Walking Wounded March 2024

Well, that's another one in the books. Walking Wounded Myrtle Beach 2024 was a huge success, March 15^th to 23^rd. With 16 of our
20 arriving on Friday and 4 arriving on Saturday. We had 10 wanting to Golf on Saturday (like 6 days in a row was not enough) I asked
Brian to book some rounds at 3 different courses to use some rainchecks from previous years. We had 3 golfers at Meadowlands, there
were complaints of lumpy, bumpy greens with inconsistent speeds. It seems the greens near the clubhouse were in better condition
than those further away.

Next we had 3 playing at Crow Creek, all raving about excellent conditioning on t-boxes, fairways, rough, traps and greens. Apparently
we MUST put Crow Creek on the rotation next year or there may be a mutiny.

And finally we had 4 playing at Glen Dornoch. The course was in good condition with the only complaint being very windy and cold along
the intercoastal waterway.

Sunday was Wild Wing with a 1:03pm tee off. Always liked this course in previous years, I found the housing and associated deforestation
to be a negative. I much preferred the appearance of isolation from 2011 and 2013 when we previously played. The course was in very
good shape with no complaints.

I played 2 of the Cats in 2009 but was leary about booking all 4 of the Big Cats after years of bad reviews. After several conversations with Brian Noblin and his assurances that conditions were much improved, I agreed to book all 4.

Monday was Lion's Paw 10am. Overall conditions were very good, staff were amazing at bag drop and in clubhouse. Tees, fairways, rough and traps were all good. Greens were, as a couple of guys said, “Fuzzy” and hard to read. Someone mentioned it may have been the type
of grass that actually follows the sun, and if it were cut shorter life would have been easier.

Tuesday was Panther's Run 10am, and much like Lion's Paw, conditions were very good. The same clubhouse and bag drop, so staff again top shelf. Similar conditions as LP but the greens must have been cut or rolled, easier to read with no complaints.

Wednesday was King's North 1:04pm. What can you say? Awesome! Everything top shelf. From the staff at the bag drop and loading for 3x18's and shuffling carts, clubhouse were very helpful and went above an beyond. Course was in very good shape. Easy to see why this course is loved by so many.

Thursday was Tiger's Eye 10am. I am going to sound like a broken record. Course conditions similar to LP & PR. Bag drop to cart load is
an interesting process and works well. I only played the first hole. Teeing off of #2 I took a divot and blew up my left elbow and shoulder. I have tendonitis in the elbow and a torn tendon in the shoulder. How did I golf all week you might ask?

Well, I purchased a 'Swingless Golf Club' ( https://www.powergolfclub.com/ ) 2 years ago while awaiting hip replacement surgery. That surgery happened last April and my hip is just great, but now I have this left elbow & shoulder issue. I use the swingless off the tee and for anything over 120 yrds. I then 1/2 to 3/4 swing my irons into the greens. I talked with the Ranger and I was able to get a raincheck for the round at the clubhouse.

Friday was Leopard's Chase 10am. This course really needs a clubhouse, but you all know that. The course itself was very good. Some very interesting holes. After a night of ice packs and extra strength Tylenol I was able to golf 6 holes until an 'on cart' incident (elbow on elbow contact with cart driver) aggravated my elbow. As our pace of play was a little slow, I did not stop at the clubhouse after 9 to request a raincheck, hoping to maybe play a few on the back 9, but that did not happen.

The water feature on 18 was not running, I imagine on a warm, bright, sunny day it is probably very impressive.

For meals we did Crab Catchers (always good), Portofino's (highly recommend), Magoo's (great wing's cheap beer), Carolina Steakhouse (awesome) and Dockside Seafood House. We also had 3 in house meals during the week, a chili night, a smash burger night and a pad-thai night, all of which were great.

Our accommodations were side by side 6 bedroom, 6 bathroom, 2 story oceanfront condos with an adjoining door on each level. It can comfortably accommodate 24 but our group of 20 was just about perfect. It was like a college dorm with oceanfront balconies.

Did you know Costco sells a 1.75 liter blended Scotch (I swear it's Johnnie Walker Black) for around $41. No more stopping at the DUTY FREE on the way down. Many beers and scotch were consumed on the balconies as well as the hot tub. We went through a vast number of cigars during the week as well. All in all, more fun than we should have been allowed to have.

It's now time to consider which courses to select for next year.

A big shoutout to Art, thanks for the proximity holes information, it worked out well.

That's it, 2024 is a wrap,

Cheers,

Bryan