COVID-19 can’t stop this Strand golf event from selling out with hundreds of players
The coronavirus did not deter participants from registering for a growing golf tournament on the Grand Strand, the seventh annual Short Par 4 Fall Classic being held next week on 16 area courses.
Golf Tourism Solutions, the marketing and technology agency that promotes the Myrtle Beach market and is staging the tournament, began accepting entries in June and sold out at 448 players from 32 states in September.
“I think with everything going on this year anything is good and to sell out at a higher number than we did last year to me is incredible,” GTS tournament director Scott Tomasello said. “It shows me the faith in the golf community that we’ll put on a tournament safely for everybody, and it says a lot for the [endurance] of golf.”
Players in the two-person team event will compete over 72 holes Monday through Thursday with a daily changing format of best ball, alternate shot, Texas scramble and best ball. Handicap indexes will be factored into scoring each round.
The tournament has an impressive list of 16 host courses: Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club and Love Course, Caledonia, True Blue Arrowhead, both the Grande Dunes Members Club and Resort Course, Long Bay Club, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Pine Lakes, Prestwick, Rivers Edge, Thistle, Tidewater, TPC Myrtle Beach and International World Tour Golf Links.
The event includes a “Masters Watch Party” as part of the welcome reception on Sunday at three Grumpy Monk locations or the Sneaky Beagle, and lunch and drinks following the final round.
Some tournament benefits including a concert at the House of Blues have been canceled because of COVID-19 requirements.
The Fall Classic, which is sponsored by the Short Par 4 apparel and accessories prescription business, is one of 10 annual events hosted by Golf Tourism Solutions.
GTS had to cancel two events this year due to the pandemic but added two with the Golfweek Myrtle Beach Collegiate in June and Saintnine Shootout individual skins game-type competition in September immediately following the PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com World Amateur Handicap Championship.
Those may continue in future years to increase the number of GTS events to 12. The next event is the Preseason Classic in early February.
“The need to make changes this year has helped us better events from a customer satisfaction standpoint, so it’s nice to take some positives out of a bad situation,” Tomasello said.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 2:14 AM.
