The Boys Are Back In Town - Frostyjock Fourball April 13th to 26th

Firstly thanks to Thin Lizzy for the thread's title - it seemed like the perfect intro for our return to MB.

Three years. Three long years. It’s been a frustrating wait for our 25th Myrtle Beach trip thanks to Covid but we got through it and now we’re back hopefully on an annual basis. This is by far the longest we’ve had to wait between visits - we’ve had delays due to Icelandic volcanos erupting and 18 month waits due to weddings and businesses being set up which resulted in a couple of November visits although April/May is our preferred time for flying West for our usual US golf fix. We even had one September visit which managed to coincide with 9/11 which is something we’ll never forget for obvious reasons.

To set the scene we are a four ball of mid to late fifties UK golfers with handicaps ranging between 9 and 15. We book all parts of our trip ourselves. Golf has been booked through Brian for probably our last 20 trips first when he was at Golf Desk then at his own shop and finally at Golf Trek although he departed from there before this trip took place. We’ll obviously look to use him for our next trip when he resurfaces at his new home.

We usually all fly out to MB on the same day but one of our group George flew out a week early to Charlotte as he was attending Saturday and Sunday at The Masters with another group and then heading down to Florida to play Sawgrass. He had a terrific time and the trip was as good as you’d expect it to be - he said The Masters was something else and we had a green Masters chair set up in the living room of the condo for the duration of our trip.

Flying to the US from the UK remains a bit of a challenge as a negative Covid test is still required within 24 hours of flying which makes for a nervy build up to departing. Not sure what we’d have done if anyone had failed their test but fortunately we all passed. For anyone flying to the US from the UK I’d recommend using the VeriFLY app which allows you to load up your vaccination and test history and get a pass to fly in advance of going to the airport and also allows you to use specific VeriFLY check in desks which are much quicker than using the normal airline check ins - it’s free to use as well which is nice!

Car Hire prices ave gone through the roof since our last visits which appears to be mainly due to low vehicle inventory levels as a result of Covid and the car hire firms taking the opportunity to uplift prices which to be fair had hardly increased for many years before Covid hit. The best deal this year for a Minivan was with Budget which came to just under £1,000 (@$1,300) for the 14 days we had it. This also included a tank of gas and up to three additional drivers which we always think is the best option. We actually ended up with a bigger SUV rather than a Minivan as they were out of Minivans when we checked in - it was a Ford Expedition I think. It felt like it had a bit of power under the bonnet when you needed it but it wasn’t in the first flush of youth and have multiple dents and bumps all over it which I think was down to it being such a big vehicle.

We’ve stayed in a 4 bed/4 bath Condo at Barefoot Yacht Club Villas for a number of years now as we like the NMB location and also having our own bedrooms and bathrooms. We were on the tenth floor this year as the owner of the previous condo we’d had apparently moved into it during Covid so we moved up to one on the tenth floor rather than the eighth floor this year. The condos all have exactly the same layout and just differ slightly in their furnishings so no big deal with changing. Costs were up significantly though as with almost everything else post Covid so we’ll be checking out all possible options for our 2023 trip shortly.

GOLF

Azalea Sands - Thursday 14th April

We always think it makes sense to start your golf trip with the best course on your itinerary so clearly we were off to Azalea Sands on opening day…

Just joking obviously! We went into this with our eyes open as we wanted to play a practice round as a couple of us hadn’t swung a club yet this year and there was rust to be knocked off our swings before we started our golf trip proper. It seemed a good idea to actually play a round where we could use every club in the bag rather than just hit balls on a range which is never a lot of fun. We were also going to be a three ball today as our fourth man George wasn’t arriving in MB until the afternoon after flying up from Jacksonville from his Masters/Sawgrass pre-MB trip.

Azalea Sands was actually the first course we ever played in MB when we were young and foolish all those years ago. It’s one of the older MB courses having opened in 1972 and is a Gene Hamm design who is a familiar name in MB course design. I had called the course before we flew out and booked a 9:30am tee time for $46 a head. As it happens we arrived a bit late after we’d been to the PGA Superstore when it opened at 9am to sort out rental clubs for Clarky whose clubs hadn’t made it to MB thanks to a large dose of British Airways incompetence - he wasn’t actually reunited with them until the Friday of the next week as American Airlines pitched in on the incompetence front and decided to keep them in Charlotte without telling him despite numerous phone calls and almost daily visits to MB airport. There was no problem getting out though and we hit our first shots of the trip just before 10am.

The course is in between Highway 17 at the front and the Grand Strand airport at the rear with Beachwood running down the northern border of the property. The 10th hole runs parallel with 17 although not right next to it and the airport gives you a variety of military and small planes to watch during your round - there were a lot of AWAC type planes practicing take off and landing when we were on the course. The car park and bag drop are a bit scruffy but the Clubhouse while compact was very nice with everything clean and without the feeling it needed a lick of paint that you get at some clubs. There was a sitting area with comfy sofas inside next to the bar/grill which had a very impressive library of golf books - it felt like an area you could enjoy a few beers in after a round. There was a netted area to hit warm up balls which looked new and there were other signs that money was being spent on the facility. There was a Par 3 charity competition on the 14th hole but it was for a local MB charity rather than the Million Dollar Charity events you get at some other courses so a much more worthy cause I suspect if you want to support these things.

The course itself isn’t a bad design and fitted the bill for what we wanted today. There’s a lot of water around but the course probably needs it to provide protection on various holes. The greens and collars were actually really good - they were a lot quicker then one of the bigger name courses we played later in the trip and therefore much more enjoyable to putt on. The fairways and tees were a bit scruffier although it felt that with better watering the course would feel a lot plusher. There were a couple of occasions when the card and the big granite tee box map didn’t match up but there were signs that money has been spent on the course and hopefully that will continue.

This isn’t a course that I’d expect to see in many trip line-ups and it is in the bottom tier of MB courses but there are definite signs that effort is being put in to get the course at the top end of it’s peer group. I’d suggest it’s a course to consider if you’re looking for a warm-up rather than a trip to the range as we were. I think it’d also be a good option for beginners and seniors or even anyone looking for an afternoon round at a reasonable price. 

Cape Fear - Friday 15th April

Cape Fear had changed hands since our last trip and Brian had advised they weren’t on his course list any longer. Since discovering this course it’s become one of the must plays on our trips as it’s a great design that is always in terrific condition - it’d easily be a top ten course if it was located in MB proper. It’s the longest drive of our schedule if you don’t count the ferry part of the journey to Bald Head being around an hour from our base in NMB so appreciate it would be a bit of a hack from central or southern parts of the Grand Strand but it’s a course you should play if you can.

I had emailed the Head Pro direct to see if we could get a tee time and fortunately using the Brit Card that we were travelling 4,000 miles to play the course paid off as they let us have a tee time just after midday which was perfect as it allowed us to take advantage of their practice facilities which are probably the best at all the courses we have played over the years. The clubhouse is very nice with a very decent restaurant that appears to get a lot of business from the residents. This does feel more like a private club than many of the MB courses and I think there is a very real possibility it will be difficult to play as a visitor going forward as there has been quite a lot of houses gone up since we last visited and there will be more to come. It’s certainly more developed than it used to be but for us it doesn’t detract from the golf experience and there are still a lot of holes where there is no housing and I think are unlikely to be developed due to the landscape.

Cape Fear didn’t disappoint again as it was in terrific condition and was a great way to start our trip proper. The staff are all really friendly and we got out slightly early as the group in front of us were late arriving on the tee. There’s usually a breeze at Cape Fear which adds to the challenge and it’s definitely a course where you need to play the right tees as there are some challenging carries from certain tee boxes - the 3rd is a hole where you need to know exactly where your drive is going to pitch as there is water to carry off the tee and all the way down the left of the hole while there are bunkers and trees down the right hand side. There’s a sort of quarry running beside the 15th and 16th holes which I think is related to the development going on around the facility currently which isn’t the most picturesque backdrop at the moment but doesn’t affect the holes themselves. Definitely a course to add to your resume if you can get on - it would be a great option for anyone driving down the east coast to MB.

Legends Moorland - Saturday 16th April

This was originally a 36 hole day with Parkland scheduled for the afternoon but the skies darkened as we were finishing our morning round and the forecast for rain proved correct as it started to rain heavily when we were having lunch in the clubhouse. In years gone by I think we would have just put on our waterproofs and gone out and played the afternoon round but having got 18 holes in already we all agreed that getting a rain-check was the sensible option. The rain-check is valid for 18 months and can be used at any of the group’s courses.

It had been a while since we’d played at Legends although we have played all of the courses there previously. The bag drop wasn’t that busy which is always one of the concerns when you play a facility that has multiple courses. The clubhouse is huge which you’d expect when it caters for golfers playing three courses. While we had tickets for breakfast we didn’t use them as we’d already gone to our favourite breakfast haunt Dino’s to start the day - the buffet looked a bit sparse from what I could see but I’m sure would have done the job if you were partaking in it. We did take advantage of the two drinks and lunch part of the deal later on which you can’t knock - you can have anything off the menu and while it wasn’t the best food we had on the trip it was perfectly acceptable.

It was a chilly morning for our 7:56AM tee time — probably the coldest morning of the trip so we were glad we had plenty of layers along with hats and snoods etc. We were in MB a couple of weeks earlier than usual so would definitely suggest that cold weather clothing is on your list for your trip is you are playing in the mornings although that is usually a good idea if you play in the AM even when you get into May sometimes.

Moorland is a Dye course and might not be for anyone who has an aversion to Dye. There are a lot of blind shots - the drive at the second is particularly hard and we had to drive up to where the fairway started to see where we actually needed to be aiming. The eighth is a short part four but if your wedge play is off you could find yourself playing a few chips in an effort to find the very raised green. The sixteenth is drivable but I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk as anything that doesn’t hit the green is likely to end up somewhere that bogey or worse is more likely then birdie or par whereas a layup and an accurate wedge should generate a better return - might not be such fun though and we all went for the green with our drives - just one birdie and one par from them though.

The course was in really nice condition and was very green and lush - there was a lot of dew when we teed off and it stayed for quite a while. Pace of play was fine which has always been one of our concerns about the Legends courses but we were one of the early groups so that would have helped. The carts were petrol powered which I think was the only time we had that during the trip - they always feel more powerful than the electric versions I think. I’d be very happy to come back to Legends again next year and use our rain check at either Parkland and Heathland so we can remind ourselves what those layouts are like.

There was one weird occurrence that really annoyed us at the time though. We had played our approaches to the eighteenth and parked the carts on the path behind the green which is raised quite high above that path when a cart pulled up next to our carts and a guy from the Pro Shop climbed up to the green. I thought he must be coming to check with us about our afternoon tee-time but he told us the Head Pro had seen one of our carts driving behind the green and proceeded to tell us off for doing that. We were astonished as neither of our carts had been anywhere near the green - we’d driven them back to the cart path from the fairway as usual long before you get to the green and in any event it would be almost impossible to get the cart to behind the green without driving over the green itself and you really wouldn’t want your cart to be there in any event as it’s a pretty steep drop down to the cart path from there and it would be dangerous as well as stupid. We told him in no uncertain terms that his Head Pro needed to get his eyes tested as there had been no cart parked there and we didn’t appreciate being accused of something we hadn’t done. Very strange and not the best customer service. Next time we play we might bring a pair of glasses for the Pro.

TPC - Sunday 17th April

TPC is another of the permanent fixtures on our rota. It’s a great layout but it can really punish you if you are not on your game and it’s another course that has a few tees that will show you if you’re not playing the right tees for your handicap with challenging carries on the likes of eleven and fifteen. Holes nine and fifteen are both in the mix for the toughest par four in MB we think. I remember debating whether we should drop it after it had beaten us up pretty badly one year but it’s a top five MB course in my book and I’m glad we made the right decision to keep it in the line-up.

There’s a lot of Dustin Johnson memorabilia in the clubhouse and his name is all over the teaching facility they have at the far end of the driving range. Practice facilities are very good here as they are at most of the top tier facilities and the clubhouse has a good pro shop and restaurant with a deck that looks out onto the eighteenth green. I think they’ve detracted from the eighteenth a bit by building houses all the way along the far side of the lake that runs down most of the left hand side of the hole and apologies to anyone who owns one but they do not look like the large impressive properties you get at Grande Dunes so the hole just feels less impressive than when it was trees on the far bank - it’s a nice finishing hole though and can be challenging if a match is still on the line coming down it.

The course didn’t feel busy and we were told there were only 120 players scheduled that day - we’ve never been in MB over Easter before and it did feel as if the courses were a bit quieter over the holiday weekend although I think there were more people in town for vacation. The starter and rangers were all retirees which must be a nice way to spend your time. There is nearly always a photographer at TPC and this year it was Marge who was 75 but very sprightly - we all paid the $20 a head for the photo as she took a good one in the lovely sunny weather. A word of warning to anyone who does buy these pictures - don’t put them in the pocket behind the front seat of your hire car - we found a picture from whoever had the car before us there which was a shame as there was no way of finding out who the group were to send the photo on to them.

The course was in great condition and there is always plenty of wildlife to see during the round. There were quite a few deer sightings and there was a very big gator on the back tee box on the second hole - I think he commutes between the ponds on two and eleven. The carts are actually quite basic compared to a lot of the other top tier courses - no frills to them. The cart paths are a bit broken up in places but this is a pretty common theme at most courses - I think that over time tree roots start to move the paths on places and once the concrete is broken the steady stream of carts will only make it worse. Not a big deal but something to look out for if you’ve got a bad back. Great course though and a pleasure to play it again.

Tidewater - Monday 18th April

Unfortunately the weather forecast was for rain all day today and as seems to be the case with such forecasts the meteorologists got it right again. This was a real shame as Tidewater is a huge favourite of ours having been in our line-up every year apart from the year they had to close the course. We were scheduled for 36 holes today as well so we had our Dinos breakfast and headed to the course around 7:30am to see how the land lay but it was pretty wet and while we’d probably have played on earlier trips to MB like at Moorland we thought taking the rain checks was the more sensible move.

The other shame about today being a washout was we were supposed to be meeting Skippy and his group at the course as we both had 8:06AM tee times so would have been going off the 1st and 10th at the same time. Sorry we didn’t manage to meet up Skip but it was nice corresponding before our trip this year as your trip report is one I always look out for regarding both on and off course conditions in MB given you are usually there a couple of weeks before our normal trip timings. Hope we can catch up in person one of these days.

Bald Head Island - Tuesday 19th April

Like Cape Fear, Bald Head was initially off limits for this year’s trip when we set things up with Brian as they are currently not accepting external visitor tee-times and the course is limited to play for members and their guests. We contacted the Head Pro and got radio silence but we persevered and contacted the CEO and were very lucky to be allowed to book a tee time due I think to a combination of having been visiting the course for a number of years and also the travelling from the UK factor. The tee time was at 1pm so we weren’t able to take advantage of playing 36 holes as we usually do which has made Bald Head such great value previously and we also had to book our ferry and the tram connection separately which added $23 a head to the fee but we were just pleased to be able to play what is a really great course in a unique location so were very glad our persistence paid off. We do wonder whether outside play is going to be possible going forward though as Bald Head Island is a really exclusive location for property and you get the feeling the sort of people who have property on the island and membership at the golf club are not ones who want or need a busy facility open to outside play. We got talking to some of the staff who were all super nice and one told us the membership includes 5 billionaires and a dozen Augusta National members so I don’t think revenue from visitors is a big consideration for them. The standard guest fee is now close to $300 so it’s not the cheap day ticket is used to be even if you do 36 holes although we were lucky to benefit from the members guest fee - it helps to be a visitor from afar sometimes.

To recap it’s about an hour to the Southport ferry terminal from NMB and the ferries to the island are on the hour at this time of year - the return ferries are on the half hour from the island. You can’t pre-book your ferry but you should pre-book the tram connection from the terminal to the golf course before you travel. Don’t cut it too fine to get on whichever ferry you choose as you need to load your golf bags on the luggage trollies before boarding but the Island Times cafe at the terminal is a great place to get a coffee and some breakfast although we were gutted that is was closed this Tuesday presumably due to Easter so we couldn’t get their breakfast casserole which is to die for. They’ve got a pretty nice selection of cakes for sale if that is your thing. There’s been a big development to the swimming/tennis facility opposite the golf club which has a cafe as part of it - breakfast burritos were ok but the food wasn’t as good as when it was the old Pelicanesant restaurant.

The course is a terrific design which would like Cape Fear be a top 10 layout in MB. While there is housing on parts of the course it’s not very obvious as the inland properties are set into the trees - I’d certainly want a beachside property if I was vacationing here as the inland ones seem too shaded. Each hole is in it’s own little world as you can’t really see any other hole while you are playing it which makes it seem as if you have the course to yourself. There’s plenty of water on some holes - it runs down both sides of the ninth which is a tough hole that is always played into the wind. Being an island there’s always a breeze here although you are sheltered from it on some of the inland holes. A really great facility that I’d never get tired of playing. Good warm up facilities as well - keep an eye on the free practice balls that are available - there’s a good proportion of ProV1 and other top of the range balls mixed in amongst the range balls - I think sliced drives from the first end up on the range and then just get picked up by the ball collector and this isn’t a course where the players will be tee-ing up rocks. Fingers crossed we’ll be able to return again on our next trip.

The Dunes - Wednesday 20th April

Following on from Bald Head today saw us at The Dunes which is where the real monied residents of MB will have their memberships I suspect. The clubhouse is modest but is right on the beach and apart from Tidewater and I think Glen Dornoch where you can see the ocean in the distance this is the only MB course where you have ocean views with it providing a lovely backdrop to the ninth hole and the tenth tee. There are large parts of the clubhouse that are for members only and disappointingly the men’s visitor changing room has been converted into an office and they haven’t converted another room to replace it yet which would be nice as it’s something you’d expect at a course of this quality and make no mistake this is the best that MB has to offer. This is just a terrific golf course that has always been in tremendous condition whenever we’ve played it. The greens were sensational - just a beautiful full carpet of grass and wonderfully quick. You might be able to find greens that were as good but you won’t find better greens and our group has played Open Championship courses such as Turnberry, St Andrews, Royal St George’s. Royal Lytham etc and The Dunes greens are of that standard.

The greenkeeper had obviously had to sleep in the spare room the night before as the pin positions were challenging being tucked behind bunkers or in treacherous positions on the green. The tenth is an unbelievably difficult green if the flag is anywhere near the front as it was today - there’s a massive false front that will gather up any approach shots that are short and take them all the way down the hill leaving you a really difficult pitch back to the green that can see the ball back at your feet again if you are too greedy. It’s not impossible to putt off that green too if you race the ball at the hole.

The starter had a name tag saying Robin Hood which amused us greatly. I’m not sure if it was connected with some of the pictures in the hallway in the clubhouse that showed one of the early founders of the club who had the name Sherwood Forrest - they have to be related!. The clubhouse has some really interesting memorabilia so have a look before or after your round - there’s history here that no other MB course has. The food in the clubhouse is definitely worth trying - The Dunes Burger is a solid bet and there’s a decent selection of draught beer to wash it down with. Another great day at the top course in MB.

River Hills - Thursday 21st April

So for the first time in a while we were off to play a completely new course for all of us - number 58 in total in MB for those of us who have made every trip. We had a 12:38PM tee time so had enjoyed a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast before making the short drive north to River Hills. The course looks good on the way to the clubhouse - tight and with quite a bit of water in play. The morning rounds were running late so we didn’t get out until closer to 1PM - there were a big group of middle aged ladies at the bag drop most of which I suspect were residents from close to the course but fortunately they were going off the tenth rather than the first where we started.

River Hills was a really pleasant surprise and I’m not sure why we haven’t played here before on any of our previous trips. It was in really good condition and was a nice layout. It’s not a bombers course as there are dog legs, water, mature tree lined fairways and the occasional out of bounds which all reward you plotting your way round the course rather than just ripping it. The biggest challenge though are the really small greens which mean you have to be super accurate with your irons and even if you are striking the ball well you’ll probably hit fewer greens here than at any other course in MB - I think you could fit four or five River Hills greens within one of the big greens at somewhere like Grande Dunes or Heritage - maybe more! We were told in the bar afterwards that the course would be closing soon to remodel and increase the size of the greens and also re-do the bunkers on the course which shows good investment in the facility.

The only issue we had was one of our carts started to run out of juice on the thirteenth but fortunately we bumped into the cart girl and a replacement was brought out to us by the time we limped to the green of the fourteenth. As it happens the other cart had the same problem on the eighteenth but we managed to nudge it to the cart barn with the replacement cart. Apparently new carts are three months late arriving and the existing batteries are struggling to last for 36 holes - another example of the supply chain issues affecting us all at the moment.

This was definitely a course I’d be happy to play again and one to consider if you’re looking to take advantage of the Founders Group offers for playing four or more of their courses.

Heritage - Friday 22nd April

Time to head down south again to Heritage which was a new course for the newest member of our four ball but as this was his twelfth MB trip it must mean that it’s been a while since the rest of us played here. Heritage was further south than I remember - it’s just round the corner from Caledonia and True Blue. The clubhouse is like a large plantation mansion and very imposing as you pull up to the bag drop. It’s actually a bit gloomy inside but the bar area is nice and we enjoyed the free drinks and lunch after our round. The bag drop was busy and again there was a group of lady golfers getting ready to go out - they provided a memorable moment as one of their group pulled up to the bag drop in a beautiful Oldsmobile Cutlass - great to see a really classic American car like that - I’d definitely want a car like that if I lived in MB.

Heritage is again a very nice course - the best of the Legends group courses I think. There are some really massive greens here - a complete contrast to River Hills the day before. The back nine is tougher than the front nine and it got very slow from the thirteenth onwards as there are some tough finishing holes with a lot of water in play that will find you out if you aren’t driving it well - there were a couple of holes where we knew the group in front wouldn’t be able to clear the water from the tee as they were playing off the wrong tees for their game which I think was replicated in the groups in front of them which is what made things slow. Not the end of the world - there are worse places to be than a golf course in MB with the sun is shining. There was another photographer here today but we didn’t purchase the photos as we’d already bought the TPC pictures.

Nice course and definitely one we’ll come back to.

Grande Dunes Resort/Grande Dunes Members - Saturday 23rd April

Our first 36 hole day of the trip after getting rained out at Legends and Tidewater. We used to play 36 every other day in MB but with this being a longer trip than normal we hadn’t scheduled as many 36 hole days and we’ll need to have a think going forward how often we play twice in a day on future trips as we’re not getting any younger.

It was the Resort course first and again this is one of our favourites. A really good layout with the holes along the Intracoastal being particularly scenic. Big fairways and greens with water in play on many of the holes. One to play if you don’t want to have cart path only or 90 degree rules as there are only cart paths round the tees and greens and on the par threes. We actually were able to ride the fairways on all of the courses we played this year which was nice.

When I checked in I asked for the Wifi code but was told there wasn’t one available to visitors as the course had moved their communications onto the cloud and visitors would slow it down if they had Wifi access - a bit of a strange response and in this day and age I think most people expect to have Wifi access especially somewhere there isn’t the greatest network coverage. I also asked if we could see if our afternoon round on the Members course could be brought forward as it wasn’t until 3PM but was told there was no connection between the Resort and Members courses - again this seemed a bit strange but not a big deal. On the positive side the warm up facilities here are excellent and a good place to start your trip if you need to get some practice in first.

The course was in excellent condition again. It was another chilly start so a few layers were required for the initial holes. There was another photographer on the first tee and we ended up buying this picture in addition to the TPC one as it was a good one of all of us. Have a sniff when you are on the sixth tee as there is some lovely honeysuckle on the left of the teeing area. There are still houses going up around the course but they tend to be where there already are homes up so doesn’t really change the feel of the course. We noticed there were quite a lot of houses being built on the opposite bank of the Intracoastal when on the 14th tee - they didn’t look as luxurious as most of the houses on the Resort course.

Great course and a fixture in our line-up.

After lunch in the bar at the Resort course - which is very good - it was off to the Members course which is deeper into the Grande Dunes development and accessed through another electronic gate with an intercom. We’ve played the Members course once before though we couldn’t remember much about it. The Clubhouse is very impressive as you’d expect with a large bar and restaurant area, an expensively stocked pro shop and an outdoor area overlooking the ninth and eighteenth greens. It goes without saying that there’s an excellent practice area at the course - what top notch MB course doesn’t have one?

The course was in the sort of condition you’d expect for an exclusive facility like this - I don’t think the Members would appreciate a substandard conditioned course. Its a good design without being spectacular - the ninth and eighteenth are probably the most visually appealing as they play back to the impressive clubhouse and have a large lake running between them. It probably suffers from a direct comparison to the Resort course which is more impressive and ultimately a better course. We don’t feel any great need to race back and will return to playing 36 holes at the Resort course on our next trip.

Rivers Edge - Sunday 24th April

Time to head north again for a return for the first time in a few years to Rivers Edge. As we all know this is a great design - apart from the ninth in my view - but the problem here has always been conditioning and you have to give them credit for their consistency as nothing has changed.

The layout is great with the final three holes being a match for any course we’ve played in the Carolinas. The views out over the wetlands are spectacular and are very reminiscent of the finishing stretch at the much missed Ocean Harbour although are probably better as the wetlands are larger here. The ninth is a Marmite hole - do you guys have Marmite in the US? - you either love it or hate it. I just think it’s a bad design. You’d have to land the ball and stop it on a dime to be able to hold the green which is extremely unlikely given the club 99% of the people playing the course will be hitting in order to make the distance. The smart shot would actually be to aim for the green side bunker with your second and look to make birdie/par with a bunker shot and one or two putts. The green looks even smaller now as all the trees that used to be round the green have been blown down which also makes it look really untidy. Sorry Arnie but not your finest design moment.

The conditioning though isn’t up to the design. I’m usually pretty lenient about teeing areas because when you’re sticking your ball on a tee it’s not usually a major problem if the grass coverage isn’t perfect but these tees were really scruffy with hardly any grass and lots of divots on the worst offenders. It would probably have helped if they’d placed the tee boxes in better places but it felt like they’d been in the same spots for too long. The fairways were fine but the greens were disappointing and the worst we played all week. I know they’ve had problems with thin grass cover previously but that certainly wasn’t the problem this time - the grass coverage was very good it was just that they were painfully slow because the grass was so long. I can only presume they are keeping the mower blades high to protect the greens but the grass cover seemed fine so why not cut them when we are in peak season. Having played such good greens all week it probably made the slowness of these greens more noticeable but they really weren’t fun to putt on. Azalea Sands greens were significantly better to put it in context.

The carts were also annoyingly slow - maybe it was to match the greens. We actually took our cart back when we played the fourth which is close to the clubhouse and were told they were all like our one and we should just press the pedal halfway down rather than all the way to the floor as that got the best speed out of it.

Apologies if this comes across as a bit of a whinge but when you’ve got such a good layout as this it’s annoying when the conditions detract from what it should be. I wouldn’t recommend anyone who is scheduled to play here cancels as it’s a great design and for all my complaints about the tees/greens you might not even experience it if they place the tee boxes in better spots and drop the blades on the mowers.

Arcadian Shores - Monday 25th April

So for the first time since Thursday we were off to another new course for our group - number 59 - we’ll need to find another new one next year so we can reach 60. Like River Hills I’m not sure why we haven’t made it to Arcadian Shores on a previous trip especially when we’ve probably seen the hole that backs onto Highway 17 every day we’ve been in MB.

This is another course from the 1970s expansion period in MB having been established in 1974. It’s a Rees Jones design and does feel like a very traditional design from that period with raised greens and bunkering providing most of the course’s protection. It’s not spectacular although there are some really nice holes like the thirteenth which is a longish right to left hole with water protecting a green that slopes back towards the pond in front of it. There’s a decent size gator in that pond which is also round the teeing area of the fourteenth - the ranger told us one of the earlier groups were feeding it a sandwich which probably isn’t good news for the gator - a fed gator is a dead gator as the saying goes.

The new clubhouse is fine if a bit sterile and lacking in character. I’ve had more enthusiastic welcomes from pro shops when I check in but it wasn’t unfriendly. Our tee-time was 9:40AM and we were the last group off the tenth in the morning. It was a very slow round - the biggest log jam was at the par 3 second which was our eleventh hole where there would be a group playing it and two groups waiting to tee off. Not the biggest deal for our group - we like spending time on golf courses but it might have annoyed other groups who like to play quicker. I enjoyed the round and think Arcadian Shores is a course we should have on our MB resume but I’d not be in any great hurry to return - there’s too many good courses on our usual line-up and others to fill the revolving slots.

RESTAURANTS/FOOD

Dinos - our go to breakfast venue as it has been for pretty much all our trips to MB. The waiting staff always recognise us when we come back - there’s some ladies that have been serving there since we started coming to MB. The usual breakfast fare of eggs, pancakes, waffles, corned beef hash, hash browns etc that we love. A few new additions to the menu this year that we usually try out to mix it up a bit. Gets very busy at the weekends especially on Sundays but they get through the lines pretty quickly and it’s easy to get a table if you are there during the week from 6am onwards.

Joe’s Bar and Grill - this is the one behind the Longhorn restaurant over the road from Barefoot Landing but is not Hamburger Joes or Joe’s Crab Shack which are also close by - taxi drivers are regularly confused by which restaurant you are going to - Joe is obviously the given name of half the restauranteurs in MB. Our favourite evening restaurant experience for a number of years now as it’s handy for where we stay and the food is very good. Always busy so a reservation is recommended. In addition to the bar as you enter the restaurant there’s an outdoor bar at the far end of the restaurant which looks out onto the wetlands between the restaurant and the hotels down on the beach along with the raccoon feeding station which is a feature outside the enclosed deck area. Good selection of seafood, meat and pasta dishes and a decent wine list. Try the house chowder soup as an appetiser - it packs a punch. Disappointing Irish Coffee - you should never make it with squirty cream!

Ciao - Italian restaurant down in Myrtle Beach on 17 Business. One of the Uber drivers recommended this place and we thought we’d give it a try. We were glad we did as the food was excellent and the wine was too. We tend to eat later than you Americans do so think we must have been the last table to be seated and we closed the place down but we really enjoyed it and would return. Good staff and they have the slidiest floor I’ve ever walked on which allowed us to practice our moonwalking/ice skating moves on the way back from the rest rooms.

Flynns - Irish bar/restaurant down on Main Street in NMB. Usual selection of bar food options with a few more Irish/British food options as well - we were there on Easter Monday so I tried the Roast Beef special which they do on a Monday. The food was ok and it definitely has the feel of being a decent pub on the right night but it wasn’t the friendliest welcome we’ve ever had - the server out front didn’t seem to want to be there when we arrived and they closed the place down at 10PM when there was still quite a few people in the bar. Maybe it was down to it being Easter Monday - suspect we just tried it on a bad night and with the recent good reviews it’s worth a shot if you staying nearby.

Umbertos - the Barefoot Landing one although I don’t think the other venue that was also in NMB is still open. Another Pittsburgh owned restaurant although this time an Italian one. There are huge portions of food here so go carefully with the bean casserole/salad/bread/angel hair marinara that you get served with in addition to anything else you order. I can’t see how a starter would be possible here. The pork chops are a feature item - they are double cut so one is huge but you actually get served two of them - I’d struggle to see how anyone could eat both and the size is actually a bit off putting when they arrive. One for groups with a very healthy appetite.

Dagwoods - Understand there are a few other Dagwoods in the MB area - this was the one in NMB over the road from Oscars and seems quite new. Sports bar with the usual array of TVs that you’d expect and a large bar food menu. Food was fine although nothing stands out as being something you’d have to go there to have.

Putters Pub - the bar at the driving range for the Barefoot courses. There also used to be a golf shop opposite the bar but that now looks to be a gym. Really handy if you are staying at Barefoot but I’m not sure it’s somewhere you’d come if not. They have a proper pizza oven so that would be the food option I’d suggest you go for. They have specials/events on most nights although their website seems to be down so Facebook is probably your best bet to find out what they are. I know that Wednesday is Karaoke night as we went in for a drink the night we arrived. One of the waitresses has the most amazing voice - to begin with we thought she was just miming along to a record but she actually was singing. It turned out she had been Snow White on one of the Disney cruise ships and her voice was an absolute carbon copy of Snow White’s singing voice from the classic cartoon from I think the Forties - uncanny.

Oscars - our go to bar food option. Another Sports bar that has the banks of TVs and a menu you could probably write down 90% of the options from without even looking at it. The attraction here is the wings which for us are the best we have come across in MB. They are big wings that just fall off the bone and there is a huge list of sauces you can have them done with - the Gold sauce is our favourite. Good selection of draught beer too.

Barefoot Market and Cafe - this is in the new development of shops/offices behind the Barefoot Yacht Club Villas that has gone up since our last MB visit. There’s quite a few new houses also been built next to the Villas and opposite the Marina Bar with more to come. This is a convenience store but it also has a few tables and chairs outside the store and they do a variety of take-away food like sandwiches, wings and pizza. We tried the takeaway pizza one night along with some fries and mac and cheese and were really impressed. The pizzas were huge - 16” - and we completely over ordered but we thought they were very decent takeaway pizzas and they are perfect if you are having a night in and are staying anywhere at Barefoot. The store also has a really good selection of drinks with a wall of fridges covering one whole side of the building and then a walk-in cold room where the larger packs of beers etc are all kept. Worth supporting if you are staying locally and don’t want to trawl round Walmart for a few beers and snacks or if you’ve forgotten an essential item.

Famous Wok - this is the Chinese in the Tanger Outlets on 17 next to Arcadian Sands. We usually pop in here for some Sesame Chicken or General Tsao’s Chicken with rice or noodles when we are doing a bit of shopping at the Tanger stores. Not fine dining I know and hardly authentic Chinese either but for some reason we like it.

Sugar Life - one afternoon we fancied an ice cream and popped in here after a trip to the PGA Superstore in NMB. 32 flavours of ice cream to choose from which is probably too many and it’s difficult to choose what you actually want. This place must be a dentist’s paradise as I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many products packed full of sugar in my whole life. I suspect small children must start turning hyper by just inhaling the air when they enter the shop.

Airport Bars - just a general observation that it’s an expensive business if you have a drink in an airport - it’s easily twice or three times what you’d expect to pay for the same drinks if you were in a normal bar. I’m sure the cost to be located in the airport is high but you don’t want to develop a thirst when airside as it’s seriously bad for your wallet.

OBSERVATIONS/OTHER

GC’s - just two trips to Thee Doll House this time one on a Wednesday which is amateur night (not sure any of them were real amateurs) and the other on the Monday before we flew out so neither trip was on a peak night. Spats was on the door as usual and a lot of the floor guys were familiar faces. There was definitely a more obvious push to pay for a strategically placed table when we arrived which we politely declined and said we’d be quite happy with a standard one. The floor guys were also a bit pushier with suggesting you buy a bottle for your table when you arrived which again we weren’t interested in. When someone does buy a bottle a fire siren goes off and it’s brought to the table by a waitress waving around a couple of flares and a floor guy carries the bottle in a sort of illuminated Ace of Spades tray above his head - frankly it looked a bit ridiculous and would have put me off buying a bottle if it had to be delivered that way so I was quite glad we were drinking beers which still come on a good old fashioned un-illuminated tray.

Apart from the bottle delivery service nothing much has changed other than dances are $40 and not very negotiable and there no longer seem to be any Russian dancers although there are significantly more Polish and Czech ladies who coincidently have Russian accents. Sort of back to normal if you like this sort of thing but it seemed a bit been there done that for us this year - maybe we are getting old.

Golf Stores - seems to be down to the two PGA Superstores and the new Golf Galaxy which is clearly part of Dick’s Sporting Goods down at the Coastal Grand Mall. I was quite impressed with the Golf Galaxy store - it seemed to have a better selection than the PGA Superstore although the pricing in both stores wasn’t that attractive - in the UK the online golf stores and club pro shops are far cheaper than these two giants.

Uber - we used Uber for all our evening trips out and it was very easy and the cost seemed reasonable.

And so another trip enters the books. It was great to be back in MB with the boys hitting a few balls, enjoying some great food and drink and having lots of laughs - we’d missed it. The last couple of years have felt more like existing rather than living at times and we should always remember we’re here to live not just exist. Hope everyone is able to get back to MB soon - enjoy it when you do.

The End