Hogan

At an average of 36,000 rounds per year to break even, there is no way 117 courses could stay in business. Over the last two years approximately 17 courses in Myrtle Beach have either gone bankrupt or have filed for rights to develop condos. Obviously the course owners in these instances feel they have a better rate of return on the land via developement. Already, a number of courses, once beautifully scenic, are now bordered with some of the ugliest most over-built condo complexes ever conceived. Condo owners, who purchased homes believing they would be on golf property forever, now find the courses being re-developed, and their pristine living conditions shattered.

This will result in a huge impact on the Myrtle Beach infrastructure in terms of roads & traffic, sewage & sanitation capabilities, water tables, police, security, fire and emergency services, airport capacities, etc.
Many course perks, like free rounds for juniors and preferred rates for residents, will disappear and prices will certainly rise. In fact this is already happening. Hopefully, this will cause every existing course to elevate service, course conditions and facilities to maintain a competitive position. With the opportunity to increase profitability in a service industry comes a greater responsibility to the customer base served. Myrtle Beach, in this case, better realize that competitive destinations will continue to be aggressive in their offerings and that it really needs to upgrade its Redneck Riviera image. I suspect most golfers would not mind paying more for higher quality. If the quality is not there, the golf vacationer won't be either.
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