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 For even the most seasoned golf course architect, restoring a historically significant layout is a formidable challenge, commensurate to the task a musician undertakes when recording a classic song. The finished product has to strike a delicate balance somewhere between paying homage to the original work and forging a distinct path in order to resonate with a more current audience, as well as preserve the integrity and character established many years ago.
The new Pine Lakes Country Club does just that, reminding long-time Myrtle Beach regulars just how brilliant Robert White’s initial course concept was and moving the “Granddaddy” into a new era so that it can remain relevant in the supercompetitive Myrtle Beach golf scene.
It shouldn’t be difficult attracting golfers back to Pine Lakes to walk the original corridors of a golf course largely responsible for the subsequent growth and prosperity of the Grand Strand as a world renowned golf destination. As the first golf course built in what is now often referred to as the “Golf Capital of the World,” Pine Lakes was the ripple that led to the eventual tidal wave of golf course construction.
Originally created as a complement to the area’s first seaside resort, the Ocean Forest Hotel, in 1927, the Ocean Forest Club as it was known in a former life, was designed and built by White, the first president of the Professional Golfers Association of America and co-founder of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
“Restoring and preserving Pine Lakes to its former glory days and history as a premier golf destination on the East Coast was important to Burroughs & Chapin as not only an investment for the future, but also as a place many generations will enjoy,” said Bob Swezey, executive vice president of golf and resort operations.
“The end result was improved consistency in the strategic play quality and the aesthetics of every hole, while preserving the historic-view corridors of those original 16 holes,” he added. “Remarkably, the 80-year old clubhouse can be seen from all 16 of these holes; unlike most golf courses today.”
“Restoring and preserving Pine Lakes to its former glory days and history as a premier golf destination on the East Coast was important to Burroughs & Chapin as not only an investment for the future, but also as a place many generations will enjoy,” said Jim Rosenberg, president and CEO of Burroughs & Chapin.
Pine Lakes officially re-opened to the public on March 14, 2009. The first golfer to tee off on the “Granddaddy” was South Carolina resident Tom Trumbull, who won a contest giving him the honor of striding up to the first tee box before any other public player. Trumbull liked what he saw.
“What a great opportunity to play Myrtle Beach’s original golf course,” he said. “I moved to the area from Pittsburgh last year but we came here to play golf frequently. I played Pine Lakes in 2004 but like it so much better now. Burroughs & Chapin did an outstanding job with both the course and the clubhouse.”
 Initially plans called for the course to be rebuilt and redesigned, but in an effort to retain the property’s historical significance and its spot on the National Register of Historic Places, an honor the course earned in1996, Burroughs & Chapin Co., abandoned those plans and instead opted to renovate Pine Lakes.
Eagerly returning golfers will find that the initial strategic philosophy remains; the more risks taken by the golfer, the better the scoring opportunities. But without changing the risk-reward component, Schreiner and his staff were able to use modern technology to enhance playability and enjoyment for all skill levels.
Pine Lakes is again leading the way on the Grand Strand, becoming the first course in Myrtle Beach to utilize the more environmentally-friendly and salt watertolerant SeaDwarf Paspalum grass. Modifications were also made to the course’s irrigation, collection and water drainage systems to improve efficiency.
The restoration included a few subtle on-course adjustments, like slight elevation changes in the fairways and greens in addition to restoration of rectangular tee boxes.
Other modifications are much more noticeable. Greens and bunkers were enlarged back to their original sizes and about 100 yards has been added to the course; Pine Lakes has changed from a 6,600 yard par-71 course to a 6,700 yard par-70 course.
During the renovation, sand was harvested from the site so that indigenous materials could be used for the bunkers, a technique similar to the process used for Scottish links courses.
The original clubhouse, designed by Henry Bacon McCoy after he completed the Lincoln Memorial, was also saved and restored. The clubhouse is an ideal setting for golfers to relax with a beverage after play, as well as a perfect location to host lavish weddings, receptions, birthday celebrations, holiday galas, family reunions and business or social functions. Golfers return to the antebellum-style clubhouse at the turn, an option that wasn’t available with the original design. Pine Lakes was initially a non-returning links course.
 Pine Lakes is also home to the new Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame, which will immortalize the men and women who have been instrumental in making Myrtle Beach the acclaimed golf destination that it is today. Each inductee will be honored with a permanent monument located in the Hall of Fame Garden, located in the shadow of Pine Lakes’ historic clubhouse.
Pine Lakes Country Club will feature four sets of tees: Oak (6,709 yards), Magnolia (6,353 yards), Myrtle (5997 yards) and Holly (5142).
For more information visit PineLakes.com or call (843) 315-7700
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