The smoke is finally clearing in Myrtle Beach, and according to numerous news outlets the fire is almost 100 percent contained.
Significant damage has been done since the fire started Wednesday April 22; about 70 homes were destroyed beyond repair and more than 100 homes were damaged. But more importantly, no injuries or deaths due to the fire were reported.
With the exception of some cosmetic damage to the golf courses at
Barefoot Resort, namely the Fazio and Love layouts, the dozens of courses that are the lifeblood of the Myrtle Beach economy emerged unscathed.
While there are 55 golf courses in Horry County, only three golf
complexes were threatened by the fire which was concentrated in a small
section of northern Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. Those golf
facilities were Barefoot Resort and Golf, Grande Dunes Resort and
Waterway Hills Golf Club.
According to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, 19,600 acres have
been burned thus far, and $25 million worth of damage has been done
based on an assesment by the South Carolina Insurance News Service.
That's a lot of charred acreage, homes, vehicles, etc... Obviously
conditions existed along the Grand Strand for such an event and it's
remarkable each and every golf course was sparred.
"This has been an intense week for the Grand Strand area and we thank
the emergency personnel who worked tirelessly to keep us safe," said
Bill Golden, CEO of the Myrtle Beach marketing cooperative Golf
Holiday. "We are fortunate that the fire wsa contained in a small
section of Horry County and did not cause any damage to the three golf
courses located in that area. April is the busiest golf month of the
year for the area but our guests will not have their travel and golf
plans affected by the fire or smoke."
Visually stunning images of smoke plumes, shaken residents and charred
earth probably won't make their way into any area marketing materials
in the upcoming months, but the enduring image of this travel season in
Myrtle Beach will be of these wildfires.
The impact of a sluggish economy on an area dependent on tourism, golf
travel and other kinds of discretionary spending was being closely
monitored before the fires, and will now become especially paramount
because of clean-up and rebuilding costs. But if you believe there is
no such thing as bad publicity, and I do, it's easy to argue that this
kind of nationwide exposure for a major tourist destination before peak
travel season is a welcome gift.
I would like to preface that statement by saying that I strongly disagree that the Swine Flu outbreak will be profitable for the Mexican tourism industry.
Sure everybody likes to poke fun at Myrtle Beach for one reason or
another, but I challenge anyone to produce a lifelong East Coast
resident who doesn't have some type of Myrtle Beach story to tell. You
may not want to recount certain experiences in front of your wife and
family, but we've all been there and enjoyed whatever it was we were
doing.
In a way Myrtle Beach elicits a kind of Pavlovian response, and
conjures up images of golf courses, sand castles and amateur, well I'll
let you fill that one in. I was going to say golfers. Now that the name is fresh on the minds of millions, it wouldn't be surprising if a few of those consumers decided to visit the Grand Strand this summer.
I'd also imagine that the golf industry will do a great deal of
fundraising for the victims of the fires who lost their homes and
possessions. I know the last thing Myrtle Beach needs is another
charity golf tournament, but I think this cause is something golfers
will contribute to without hesitation.
When Labor Day weekend rolls around, I predict the Myrtle Beach economy
will have rebounded nicely, those who lost everything in the fire will
be getting back on their feet and the "Golf Capital of the World" will have
welcomed more golfers than originally expected.