If you’re one of those golfers who isn’t impressed by a big-name celebrity golf course architect (and the usual high green fees attached), the next time you’re in Myrtle Beach, consider a Tom Jackson-designed golf course. Myrtle Beach has all the big names: Fazio, Nicklaus, Palmer, Dye and more. But there are some reoccurring names in the second tier. I call them the foot soldiers of Grand Strand golf: Tom Jackson, Clyde Johnston, Russell Breeden and Dan Maples. Their mugs aren’t plastered all over the clubhouses and scorecards, they just build affordable and enjoyable golf courses for the average golfer, ...

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The West Course at Myrtle Beach National isn’t Myrtle Beach’s best golf course. It’s not even MBN’s best course, that’s King’s North next door. But the West Course is the best course I’ve played in seven rounds of the World Am tournament. Why? The layout is suited perfectly for this event, notorious for six and sometimes near seven-hour rounds. Today, our round was right about at five hours. You laugh, but that is in fact monumental and easily the fastest round I’ve played so far in the World Am. The West Course isn’t exactly wide open, ...

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – In a near delirious state, my playing partner, Bob Murphy muttered, “Hey, at least I’m having FUN!” I’m thinking to myself, “Nothing ‘fun’ about putting five shots in the drink on one hole…” Poor Bob went on to card a 14 on the par-5 9th, this coming at River’s Edge Golf Club on day one of the World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach. It’s not a horribly difficult course if you’ve played it before, but the kind of course where the first time is going to sneak up and bite you in a few places. And ...

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Pine Lakes Country Club is Myrtle Beach’s oldest golf course, established in 1929. It’s also been closed for two years now, undergoing an extensive renovation and upgrade of not only the golf course but of the clubhouse as well. Pine Lakes is on the National Registrar of Historic Places, and the course is going to remain true to its classic character, void of real estate or any design traits that’s horribly flashy or modern. Craig Schreiner, who’s office is based in Myrtle Beach, is overseeing the redesign work and led a tour of the course yesterday. ...

I’ve heard a lot of lobbying from Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour and Phil Mickelson in particular about including golf in the Olympic Games by 2016 when they will potentially come to golf-rich Chicago. But I haven’t seen that same enthusiasm from the officials or players on the LPGA Tour. Maybe they’ve been in the back rooms lobbying and it’s just not making the papers, but they are the ones that stand to benefit most from inclusion into the games. The PGA Tour is already a global force. If you have a tour card you’re practically a millionaire. Sponsors are ...

Visiting Michigan during the summertime and not golfing is painful for me. It’s like going to Vail and not checking out the slopes. Like passing up an afternoon siesta in Spain. So over the weekend I was in Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest town with some seriously good golf, like Pilgrim’s Run, Thousand Oaks and the municipal - and really well conditioned - L.E. Kaufman Golf Course. One of the newest courses, The Mines, is a very unique course built by up-and-coming designer Mike DeVries. Unlike most of Michigan, Grand Rapids is booming, thanks to it becoming the Midwest’s new ...

Like a lot of travel publications, we here at WorldGolf.com are quick to jump on the airline-bashing bandwagon. Those fare-hiking, baggage-charging, ticket counter grouches who either need to be prescribed some Prozac or Focusin. I’m not exempt from this, I can blast off on a grizzled, whiny air travel rant as good as anyone. But when an airline does a good thing to benefit its passengers, we should commend them. Maybe if airlines got as much good press for their positives as bad press for their shortcomings, they might be inclined to do more of the good. Just a hair-brained ...

I first stumbled across JustinRose.com when I was writing a column about how it was Rose who should be feeling the pressure at the British Open and not the near-miss master Sergio Garcia. Rose, or at least his “people” obviously think pretty highly of him. “Europe’s No. 1 Golfer” is splashed across the top of his website. It’s a pretty bold, and now downright bogus claim after Padraig Harrington has gone from “really good” to “hall of fame” worthy over the course of about 13 months. Back in the good ol’ days of 2007 when Europeans were suffering through a ...

Browsing through the recent WorldGolf.com Reader Exit Polls has me taking a post-dinner stroll down memory lane. Turns out, readers have recently reviewed both a course in my hometown, the University of Michigan Golf Course, as well as my Alma Mater Indiana University Golf Course. Both were given 4/5 stars by its respective readers. One of them is right, one is a knucklehead. The U of M course is Top 100 in the Country worthy and easily the best course in Ann Arbor. It’s a classic Alister Mackenzie course with some of the finest holes you’ll ever play that continually ...

I was just reading over a story recently posted about a trip to Teton Springs Resort & Lodge in Idaho earlier this summer, and something triggered my taste buds, stirring a salivating memory: I am suddenly reminded of how delicious my French fries were at the halfway house grill at the Headwaters Club in the little town of Victor. Perfectly crispy texture. Oily and salty but not too much, they put any chips in England I’ve had to pure shame. I am a believer in the Idaho potato. Sounds cliche, I know. In fact, staff at the Teton Springs Lodge ...

I’m not going to be subtle: I’m pulling for Ji-Yai Shin to win the Ricoh Women’s British Open today. At 12-under, Shin sits one shot back of leader Yuri Fudoh. In the hunt are the likes of Christie Kerr, Lorena Ochoa and Natalie Gulbis. I like all those girls too, especially Ochoa. But I’m on the Shin bandwagon. I think for the casual TV fan, it can be tough to really root for a Korean player since there is less personal attachment and their look and mannerisms can blend together through a camera lens. In person it’s a different story. ...

Michelle Wie’s first round at the PGA Tour’s Legends Reno Tahoe Open is getting more attention than the first round at the Ricoh Women’s British Open - at least in mainstream U.S. sports media. On ESPN News’ looping coverage, they are showing several shots of Wie’s first round. First an approach shot into a par 5 that nearly went in, followed by the birdie make, followed by a nice up-and-down pitch for par. They didn’t show action of any one else at the tournament (are there any other players in the tournament?). According to the ESPN write-up (which dwarfs the ...