Golf Notebook: Grande Dunes Named National Course of the Year

Myrtle Beach boasts 10 of America’s top 100 golf courses, two of America’s top 25 golf schools, and now the area is home to the 2009 National Golf Course of the Year.

The Grande Dunes Resort Club recently earned Golf Course of the Year honors from the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). Grande Dunes is the second Myrtle Beach area course to capture the annual award, joining International World Tour Golf Links, which earned the honor in 2004.
Grande Dunes also takes a seat alongside Pebble Beach and Reynolds Plantation, previous winners of the award. Grande Dunes earned consideration for the national award by winning Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association and South Carolina course of year honors.

The “National Course of the Year” award honors a member that demonstrates four criteria: exceptional quality of the course, exceptional quality of ownership and management, outstanding contribution to its community, and significant contribution to the game. The “Course of the Year” Award winners come from NGCOA’s core membership and are model operations to their peers.

Grande Dunes bested 13 other Chapter Course of the Year winners to capture top honors.

The Grande Dunes Resort Club and Burroughs & Chapin Golf Management demonstrated their support to the Myrtle Beach area community by helping raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities including The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Conway Medical Center, Victory Junction Gang, Special Olympics and Patriot’s Golf Day. The Grande Dunes Resort Club is also committed to introducing the game to golfers of all ages through their active participation in Play Golf America and The First Tee of Myrtle Beach program.

“The Grande Dunes Resort course exemplifies the quality of golf in the Myrtle Beach area,” said George Hilliard, Executive Director of the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association. “The management has played a significant role in developing the course, contributing back to the community, and enhancing the game of golf.”

Steve Dresser Golf Academy Honored

As a follow up to its biennial ranking of America’s Top 25 Golf Schools, Golf Magazine has released a list of “Twenty other top schools we recommend,” and to the surprise of no one, the Steve Dresser Golf Academy was part of the list. Located in Pawleys Island, the Steve Dresser Golf Academy, formerly Tradition Golf School, has been a regular member of the top 25 list and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s finest places for instruction.

Now in its 20th year, the school is located at True Blue and Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, providing an almost unrivaled combination of golf and instruction. The Dresser Academy boasts a 3-to-1 student-teacher ratio, a digital video unit, and indoor hitting bays that open up to the driving range, among many other amenities.