Chicagohack June 6-10

Group Bio: This was our 27th year of heading to the Mecca for our annual trip, our group has ranged from 4 to 20 in the past, this year we had 6 from Chicago, tampa, Phoenix, and Vegas. We're 50-50 on continuing the tradition next year as summer in Myrtle isnt what it used to be.

Accommodations: two condos almost two miles apart in Barefoot. Awful....myrtlewood would have been better... thats how bad these units were. beds were like prison beds(not that I even know what those are like:) ) broken coffee maker, towel racks in bathroom, closets etc.

Golf:

Thurs AM- True Blue- this is a must play for our group every year. It rained the night prior so it was CPO and a long first round. The sun came out and by the 4th hole, the fairways were bone dry, but the superintendent would not relent making it a rather miserable experience at 5 hours. Course was in great shape overall, greens were true and not overly quick

PM- Caledonia- still cant believe it was still CPO here as the sun was out all day and only the cart paths had water. Course here was in great shape, greens were excellent. first gator sighting of the trip too.

FRiday- Long Bay- The group was excited to go back here as it had been at least a decade since the last time and they had just redone the greens and course features last year. It was a good track, but not great. It does have a few incredibly good holes but the course is already dried out and fairwras are spotty as far as grass coverage. very tough to hit irons off the lack of turf in the fairway. Probably the worst conditions of the 7 we played but since most were excellent anyway, this good rating shouldnt keep people away.

Saturday- River Hills- another we hadnt played in many years but one the group thinks should be added again quickly. A very difficult course that we all enjoyed. You better keep it straight here or itll be a very long day. Lots of OB, hazards, etc make it a true test. In great shape, greens a little slower than some others but consistent.

PM- Glen Dornoch- in my top 3 layout wise and the course was in best shape ive seen it in many years. Unfortunately there were a group of 60 canadians partying all day on the course making the round time of 5:15 almost unbearable. I blame the course more than them though as they obviously overpacked to get the revenue. We waited on nearly every box. Some holes had 4 groups on them. Brutal. We also didnt do our usual porch beers there as the Canadians took that over as well. oh well, blame Canada!

SUN- Rivers Edge- still my favorite course in America. Pro Shop and clubhouse completely remodeled and beautiful. Greens and tee boxes greatly improved over past years. Now is a good time to play this course. its just incredibly beautiful and has only one dull hole (13) on the whole layout. The rest are spectacular.

Mon- Moorland- Rain delayed and washed us out at 9 holes but i cant remember why I liked this course. The layout is incredibly boring, the whole assembly line feel of the place the moment you drop your bag off at bag drop is off putting and easily the least enjoyable getaway day ever. Stick with Arrowhead, its way better and was a mistake for us to keep it out of the rotation this year.

General thoughts and observations:

Our night out at Broadway was a ghost town saturday night.  apparently it was the weekend of one of the biggest country music festivals there(I'm a yankee, didnt even think about country music) but every one and their brother apparently were there according to our uber driver.

We moved our trip a few weeks earlier so we could play both True Blue and Caledonia before they aerified and paid for it big time. The cost of our trip was +$700 doing it in early june vs. Late June and given the crappy accomodations and golf costs we'll likely look elsewhere next year. With all the people moving to SC, their tee sheets are filled anyway so we wont be missed. the days of empty courses in Myrtle in summer are now long gone.

We did enjoy Putters Pub in barefoot for food, sports and karaoke. the food was excellent(meatball sandwich is incredible). Carolina Roadhouse was good as usual, the fried porkchop is the bomb.

Housing development continues at an incredible pace, I wouldnt be surprised to see more courses close soon despite fuller tee sheets. It was a fun trip, but it might be time to give other locations a try. Over the 27 years, we have done the trent jones trail and Pebble beach, but maybe Austin or Branson might get our attention in '25.