South Carolina Named A Top 5 Golf Destination Worldwide
Spoiler alert: I’m a golf fanatic. I know, right? Now that you’ve scraped yourself up off the floor from shock at this revelation, I’ve got to tell you about a similar “No duh!” moment I had this morning. The International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) has declared that South Carolina is among the top 5 golf destinations in the world for 2023. The Palmetto State is joined on the list this year by Thailand, Cyprus, Dubai, and Los Cabos.
According to the organization’s website, “IAGTO golf tour operators handle 90% of international golf vacation sales worldwide, so they are in a great position to assess the performance of golf destinations and the service provided by industry partners, through the experience of their customers. We currently have 669 golf tour operators in 61 countries which explains the geographical diversity of this year’s Awards recipients.”
I don’t need any organization to tell you that there is no better place ANYWHERE in this country to play golf than the Carolinas in general, and South Carolina in particular. I’m not even going to bring up the Charleston area complete with the Kiawah Island Resort. The fact that it has hosted two major championships and a Ryder Cup in the last thirty years speaks for itself. All I have to do is use two words to make the case for South Carolina: Myrtle Beach.
My best friend has owned a condo down there for ten years. He and I play golf A LOT on the Grand Strand. In fact, we just got back from our annual winter trip last week. We played 207 holes of golf in 6 days. That includes a three-day tournament. And we only played on a fraction, small fraction, of the golf courses available there. Myrtle Beach golf boasts more than 90 c0urses now, and all are in very good to great year-round condition. I mentioned playing regularly at the beach for ten years, right? Last year we did an informal count. In all that time, we’ve played just under half of the available tracks.
So welcome to the party, IAGTO. Here’s a helpful hint for your list next year. Don’t put any location up with South Carolina. There’s no need to pressure amateurs to live up to The Palmetto State’s professional standards when it comes to golf destinations.
Best Myrtle Beach Golf Courses For Your Buddies Trip
For the last 8-9 years, my best friend and I have been taking the last week of February and heading down to Myrtle Beach for a huge golf week. My definition of huge? This year we were gone 8 days and played 216 holes of golf at that time. Myrtle Beach, to me, is the golf capital of America, and perfect for that “escape the cold weather/buddies golf trip.”
Nowhere else in the country has a population of greater golf courses over such a relatively small area. Everyone has their favorites, but here is my list of 10 in no particular order.
Note, my friend has a condo down there and so worrying about where to sleep has never been an issue. Consequently, this list is based just off my thoughts about the golfing experience only. Accommodations, dining, etc. I leave to others.
