On Grand Strand Golf: FootGolf expanding in the Myrtle Beach market

FootGolf has expanded on the Grand Strand, and based on its popularity despite limited exposure, it is likely here to stay.

It was introduced to the area with an 18-hole course alongside the front nine at Meadowlands Golf Club last July, and sister golf facilities Tupelo Bay Golf Center in Garden City Beach and Harbour View Golf in Little River added FootGolf to their offerings this summer.

“If I told you how successful it has been you’d ask why we still play traditional golf there,” said Vince Cronkey, marketing director for the two properties.

FootGolf is a combination of soccer and golf and its holes on the Strand have been set up to play alongside and intersperse with golf holes. The rules generally mirror the rules of golf, with 21-inch-diameter cups.

Harbour View features a driving range and 18-hole par-3 course, while Tupelo Bay has a driving range, 18-hole executive course and short nine-hole par-3 course with 8-inch-diameter cups, and also features disc golf, which entails throwing Frisbee-like plastic discs into hanging steel baskets. All of the facilities at both properties are lighted and remain open at night.

At Tupelo Bay in June, July and August, Cronkey said FootGolf accounted for between 21 and 27 percent of the facility’s revenue each month. In the three months there, he said 4,133 soccer balls were rented, and many players provided their own balls. The numbers weren’t as strong at Harbour View, but they were still significant.

“So we did a ton of FootGolf this year,” Cronkey said. “The kids love soccer. That’s what got me so excited about it. You already have a built-in contingent of interested players, and that’s young people.”

Cronkey said research has also shown that core FootGolf players are ages 18-35, and he believes they are often former high school and college soccer players who no longer have time to play in soccer leagues.

Cronkey said FootGolf works well topographically with the par-3 course at Tupelo Bay, with nine FootGolf holes ranging from 69 to 131 yards.

“It almost matches distance-wise, and you don’t want FootGolfers having to hit over a lake or play along a lake,” Cronkey said.

He said disc golf is not as widely played as FootGolf, but was still worthwhile for Tupelo Bay.

FootGolf rates at Tupelo Bay and Harbour View were $15 for nine holes and $20 for 18 holes this summer and will be reduced in the offseason.

While golf courses in the area play the bulk of their rounds in the spring and fall, FootGolf’s peak season appears to be the summer.

It has existed at Meadowlands for more than a year now, and June and July were the busiest months.

Meadowlands head professional Jason Monahan said the course was made available from 2-6 p.m. in the months of June and July and paid rounds peaked in July at 287 despite the month being extremely hot. The only golf category that matched FootGolf rounds in July were member rounds.

The FootGolf course was only opened if inquiries were received prior to 2 p.m., and Monahan said another 50 to 100 prospective players were turned away on afternoons when the course was closed. Monahan said slightly less than 200 rounds were played in August.

“It has done exactly what it was meant to do, put Meadowlands on the map and supplement income,” Monahan said. “We’re utilizing the golf course during down times for golf. Holiday weeks like Easter were busy. In golf season there aren’t many FootGolf rounds.”

Golfers can play simultaneously on the course with Footgolfers, who use tee boxes on nine holes and begin play from fairways on the other nine holes.

FootGolf will be available at Meadowlands from 2-6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only during the fall golf season until Daylight Savings Time, when the hours will change to 1-3 p.m.

“When you think about how much setup goes into it and expense goes into it, I covered my expenses in the first 30 days we were open,” Monahan said. “It’s about 10 hours of labor per week to maintain the course.

“It only has room to grow. It’s not going to go backwards, I can tell you that. We’re happy with what we’re getting out of it. It’s hard to complain about number like that when I don’t have much of an investment in it.”

Monahan said he’s happy to see other properties adding FootGolf, and has been approached by operators of other courses who may be instituting the sport. “We can get some FootGolf competitions going on,” he said.

Wicked Stick closing

As planned, Wicked Stick Golf Links is closing at the end of business Tuesday.

The Clyde Johnston and John Daly design that opened in 1995 is expected to be sold in two separate transactions in the coming weeks and months – with one sale for residential property and the other for commercial-use property.

The course has been busy over the past couple weeks with specials of $26 for 18 holes and $16 for nine holes. Tee sheets were completely full Monday and Tuesday.

Redding tips pay off

Instructor Brad Redding of the International Club of Myrtle Beach has been working with former PGA Tour member and current conditional Champions Tour member Neal Lancaster for about five years.

An interesting exchange of texted videos and descriptions paid instant dividends for Lancaster recently that included a 29 on the front nine in the second round of the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship three weeks ago.

After an opening-round 2-over 72, Lancaster wasn’t happy with his swing and texted Redding. He sent him a few videos of his swing with info about his ball striking and ball flight. Redding sent him back videos and instructions of what he wanted him to work on.

Lancaster opened the second round the next morning with a 29 on the front nine, though he eventually missed the cut.

Lancaster, who turned 53 Sunday, was playing on a sponsor exemption. He turned with a 6-under 29 with four birdies and an eagle to reach 4 under but bogeyed his final four holes to miss the cut by two shots.

Two days later he shot a 68 in a Monday qualifier on the Champions Tour to get into the field in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open and shots rounds of 69, 70 and 73 to tie for 34th. The rounds included a stretch of 17 holes in 7 under and later an eagle on a par-4.

“It’s kind of cool we go back and fourth with videos and all of a sudden he shoots 29 on the front nine at the Wyndham Championship,” Redding said.

Redding will see Lancaster in person before he plays again to try to get more consistent. Lancaster, of Smithfield, N.C., has been visiting the International Club of Myrtle Beach about once a month for practice sessions in recent months.

He has bounced around this year, missing cuts in four PGA Tour starts and both of his Web.com Tour starts, and finishing between 33rd and 46th in three Champions Tour events.

Lancaster, whose one PGA Tour win came in the 1994 Byron Nelson Classic, next expects to play in at least a couple Champions Tour events in the coming weeks.

HJGT returns

The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour visits the Grand Strand again this month with the 36-hole Myrtle Beach Junior Open on Myrtle Beach National Golf Club’s West Course on Sept. 26-27.

The tournament has an advertised registration deadline of Wednesday. The tournament already has nearly 40 registrants from numerous states and several players from the Grand Strand.

The entry fee is $189 for tour members and $234 for non-members. Visit www.hjgt.org, email info@hjgt.org or call 904-379-2697 for more information.

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 9:26 PM with the headline "On Grand Strand Golf: FootGolf expanding in the Myrtle Beach market."