On the Tee

The King Reigns Supreme at the 1996 Opening of King’s North

MYRTLE BEACH, SC - Arnold Palmer recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and photos and tales of his career graced the covers and pages of every golf magazine in America. Like so many people and places, Myrtle Beach, S.C. has been blessed to have hosted several Palmer sightings, including several appearances at Senior Tour Championship and a special guest appearance at the 50th Annual Golf Writers Dinner in 2003.

Among his greatest gifts to Myrtle Beach are the three Arnold Palmer signature courses at Myrtle Beach National, located on Highway 501 between Myrtle Beach and Conway.

OCALA, Fla. - When Herbert Warren Wind coined the phrase “Amen Corner” in reference to holes 11, 12 and 13 at Augusta National Golf Club in 1958, he supplied what eventually would become the world’s most prestigious golf tournament with a distinctly unique three-hole enclave as synonymous with The Masters as the great Bobby Jones; a standalone experience within the overall body of work.

Closer to home, PGA National Golf Club has the “Bear Trap” and TPC Sawgrass has the infamous island green. Albeit without the national acclaim or PGA Tour status to provide it, Candler Hills Golf Club has a collection of golf holes so unique and challenging they deserve their own distinction 18 times over.

FOUNTAIN HILLS, Az. - Blending its colorful past as the first ever golf course in the town of Fountain Hills circa 1971 with a recently completed renovation project highlighted by a new state-of-the art irriga tion system designed to keep the course colorful for years to come, Desert Canyon Golf Club is proud of its tradition and fired up about the future.

Voted as the No. 1 public golf course in Fountain Hills and Fort McDowell for five consecutive years (2005-09) by Market Survey of America and hailed by Golf Digest as a 2008 “Must Play” course in a nationwide survey the par-71 Desert Canyon Golf Club is an atypical player-friendly desert layout that has become a local institution among golfers in the know.

MONTGOMERY, Texas - If the hackneyed term “Hidden Gem” was ever to be used accurately to describe a single outstanding golf course that separated itself from the lot of out of the way layouts, surely it would be wisely deployed in honor of Montgomery’s Blaketree National Golf Club.

Located in the sedate and remarkably stunning Southeast Texas countryside, roughly 20 minutes from Lake Conroe and a little more than an hour from downtown Houston, Blaketree National is the result of attorney turned oil wildcatter Thomas W. Blake’s ambition to build a private playground for himself and his friends to enjoy.  

ORLANDO – After a nearly three-month shut down, Falcon’s Fire Golf Club is making rapid progress in renovating all 18 greens and bringing the course back to the pristine, award-winning condition its renowned for amongst the Orlando golfing community.

The improvements to this Rees Jones Signature-designed championship golf course include brand new TifEagle putting greens, enlarged bunkers and improved irrigation and drainage. The larger, more visible bunkers will require more strategic shot selection while the new TifEagle turf will provide faster, smoother and more consistent putting surfaces than ever before. 

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - According to the readers of Golf World magazine in their recently released "Reader's Choice Awards,” Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge improved on an already excellent product. In the public course category, Orange Country National is now No. 2 in the nation. Last year Orange County National was ranked as the 8th best facility and the top-rated facility in Florida. This year OCN has maintained its No. 1 ranking in Florida while improving their national ranking based upon the reader's overall evaluation scores.
 
"We are extremely honored to be recognized by the readers of Golf World as one of the top golf facilities in the country.  Our entire team works hard every day to provide a superior golf experience and rankings such as this validate those efforts" stated General Manager, Bruce Gerlander. 

Golf Packages of South Carolina has been providing customized golf vacations and golf packages to all of the top golf destinations in the Palmetto State since 1996.  Golf Packages of South Carolina has partnered with golf courses, hotels and condos throughout South Carolina to give its customers great selections in planning their next golf vacation.

By contacting Golf Packages of South Carolina today, you can make your plans to a number of popular destinations around the state. The midlands include Columbia, Aiken/Augusta where you can choose from a number of semi- private and private clubs which include golf course architects; Ellis Maples, Ron Garl, P.B. Dye, Tom Jackson, and Rees Jones, just to name a few. Travel to the northwest corner or upstate of South Carolina and you’ll find courses from Davis Love III, Tom Jackson, Willard Byrd and George Cobb. You’ll also find great night-life and food; Columbia’s Vista offers great local restaurants and entertainment as does downtown Aiken and Augusta. Main Street in Greenville will surprise you with the different cuisines and local brew houses. 

Golfers who want to experience playing a course that is set up for the final round of a PGA Tour event will get that opportunity at Cog Hill's newly-renovated Dubsdread. The nationally-ranked course, which will host the 2009 BMW Championship Sept. 10-13, will be open for public play on Monday, Sept. 14 with the tournament's Sunday final round pin placements.

Golfers will be able to compare their game to the best in the world. The BMW Championship is the third leg of four in the FedExCup Playoff Series. The top 70 players on the FedExCup point list are expected to play at Dubsdread for a purse of $7.5 million with the winner taking home $1.35 million.

Golfers from California and Nevada are about to agree with this recent quote from well-known announcer, Ben Wright. The golf icon commented not only on the grandeur of the scenery, reminding him of “his home in Scotland,” but also on the “golfing rewards” to be found on all nine courses: Carson Valley, Dayton Valley, Eagle Valley East and West, Empire Ranch, Genoa Lakes Golf Club – The Lakes & The Resort, Silver Oak and Sunridge.

Located within 35 miles of easy-to-reach Carson City, the Divine 9 seem to be transforming Nevada’s capital into the capital of year-round golf destinations. And no wonder. The area’s unique natural terrain, temperate climate and favorable elevation (at 4,600 feet, golfers can expect 10 percent more distance from their drives) have attracted some of golf’s leading course designers, including Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, John Harbottle and Peter Jacobsen. 

Heritage Golf Group recently announced that TPC Tampa Bay, one of Florida's premier daily-fee golf facilities, has officially re-opened to the public following a two-month closure. The award-winning layout which annually hosts the Champions Tour Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am was closed in mid-June so its greens could be re-grassed.

"Our greens were the original greens from when we opened in 1991," said Brady Boyd, general manager at TPC Tampa Bay. "Over time, even with the best maintenance practices, the greens need to be replaced. The average life-span of a green is not much more than 15 years. We have a commitment to our guests to provide unrivaled golf and uncompromising service. This project is an investment in that commitment."