Matt's Myrtle Beach Golf Journal

[Matt Saternus]

Right by my house is an old private. huge $$ to join and waiting list to do so. when the did a course redesign a few years ago, rumor is that the members were assessed 100K each.

Every time I drive to my $25 muni, I go past it and looking through the fence at it, it looks amazing. usually it is empty or sparsely populated with players too.

that kind of $$ has some hard work and long hours associated with it...

 

There are ways to have a bunch of money that don't involve hard work or long hours.

 

The "empty or sparsely populated" part is the one thing that would really make me want to join a private club. It would be so nice to show up whenever you wanted to and just play. The downside is playing the same course every day.

[cmsaternus]

 

Oh, I'll also add that the game of the day between my dad and myself was a 6 point game - 2 points for the longest drive in the fairway, 2 points for closest to the hole (must be GIR), and 2 points for the low score. Final score: 46 to 10. Clearly, we have some work to do on adjusting my dad's handicap.

 

This is called sandbagging. I'm going to crush you tomorrow.

[jamo]

The "empty or sparsely populated" part is the one thing that would really make me want to join a private club. It would be so nice to show up whenever you wanted to and just play. The downside is playing the same course every day.

 

That can be an ugly trade-off sometimes, but one that I would take.

[GolfSpy Dave]

This is called sandbagging. I'm going to crush you tomorrow.

Fantastic. Now wife and dad can out flank Matt!

 

>

[JohnBarry]

Good luck at Oyster Bay, a little tougher, and very nice looking and awesome marsh views. It still remains my most favorite course every played in Myrtle Beach. I know some folks that post regular on MBGT work there also, and you can usually find some other posters hanging out. The Staff is top notch, can't wait for the review.

[Matt Saternus]

Day 2: Oyster Bay

 

The weather was absolutely beautiful, 70*, a light breeze, and sunny all day long. Can't ask for anything more in that regard.

 

Overall, today was great, but there were a number of small annoyances that kept it from being really 100% perfect.

 

Tee time today was 12:20, so Dad and I headed over to the Legends clubhouse at 9 for breakfast. When we arrived we were told that they would not serve us breakfast there because we were playing at Oyster Bay (The Legends property houses the condos and 3 courses. Oyster Bay, TPC Myrtle, and Heritage are all part of the same management company & included in our package). We had to jump in the car and rush 45 minutes to make sure that we made breakfast at Oyster Bay. This is one of those little annoyances of the day. The place just came off as being chintzy instead of being first class. Would it make a difference to anyone if 2 more people went through the buffet at once place versus another?

 

We got to Oyster Bay without any problems and ate our breakfast. The breakfast was quite good, just like at the Legends. However, there were a couple more irritants. 1) We were told that range balls were included with every round. Oyster Bay hit us up for $5/bag. Not a huge thing, just annoying because it isn't what it was supposed to be. 2) Lunch and 2 drinks are included our package, but they're pretty...chintzy is still the best word...about the way they honor this. If you're playing, you can't order off the menu, they stop honoring the lunch coupons way too early for the afternoon people to use them, and your drink choices are pretty limited. I'll go ahead and get my last complaint out of the way so I can get on to the good stuff: 3) The rangers/marshalls were way out of line, IMO. I appreciate the need to maintain pace of play; it's not my hobby horse issue, but I understand that 6 hour rounds are no one's friend. Today, the course was packed, 4 golfers at every tee time. My group was waiting on the group in front for every tee shot and every approach, but we had created some space behind us. In spite of this, when we get to the turn and headed up to get a snack, the ranger was standing there tapping his foot telling us, "Don't get so far behind." Excuse me, so far behind the group that's just getting to the tee box now? Really? During the back 9, another ranger drove up to our group, said "You're getting off pace" and then sat and stared at us while we finished the hole. Again, we were waiting to hit every shot. To me this is just poor customer relations. Ok, enough griping, on to the fun.

 

The course is really beautiful. There's a lot of water, and a really nice variety of holes. The wildlife is also great - we saw three gators that were each over 10 feet! I have a few pictures that I'll load up when I get back home.

 

I shot another 83, though this was a much steadier bogey, par, double, par, par kind of 83. I played the round with the Top Flite Gamer which performed wonderfully. I drove the ball really well and chipped very well, too. The greens were a bit spotty (good condition for March, just not very smooth), so holing putts of any length was tough, but I hit all of my lag putts to tap in range and read the greens well.

 

One of the best things about today's round was the pair that Dad and I were grouped with. Very cool guys, laid back, and easy to get along with. And the bonus: we get to play with them again tomorrow.

 

All in all, it was another great day of golf. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's round at the Parkland course at Legends.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Thanks Matt. Keep em coming

 

Did you point out the space behind you to the marshals?

[Matt Saternus]

Thanks Matt. Keep em coming

 

Did you point out the space behind you to the marshals?

 

My response was driving away. I wasn't going to irritate myself or waste any time arguing with him about something that should be obvious.

 

Just want to reiterate that we're having a ball down here, but I do want use this space to point out the negative things so that this is actually useful to others. Personally, I don't find it helpful to read reviews that say "everything is 100% awesome!" That's all.

 

Day 3 review will be up late tonight...sneak preview:

[GolfSpy Dave]

My response was driving away. I wasn't going to irritate myself or waste any time arguing with him about something that should be obvious.

 

Just want to reiterate that we're having a ball down here, but I do want use this space to point out the negative things so that this is actually useful to others. Personally, I don't find it helpful to read reviews that say "everything is 100% awesome!" That's all.

 

Day 3 review will be up late tonight...sneak preview:

OK so it is Day 4 now...?

[Matt Saternus]

Day 3: The Legends, Parkland

 

If you've been reading all along, you know how the day starts: breakfast, range, practice green, lunch. On to the round:

 

The Parkland Course at Legends is a very nice course. Based on what I've been told, and what I've seen, it fits in the middle of the 3 Legends courses in terms of difficulty (Heathland is easiest, Moorland is toughest). Parklands also has a very distinct character compared to Heathland. Heathland is more of a "links-style" course, very few trees, more wide open fairways and mounding. The Parkland course is much more tree-lined and the greens have more undulation. Both courses have a good amount of bunkers that are all relatively deep. The sand here is very tricky - it's extremely dense, but it's also easy to cut right under the ball.

 

The wind was definitely up today and most of the holes played into the wind (not sure if this is the norm or not). The wind was good for between 1 and 2 clubs all day long, which can definitely wear you out. As compared to Oyster Bay and Heathland, the greens have a lot of severe slopes, but they were not in great condition. They were terribly slow uphill and patchy, so it was tough to get a smooth roll on the ball. The real difficulty today was the pin positions - at least 7 of the holes were cut on the edge of slopes.

 

My round today was pretty poor. Between the wind, the pin positions, and a lack of local knowledge (there are a couple holes where having played before would be a huge advantage), I did not score well. I went out in 47, came back in 43 for a smooth 90. It's the worst score I've put up in a while, and I have to say that my positive thinking got away from me for a long stretch in the early-middle section of the round. Towards the end, I got it back and hit some good quality shots.

[Matt Saternus]

Day 4: Heritage Club

 

The Heritage Club is one of the 3 courses that is part of the Legends group that are not on the Legends property (the others are Oyster Bay and TPC Myrtle Beach). It takes about 40 minutes to get there from the Legends. Driving into the property is very neat - the driveway is lined with big mossy oaks and on this very gray day it looked quite eerie.

 

While hitting some range balls, Dad and I were very happy to see our 2 friends from Oyster Bay walk up to the practice tee and we found out that we were paired with them again. There really aren't very many pairs in Myrtle, mainly groups of 8 or more, so this wasn't terribly surprising, but we were happy to play with them again.

 

The Heritage Club has a good selection of tee boxes and it can play anywhere from 6000 to 7000 yards. It definitely rewards strategy, and part of that is local knowledge. The Legends courses (except TPC) all provide you with a very nice yardage book with pictures fo the hole and some numbers, but are only useful to a point.

 

The atmosphere of the course is great - lots of mossy oaks, some swamps, some water. The weather today was gray, rainy, and gray again, but in spite of that it was still a beautiful place (pictures to be uploaded when I get home). There's also lots of cool wildlife - we saw 4 or 5 more gators, though none as big as the ones at Oyster Bay, and a whole flock of large white birds (no, I can't be more specific, not a bird watcher) hanging out in a cluster of fallen trees.

 

The course was in good condition. The greens were smooth, a fair speed, and had a nice mix of flat spots and undulations. The greens are smaller than at the Legends, but not overly small by any means. I'd say they were pretty average sized, much like Oyster Bay, the greens at Legends are a bit large.

 

I played pretty steady golf today. Bogey-par all around the front, and a bit more erratic on the back. The rain came in around the 14th hole, and our foursome became a twosome. The rain was a bit annoying, but pretty light, so with rain gloves it was easy enough to get around. In the midst of the rain I played one perfect golf hole which I will definitely keep with me as a happy thought for a good long while. The 16th hole is a short par 4 (340 today) with water cutting the hole in two. I hit a 6I perfectly off the tee to get around the 150 pole (the only thing I could see that was clearly short of the water). I had 155 to the flag which was in the back left corner of a kidney shaped green over a bunker. 155 is a perfect full 7I, so my first thought was, "Hit 7 at the middle, if you don't catch it perfectly, there's plenty of green short of 155." Then I thought, "I'm not going under 80 today...hit it at the flag." That positive, aggressive thought led to a pured 7I that took off on a line directly at the flag, drew about a yard and ended up 15 feet from the cup, 2 feet onto the fringe (the greens at all of the courses are rock hard, I hit a full lob wedge that sucked back and it left a ball mark 1/8", it's the only mark I've left so far). I stepped up to the putt, read it as having 8" of break from the left, asked the ball if it was ready, and let it go. I knew it was good from 10 feet, and, true enough, the ball hit the flagstick dead center, with speed, and dropped.

 

After the round, we headed to BWW and watched Duke whip Cal on a giant TV and fueled up for the final two days of our trip. Tomorrow we're headed to the TPC Myrtle Beach, then a final round at the Legends Moorland.

[JohnBarry]

Sounds like a great trip so far. I would post your Oyster Bay experience over on Brians site, I am sure something would come of it.

[GolfSpy Dave]

great write up again Matt.

What was the ball for this round?

[Matt Saternus]

Sounds like a great trip so far. I would post your Oyster Bay experience over on Brians site, I am sure something would come of it.

 

What site is that, John? I'd be happy to offer feedback if someone is interested in listening.

 

great write up again Matt.

What was the ball for this round?

 

Round 3 was the Burner TP, Round 4 was the TP Black. Round 5 (TPC Myrtle, review coming tonight) was the Titleist ProV1X. The ball review for that one is up already.

[Matt Saternus]

Day 5: TPC Myrtle Beach

 

Driving up to the TPC Myrtle Beach, I could see the practice facility and I knew I would love it here. After we parked and I got a full look at it, I took 3 pictures so that I could show whoever is upstairs what my version of heaven ought to look like. The practice facility has a full range with tees on both ends and the grass in the middle is mowed like a fairway and level so you can actually see how the ball reacts when it lands. They also have a full size short game green on each end with 1 or 2 bunkers each, and a putting green on each end. Everything is in absolutely immaculate condition, and the range balls are sitting in your cart when you get there. As I've mentioned before, free range balls, especially at a premium course, is a big thing for me. It's part of the course's first impression, and the impression that free range balls gives me is, "We'd like you to have a good experience here, not milk you for every $5 possible."

 

In addition to the free range balls, the staff at TPC was much friendlier than at any other facility that I've reviewed here. The minute we pulled up, someone grabbed our bags, asked for our tee time, and offered to let us get going sooner if we wanted to (we arrived around 11 for a 12:20 tee time). The starter was friendly, the guys in the pro shop were friendly, this was just a first rate experience all the way around.

 

We ended up teeing off at about 1130 as a twosome, which I really like. I hate being pushed, and playing as a two almost guarantees that that won't happen. The course was in great condition, particularly the greens. The greens were running at a 10 and they were super smooth. I said on the putting green, "If you miss any putts today, you won't have anyone to blame but yourself." This was true all the way around. The greens on the course are relatively flat, but with the speed and smoothness, the subtle ridges led to significant breaks.

 

I think that TPC/stadium-style courses are a somewhat divisive thing: some people love them, some people hate them. I love them. I don't mind that they moved 100 tons of dirt to make every hole look like a postcard. I can enjoy a more natural course, too, but given my druthers, I'd play this kind of course every day. This course has a wonderful variety of holes - some greens that you need to fly it to, some where you can roll it up, doglegs right and left, short holes and long, water holes and dry holes, just a bit of everything. We even saw a guy in a scuba suit fishing hundreds (literally, giant giant sacks full) of balls out of the water on the par 3's. Sadly, we did not see any gators today.

 

As I've posted elsewhere, I shot the most miserable number in the world (for me): 80. I would be so much happier at 81, or better, 83. I shot 80, missed 3 birdie putts from inside 15', and hit a good number of pretty skunky shots. The bright side is: I missed 3 birdie putts, hit skunky shots, and still shot 80. I absolutely pummeled the ball off the tee, straight and long, and played the 4 par 3's in +1. I also made the first bomb with Penny (my putter, name is an homage to my first car): On a par 3 I ended up short and left in a bunker. Blasted out, but the green sloped away and it ran out to 25 feet. I got behind the putt and saw the line light up like a highlighter: a straight line 6 inches left of the cup with all the break in the last foot. Stepped in behind it...bottoms.

 

A couple changes are upcoming in my ongoing quest to get below the hated 80. I'm going to go back to playing the MX-23's all the way from 4-PW instead of 4-6 and playing the MP-57's from 7-PW. I hit way too many poor shots after great drives to justify playing a "players" club, and I know these misses would have been much better with the 23's. I'm also going to be replacing my TM Rescue TP with an Adams A7 or Adams Super Hybrid. The fade tendency of the TP exacerbates my usual miss and cost me 2-3 strokes on #11 (not the first time this has happened either). Everything else is very solid.

 

Tomorrow, Dad and I are getting up early to golf and then hit the road back to Chicago. I miss my wife and my puppy and am excited to be heading back. The trip has been great and I've enjoyed sharing it with those of you who have been reading along. Hopefully it's been helpful to someone in planning a future trip. Try not to miss me too much in the next 36 hours or so. The review of the Moorlands course will be up on Wednesday.

 

-Matt

[GolfSpy Dave]

Hey Matt as someone who usually plays munis. What is the usual tipping protocol for someone taking your gear from the car and the extra help and service like that?

[JohnBarry]

What site is that, John? I'd be happy to offer feedback if someone is interested in listening.

 

 

 

Round 3 was the Burner TP, Round 4 was the TP Black. Round 5 (TPC Myrtle, review coming tonight) was the Titleist ProV1X. The ball review for that one is up already.

 

The site is here, and I know the staff from Oyster Bay post here all the time:

 

Myrtle Beach Golf Talk

[JohnBarry]

The Myrtle TPC is top notch, allow me to add a few pictures for everyone to drool over:

 

 

 

[GolfSpy Dave]

Thanks John for the photos. Now we can all hate Matt a little more for playing 6 rounds in 6 days.

That bunker in front of the bottom green is nasty!

[JohnBarry]

Thanks John for the photos. Now we can all hate Matt a little more for playing 6 rounds in 6 days.

That bunker in front of the bottom green is nasty!

 

Hate him more, here is the Heritage Club:

 

 

 

[GolfSpy Dave]

Aagin, thanks John. This is not what it looks like where I play.

I can't wait to win that big MB contest now.

So pretty.

[JohnBarry]

Any to continue the hate or envy, here is my personal favorite course of Myrtle Beach, Oyster Bay!!

 

 

 

 

[bp4455]

I was the second person to obtain a Privilege Card to the TPC when it opened in 1999 and I played the course hundreds of times over the years. My best score was 67 from the blues at age 63 prior to the surgeries that kept me out of the game for over three years.

 

While I love the course and never got sick of playing it I lost my regular playing partner and decided not to renew this year.

 

The outside and inside staff always treated me well.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Oyster Bay looked like my favorite too until I got to the bottom photo... too much wildlife for this biologist.

deer, turkeys, 10,000 ground squirrels, and the occasional raptor eating a squirrel is enough for me. (that was cool to see on the course)

oh and one coyote too.

[JohnBarry]

Oyster Bay is famous for it's large gators

[Matt Saternus]

Hey Matt as someone who usually plays munis. What is the usual tipping protocol for someone taking your gear from the car and the extra help and service like that?

 

I can only speak for my dad and myself, but if someone grabs your bag when you pull up, loads it when you come back, and is friendly and helpful, we usually give him a couple/few bucks. Could be more if they do something above and beyond.

 

The site is here, and I know the staff from Oyster Bay post here all the time:

 

Myrtle Beach Golf Talk

 

Thanks, John. I'll try to get over there and copy and paste my thoughts and see what comes of it.

 

Oyster Bay is famous for it's large gators

 

We saw a 10 footer on the banks of a par 5 taking a siesta. We all played to the other side of that green.

 

Thanks for posting the pics, John. You're making me want to go back already.

 

Review of Legends Moorlands and closing thoughts will be up later today/tonight.

[JohnBarry]

Posted your trip notes already over there, hope you don't mind. Everyone loves the review!

[Matt Saternus]

Not at all, saves me the time. Glad people are enjoying them.

[GolfSpy Dave]

Not at all, saves me the time. Glad people are enjoying them.

Are your pictures coming?

 

No lob wedge shot to gator?

[Matt Saternus]

Are your pictures coming?

 

No lob wedge shot to gator?

 

 

My pictures probably won't get posted until tonight when I unpack.

 

I do have some pics of the gator. I actually had a half wedge into that green, but I pushed the heck out of (gator was on the left). My subconscious said, "Think all the happy thoughts you want about hitting this in the hole, this ball is staying way the hell away from that gator."