River Oaks earns annual honor bestowed by Myrtle Beach course owners
River Oaks Golf Club has greatly improved the condition of its 27-hole layout over the past few years and has become perhaps the most philanthropic course in the area, and those initiatives have been recognized by Grand Strand course owners.
River Oaks has been named the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association 2015 Course of the Year.
Longtime area professional Gene Weldon is the organization’s 2015 Employee of the Year.
River Oaks operators listed nearly 20 charity tournaments it will host in 2015, with causes including autism, cancer, Helping Hand, churches, high school athletics and the Myrtle Beach Fire Dept.
In addition, it is the home of the Myrtle Beach Junior Golf Foundation and its year-round programs, has two of the four area PGA Junior League Golf teams, and has been the host practice site for the area’s Special Olympics golf team for several years.
A nearly $2 million renovation project completed in 2010 included the conversion of greens to Champion ultradwarf Bermudagrass and work on tree removal, irrigation, drainage, cart paths and sand traps.
The winning employee and course are nominated before June and voted on by a MBAGCOA selection committee, and will now be considered for state honors.
The South Carolina Golf Course Owners Association board of directors, consisting of one representative of the state’s five chapters – Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island, Charleston, Midlands and Upstate – will vote for the state winners on Aug. 11.
Alan Blondin: 843-626-0284, @alanblondin
This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 10:39 PM with the headline "River Oaks earns annual honor bestowed by Myrtle Beach course owners."