Myrtle Beach’s first PGA tournament is looking for volunteers. Here’s how to sign up
Concentration is one of the most important aspects of playing golf in the PGA. Looking at the ball, making sure your grip is correct and other details are essential in ensuring the best possible outcome for a golfer.
Maintaining a quiet atmosphere helps golfers keep their concentration too, and the Grand Strand’s first PGA tournament is looking for people who want to help keep that subdued environment by shushing the crowd.
The inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic will take place May 6 through 12 in 2024, and the event is looking for volunteers to help with the tournament, with more than 30 committees to sign up for.
Tasks will range from walking scorers who keep track of each golfer’s total after each hole, to shot link trackers who determine how far a player’s ball is from the cup and many more, Myrtle Beach Classic Tournament Director Darren Nelson said.
“You’re really inside the ropes with the players with the caddies, you hear the conversations,” Nelson added. “So really, it’s a cool experience.”
Volunteering is also open to teenagers too. Spots are open for walking scorers, standard bearers who hold up signs with players’ names on them or gallery management who help keep the crowd quiet during play too.
Interested volunteers of all ages can go to the Myrtle Beach Classic website and sign up there. Prospective candidates will have to fill out a questionnaire before submitting. Currently, there are no open positions to sign up for yet.
Nelson added all volunteer opportunities will be announced this fall, and the organizers will reach out to those who signed up to determine which positions they might be interested in.
New amenities and renovations at the golf course
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club will also have other non-golf amenities for those attending the Myrtle Beach Classic in May 2024.
Hole 18 will have several such locations. The tee box and fairway will both have spots where people can sit, get a bite to eat and watch golf. The green will also have private suites and a location akin to a sports bar.
Nelson added the tournament might also feature live music, but no plans are finalized. The Myrtle Beach Classic is expected to hopefully have an economic impact in the millions, but Nelson said there is no concrete estimate at this time. He also said thousands were expected to attend but did not have a projection of how many people would come.
The Dunes has also undergone several renovations before the first-ever PGA tournament in Grand Strand history.
Dunes Golf and Beach Club President Collins Wakefield said The Dunes had already planned to upgrade some of the course before it was slated to host the Myrtle Beach Classic, but the PGA did ask the course to make some specific changes.
Wakefield said the tour wanted The Dunes to redo some of the tee boxes, which included the 14th hole. Wakefield added the 8th hole has been reduced to a par four from originally being a par five, and the PGA requested the hole also have a new tee box.
Combined with other changes The Dunes had originally planned to make, renovating the course cost more than $500 thousand, Wakefield said.
“It’s really big for Myrtle Beach and gives us exposure that we may not get,” He added. “We’re the golf capital of the world, so it’s fitting that the PGA should come here.”
Ticket prices for the public will vary in price. Nelson said general admission daily tickets will cost $50 whereas weekly tickets will have a slight discount.
The Myrtle Beach Classic will have an event purse of $3.9 million.
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club is located at 9000 North Ocean Blvd. The Dunes Golf and Beach Club was named Sun News readers’ third favorite golf course in the Myrtle Beach area.
