Miles, Goings enter Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame

If Sandy Miles were still alive, the concept of the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame Garden at Pine Lakes Country Club would have probably been his idea.

Twenty years after his passing, Miles still managed to become a part of the Hall that honors those who have contributed to the building of the world-famous Myrtle Beach golf entity.

The former owner, operator and ingenious promoter of Pine Lakes was inducted into the Hall at his former club Thursday night along with Phillip Goings, an employee of The Dunes Golf and Beach Club for more than 50 years.

“If he were here today I think he might have come up with that. He came up with everything else,” said Miles’ son, Scott, who accepted his father’s induction on behalf of the family. “I think it’s fitting that the Hall is here. This is the history of golf in Myrtle Beach. This is the Granddaddy.”

Both men were inducted posthumously. Miles died in 1995 at the age of 55 and Goings died in 2006 at the age of 67.

The ceremony featured a few tears and a lot of laughs as a few of those who knew both men shared stories about Miles’ big personality and Goings’ endearing personable demeanor.

“The night itself was a jewel. It means a lot to us and was special. This is a day I never thought I’d see in my lifetime,” said Goings’ widow, Maxine. “If Phillip was here, he would say, ‘I finally made it. I have arrived.’ ”

The Miles family owned Pine Lakes for 57 years until selling it to Burroughs & Chapin Co., in 2001.

After serving in the Army, Miles returned to manage Pine Lakes around 1960 and served as both an operator and promoter.

Robert White, the PGA of America's first president from 1916-19, designed the course in 1927 and Miles nicknamed the venerable design the “Granddaddy.” He perpetuated a Scottish theme that included workers wearing kilts and other Scottish attire, demanded first-class service and instituted unique offerings.

Starters served hot chocolate in the winter months on holes 1 and 10, cooks served homemade Manhattan clam chowder in a pot over open fire pits on holes 7 and 15, mimosas were served in the summer, and all guests’ clubs were cleaned and shoes were polished.

“It was a production. It was like a five-star restaurant outside. It was neat,” Scott Miles said. “He came up with the kilts, the service was beyond reproach, hot chocolate, clam chowder, Rolls Royce golf carts, you name it. It was truly a show and we had a lot of fun doing it.”

While Miles made Pine Lakes a popular destination for traveling golfers, he also made it a social hub on the Grand Strand. Scott Miles said his father, who his friends called “The Kid,” had “a little carny” in him.

“The parties he would throw, and the theme parties like luaus, pool parties and the things that he did, it was the stuff. When I was a kid I would come spy on them and see how neat it really was. He took so much pride in doing it right. He was an entertainer and pioneer. He was one of a kind.”

The Golf Writers Association of America held its annual championship in the area for more than 50 years, predominantly at The Dunes Club, and one year it began a course rotation that started at Pine Lakes.

For that occasion, Miles staged a civil war battle reenactment complete with soldiers in uniform, cannons, women in antebellum gowns and mint juleps.

“He should have been a Broadway producer and put on shows, the way he promoted the club,” said attorney Skeets Bellamy, who represented Miles in his successful suit against Polo/Ralph Lauren to stop the company from using his emblem. “He was special.”

Goings was employed at the Dunes Club from the early 1950s until 2005. He began working in the kitchen, but after 20 years former Dunes Club president Rudy Goldsmith realized his affable personality was better suited for the bag drop and he spent the remainder of his years outside as a caddie master.

Cecil Brandon, a founder of marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday and a longtime Dunes Club member, said of Goings: “If you were ever having a bad day, you could stop by The Dunes Club and he would make you feel like a million bucks. … If we all lived by Phillip’s smile and warm welcome, what a warm, wonderful world this would be.”

Goings made The Dunes Club a better place and his life was enriched by its membership and his coworkers.

“The Dunes Club was like a second family. That was his home away from home,” said Maxine Goings, who worked 28 years in the Myrtle Beach school system and had two daughters with Phillip. “He loved that family just like he loved me and the girls. And he gave to the Dunes Club his all.”

Goings is part of an iconic family at The Dunes Club. He and brothers Elijah, also known as “Kidnapper,” and Jake “The Snake” worked a combined 145 years at the club.

Miles and Goings bring the Hall membership to 19. The other members, inducted since the Hall's founding in 2009, are General James Hackler, Cecil Brandon, Clay Brittain, Carolyn Cudone, Jimmy D'Angelo, Robert White, George 'Buster' Bryan, Charlie Byers, Paul Himmelsbach, Gary Schaal, J. Egerton Burroughs, J.Bryan Floyd, Edward Jerdon, Casper Leon Benton, George Hilliard, Critt Gore and Russell 'Doc' Burgess.

Hall members are selected by a committee of existing hall members and community golf leaders based on nominations through the committee members.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 9:53 PM with the headline "Miles, Goings enter Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame."