottom
of MB. If that is all you want to spend, replace Eastport with
River Hills and STJ with The Pearl.
If your guys want to play The Dunes, they may want a better
lineup than you have. I am seeing tee time at The Dunes on
4/1-4/3 $295-$308.
I don't get overseeding in Nashville in April, unless there was
a fairway problem. MB does overseed in Nov, not in April.
The overseed is to have green fairways in the winter and a
lot of it is still there when April arrives and the bermuda starts
to grow again.
What is your purpose to stay on a course? Practice, less
driving, etc. Legends Resort is the most on site lodging,
being near 3 courses, where you can buggy or walk to
the clubhouse. World Tour + Myrtlewood have
condos on the course, but you may not know how close
the room is going to be.
Who is the quote from? You can try Brian at the top of
the forum. In MB you also have the option to stay on the
beach, if that is important. It will usually cost more.
Staying at The Glens and those courses are a north end trip.
You could walk to Glen Dornoch, about a two par 5 walk, if
you don't have a car.
Keep posting as your trip develops. There are unlimited
options with lodging, courses, location, price, so your
group's criteria is what helps you decide.
Village Glens has enough restaurants nearby, but it is
away from various nightlife, stores, airport, etc.
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Thank you all for the quick replies.
What makes these courses lower end? Just the prices? boring layouts? poor conditions? Would it be worth looking for more middle tier courses and adding maybe $100 or $200 to total cost?
It seems like all these courses are within 15 min drive of the condos, which is nice. Should we look at staying elsewhere and expanding the trip?
I also think I will reach out to Brian for some quotes.. thanks for that suggestion.
You shouldn't experience poor conditions except maybe at Sea Trail, but recent reports suggest it's in better shape now.
Eastport is definitely near the bottom of the barrel in MB because of the layout (as I said above, it's close to being an executive course rather than a full length golf course), but others like Brunswick Plantation and Sandpiper Bay are fine from a layout perspective -- they're just not much different than courses you'd find in any number of random suburbs around the country.
I think Meadowlands isn't far from that category either, but it's been in immaculate condition the past couple of years so it's worth playing for that alone assuming it stays that way.
Tidewater isn't far from where you're staying and it's one of the best courses anywhere in the area, but it's definitely a much pricier option. The Thistle is also nearby and probably much pricier, but the Pearl is likely in a similar price range and I think it's better than anything on your list. There's also Rivers Edge, which would be a bit of drive, but probably not too different in price (unless the new owner has jacked things up) and offers a more unique experience with a lot of holes on the river/marsh.
What makes these courses lower end? Just the prices? boring layouts? poor conditions? Would it be worth looking for more middle tier courses and adding maybe $100 or $200 to total cost?It seems like all these courses are within 15 min drive of the condos, which is nice. Should we look at staying elsewhere and expanding the trip?
I also think I will reach out to Brian for some quotes.. thanks for that suggestion.
On a first MB trip, it is hard to judge what courses are at or
above what you play at home. It would be good to play at least the
quality you play at home.
On a scale of 10, SPB, STJ, Bruns, ML are in the 6-7 range. Eastport 4.
If your group is from a top private course, they might want better.
If they play munis, you are OK with all but Eastport. Replace it with
any that have been recommended. You asked about The Dunes,
showing you want a special course.
Your idea for short drives is good. Replacing Eastport might be good
enough.
Brian also has some large multi room houses, if that interests you.
Your date range is a good period for good conditions and avoiding maint.
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Thank you everybody - very very helpful.
With where you are staying I would swap out Eastport for either Tidewater or Thistle. They are both more expensive but in terms of condition and layout, in a different galaxy than Eastport.
Thistle is a hidden gem! It's an exclusive private course feel, from conditions, to staff, to 'touches'. As part of a package, it should bring down the 'average cost', but still pushing that $100+mark. If you can swing it financially do it!
I would switch out Eastport for Crow Creek or River Hills. The other courses are all solid. Meadowlands and Brunswick are both usually in very good condition. Sea Trail Jones was in good shape last March and we saw a bunch of gators there. Sandpiper was also in good shape last year. I think your lineup is pretty good and not lower tier courses at all.
Thanks again.. I heard we are going to try to swap in river hills and kings north so lineup will include
Sandpiper bay, Meadowlands, Brunswick plantation, river hills, and kings north.
May inquire about thistle or tidewater also.
King's North is a bit of a drive from where you're staying, especially compared to the rest of your lineup, but it's an excellent course and worth the drive.
That lineup looks really good.
