Golf course in Myrtle Beach, SC, closing for the summer. When will it reopen?
The Whispering Pines Golf Course shut down tee times for the rest of the summer season.
The city-owned golf course closed the last week of June for a $1.44 million renovation with plans to reopen on Sept. 1, according to a social media post from the City of Myrtle Beach.
Whispering Pines has seen few major renovations in its 63 years, which makes the updates necessary, said Chip Smith, the owner of Atlantic Golf Management, which runs Whispering Pines. Since Whispering Pines opened, it has replaced its pumps and resurfaced the grass only once.
Changes include installing a new irrigation system, updating the bunkers, replanting new greens on the 18 holes and practice ranges and repaving the parking lot. The city council approved this update at an October 2024 meeting.
There will also be a new main entrance sign next to the Myrtle Beach Airport exit stating “Welcome to the Golf Capital of the World,” to help get visitors excited about playing golf.
“We’re going to try and catch them when they come off the plane with a “Welcome to the Golf Capital of the World.” Not just benefiting Whispering Pines, but benefiting the whole golf community in Myrtle Beach,” Smith said in a city of Myrtle Beach video.
The total renovations will cost $1.44 million, Smith said.
Despite summer being the busiest season for the Grand Strand, it is the golf course’s slowest time of year, Smith said. The heat drives people off the course and to the beach, making it the best time to complete renovations.
Late spring and early summer are also the only times Bermuda grass grows, so renovations need to happen this time of year, Smith said.
Whispering Pines has been able to set aside funds for the renovations over the last decade. Prior to Atlantic Golf Management taking over the golf course in 2014, the course had been losing $250,000 a year. Since then, the business has turned around and has been generating millions of dollars every year.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 1:46 PM.
