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.
Comments?

CallawayKid4

Thats way to many courses!!

Bobay1956

I saw an article on this in Golf Magazine i think. This guy owned the course, which i think was 36 holes. It was one of the older ones, like MB National or Deer Track. Rounds per year were half what they were 10 years ago. In his best year he had made $150,000. A developer offered him $18,000,000 for the land.

I used to go there twice a year with friends and always had a good time. Now we go to Destin. Closer. Some of us have places on or near the gulf.

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flashman70

Older courses like Gator Hole and Bay Tree are being developed. But the high end courses are safe for a long time - especially given the slump in real estate. What you describe is one of the reasons I prefer the south end of the grand strand. I can play True Blue, Caledonia, Heritage, Pawleys Plantation, Willbrook Plantation, River Club and Litchfield without the hassle of Myrtle Beach proper - unless I want to go to Martin's that is.