Despite closing due to the snow, Myrtle Beach’s golf courses saw one surprising benefit
Mother Nature wasn’t kind in January 2025 for those working in the Myrtle Beach golf industry.
Steve Mays is the president of Founders Group International, which owns 21 golf courses along the Grand Strand, including TPC Myrtle Beach, Pine Lakes Golf Club, and Myrtle Beach National. Compared to January 2024, the first month of 2025 was less than ideal.
“January hasn’t been a great month, weather-wise,” Mays said. “The year’s not off to a great start.”
One of the Grand Strand’s slowest months for golfing, courses rely more on locals booking tee times than in the tourist-heavy summer months. However, a cold January led many to forgo playing a round, and then five inches of snow forced many courses to close until it melted and cancel or reschedule the few tee times they had.
While some think snow would be disastrous for golf courses in a region where a winter wonderland is rare, operators say it isn’t. Prestwick Country Club’s head golf professional, Jay Smith, said that most area golf courses have drainage systems that handle snow and water, preventing serious problems.
“Everybody’s got a couple of holes that don’t drain great, but that’s okay,” Smith said. “Golfers are wanting to get out and enjoy the nice weather coming, so they’ll be okay with cart path only for a few days.”
Mays noted that the snow provided some benefits to Grand Strand courses.
Mays said Myrtle Beach’s fall and winter were dry with minimal rainfall. Parts of Horry County experienced a moderate drought in 2024. However, after much of the snow melted, Mays said the snow and water provided the courses with much-needed moisture.
“The snow was actually helpful. We weren’t really saturated with water in the ground,” Mays said. “So, we really don’t have a lot of issues here.”
Bart Romano is the PGA Director Of Golf Operations at True Blue Golf Club and Caledonia Golf and Fish Club and has worked in the Myrtle Beach golf business for a quarter century. While a wet course isn’t ideal, he said the snow will help alleviate some of the dryness concerns.
“There’s definitely some benefit to it,” Romano said. “it’s four to five inches of snow, is probably somewhere around a half inch of rain, and it does give a layer of insulation.”
The snow didn’t bring all positive effects. The winter storm slowed work on some off-season projects, including closing courses. Mays said it delayed renovating the irrigation system at Myrtle Beach National’s West Course.
Smith added that some residents enjoyed the snow by sledding. However, this wasn’t a concern as long as they avoided the tee boxes and greens. Smith said Prestwick’s greens were covered before the snow fell to protect them from any potential damage caused by the winter storm.
“It might damage a little bit, but it’s minimal damage,” Smith said. “It’s a lot of fun for folks in the neighborhood ... as long as they use good judgment and aren’t out there intentionally trying to hurt the golf courses or using bad judgment, we’re okay with it.”
Cold weather is bad for sensitive, highly cut greens and could cause damage to the surface if it is not covered. Mays said Founder Group covered its courses’ green before the snow fell Mon., Jan. 20, 2025, and removed them on Sat. Jan. 25, 2025.
However, Mays said the snow itself helped shield the greens from extensive damage from the cold.
“(Snow) provides some protection to the greens from getting burned,” he added.
Still, those like Romano would prefer the weather take a turn to increase the number of rounds played during the offseason. He said Caledonia and True Blue were still closed Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, due to snow not melting in some regions of the course.
“Every day has been a wait-and-see,” Romano said. “Pray for sun, man. 65 (degrees) can’t get here fast enough.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
