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Actor Craig T. Nelson and Former Chicago Bear Dan Hampton Latest Celebrities to Join the Know Your Score Fight Prostate Cancer Event

Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday announced today that the celebrity field for the second annual Know Your Score: Fight Prostate Cancer Golf Tournament and Gala continues to grow as more celebrities have committed to the August 29th charity golf tournament at Long Bay Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Actor Craig T. Nelson, well known for his role on the television show “Coach”; Dan Hampton, a 12-year member of the Chicago Bears, including the 1985 NFL Championship team; Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore; former member of the Big Red Machine and an 11-year Major League Baseball veteran, Doug Flynn; and GOLF Channel personality Charlie Rymer will be in attendance. Also scheduled to compete are three celebrities who participated in the inaugural tournament in 2008: Bobby Cremins, current College of Charleston head basketball coach who also led the Georgia Tech program for 19 years; Wes Matthews, a member of the 1986 and 1987 Los Angeles Lakers World Championship teams; and Tony Womack, a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 2001 World Championship team. Previously-announced celebrities include 2009 Know Your Score National Spokesperson and Syracuse University head basketball coach, Jim Boeheim; 2008 Honorary Chairperson Ken Griffey, Sr.; world-renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis; ESPN billiards commentator and prostate cancer survivor Mitch Laurance; and Ewa Mataya Laurance, 2008 World Trick Shot champion and World 9-Ball champion. At the gala, cocktails and bidding on the silent auction items will begin at 6:30 p.m. with dinner to begin at 7:30 p.m. After dinner, a “Locker Room Chat” with Boeheim and the celebrities will be hosted by ESPN personality Mitch Laurance, and guests will have the opportunity to ask questions of some of their favorite celebrities. Foursomes for the celebrity golf tournament and gala are still available by visiting KnowYourScoreMB.com or call (843) 477-8833, ext. 296. Golfers can purchase a foursome in the celebrity golf tournament with eight tickets to the gala with a $900 donation to the “Know Your Score: Fight Prostate Cancer” campaign. Participants can register a foursome in the golf tournament for $400 or purchase a table of eight at the gala for $750. Individuals seeking to join the fight against prostate cancer can buy a single ticket to the golf tournament or the gala for $100 each. Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday also announced the launch of Know Your Score: Fight Prostate Cancer’s redesigned Web site, knowyourscoremb.com. In 2008, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday teamed ZERO – the Project to End Prostate Cancer up with the Myrtle Beach golf community to launch Know Your Score: Fight Prostate Cancer, a national campaign to help raise money for prostate cancer research and awareness that men need to be tested regularly. Golf Holiday began redesigning Know Your Score’s inaugural Web site in 2009 and improved the site with many new features. Site visitors can learn about the deadly threat of prostate cancer and the importance of early diagnosis; find out about 2009 Know Your Score events; read about national spokesperson Jim Boeheim’s personal battle with prostate cancer; review a gallery of photographs and videos of celebrity interviews and highlights from events; see the list of celebrities who participated in the 2008 Golf Tournament; find out how to volunteer in the fight against prostate cancer; and enter the 2009 Golf Tournament and Gala. “Assisting ZERO in raising money for prostate cancer research and helping educate men of the importance of early detection is a cause that the entire Myrtle Beach golf community strongly supports,” said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. “The Grand Strand area hosts more golfers every year than any other golf destination in the world and the majority of those golfers are the ZERO target audience. If we can contribute and play a small role in preventing prostate cancer, we feel that we’ve succeeded. We are excited about the celebrities scheduled to visit next month and look forward to helping raise more money for ZERO.”

PGA Tour Superstore World Amateur Championship Concludes in Myrtle Beach

Four thousand golfers, 72 holes of intense stroke play competition, an 18-hole championship playoff, nightly parties and entertainment. It may sound like the U.S. Open from qualifying to conclusion, but that actually describes the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship - a golf event unlike any other. Golfers from all 50 states and more than 20 foreign countries flock to Myrtle Beach, S.C., every year to participate in a tournament that provides the ultimate golf experience. Now in its 25th year, the World Amateur allows everyone from scratch golfers to 30+ handicappers to test their nerves and competitive resolve. The winner of this great event was crowned today at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, where the final round of the week long tournament has been traditionally played. Paula Morton of Greenbrier, TN hoisted the trophy as the World Amateur Handicap Champion after holing out a pitch from 75 yards on the 18th hole. Paula is the fourth woman champion of the event and her win also marks the first time that women have won the event in consecutive years.

Caravelle Resort Partner Course Wins 2008 Golf Course of the Year

The Grande Dunes Resort Club, a golf course partner of the Caravelle Resort, was recently chosen as the “2008 Myrtle Beach Golf Course of the Year” by the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association (MBAGCOA). Grande Dunes is now eligible for the state and national “Golf Course of the Year” awards to be announced later this fall.

For the “Golf Course of the Year” award, the MBAGCOA judged and evaluated area courses on golf course conditions, quality of ownership and management, contributions to the community and efforts to improve the growth of the game. Grande Dunes was chosen for its strength in each of these areas. The Grande Dunes Resort Club has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities including The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Conway Medical Center, Victory Junction Gang, Special Olympics and Patriot’s Golf Day. The Grande Dunes Resort Club is also committed to introducing the game to golfers of all ages through their active participation in Play Golf America and The First Tee of Myrtle Beach program.

The Dunes Golf Club Celebrates 60 Years as One of America's Greatest Courses

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club will celebrate its 60th anniversary as one of the United States’ most renowned golf courses on Saturday, May 31st. On that spring day back in 1948, a group of prominent Myrtle Beach area business leaders met for the second time at Chapin’s Cabin, a small building formerly located on the property near what is now the 11th tee, and formally decided to proceed with the incorporation to build The Dunes Club, the area’s second public golf course.

After selecting Robert Trent Jones to steer the design, course construction began shortly after the May 31, 1948 meeting. After 18 months of arduous construction required due to the course’s proximity to the ocean, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club opened the first nine holes for play on October 22, 1949, followed by the second nine holes in December of 1950. The Club was the first Myrtle Beach area golf course to feature views of the Atlantic Ocean.

Since opening, The Dunes Club has developed into one of the area’s most exclusive golf clubs with more than 650 social and golf members. Tee times are reserved for the members with the remaining times open to guests of the Club’s hotel and resort accommodation providers. The Dunes Club has been a consensus “Top 100 Course” selection, according to Golf Digest, GOLF Magazine and Golfweek. “Waterloo,” the famed 13th hole, was selected by Sports Illustrated as one of the “Best 18 Holes in America.”

The Dunes Club has hosted many professional and amateur golf tournaments during the last six decades. The Dunes Club played host to the finals of the 1973 PGA Tour Qualifying School, the 1962 USGA Women’s Open Championship, the 1960 Southern Golf Association Championship and Senior Championship, the 1957 South Carolina Women’s Amateur and the 1953 Carolinas Golf Association Championship. The PGA Senior Tour Championship began its six-year run at The Dunes Club in November 1994. The first Golf Writers Association of America held its initial tournament at The Dunes Club in 1954 with the event held at the club each year through 2005. For 17 years, The Dunes Club has served as the host site of the championship round of the World Amateur Handicap Championship, the world’s largest amateur golf tournament.

The Caravelle Resort is a resort member of The Dunes Club which allows our guests member privileges during their stay. Please call for more details on how you can experience this fantastic golf course yourself.

Six Grand Strand Courses Named as One of "America's Best Courses"

Six Grand Strand area golf courses have been honored in the 2008 Golfweek Magazine “America’s Best Courses” ranking. The annual Golfweek ranking is comprised of three separate lists that name the top 100 classic courses built before 1960; the top 100 modern courses built after 1960, and the state-by-state list of the top courses. The criteria used by Golfweek raters to evaluate golf courses included the ease and intimacy of routing, integrity of design, quality of feature shaping, natural setting and overall land planning among other categories.

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club was named to Golfweek’s “America’s 100 Best Modern Courses” ranking at No. 100, while The Dunes Golf and Beach Club was ranked 94th in Golfweek’s “America’s 100 Best Classic Courses” list. Both Caledonia and The Dunes Club have made the magazine’s annual rankings for the last 10 consecutive years.

Golfweek Magazine also recognized the top 10 golf courses in South Carolina with six Grand Strand area courses making the “Best State-by-State Public Access Courses” list. Caledonia led all Grand Strand courses in third place with The Dunes Club just behind in the fourth spot. Tidewater Golf Club and Plantation was ranked as the sixth-best course in the Palmetto State while True Blue Plantation was ranked seventh. The TPC at Myrtle Beach was recognized in eighth place while the Love Course at Barefoot Resort was ranked 10th.

Hootie and the Blowfish Return for the Monday After the Masters celebrity event

The annual Hootie and the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament makes its return to the Dye Club at Barefoot once again on April 14. Benefiting the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation supporting education and music programs for kids, the event has been a hit since relocating to Myrtle Beach in 2003, in fact Golf for Women magazine recently named it one of the top 20 celebrity golf events in the country.

Past celebrities to join all four members of Hootie and the Blowfish by playing in the event have included Dan Marino, Samuel L. Jackson, Marcus Allen, Alice Cooper, Brett Favre and many more.

Spectator tickets to the event will be available for $10 in February through the House of Blues at (843) 272-3000, but are generally readily available on a walk up basis the day of the event.

Dunes Golf and Beach Club Named as One of America's Top 100 Classic Courses by Golfweek Magazine

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club has been named one of Golfweek Magazine’s “Top 100 Classic Courses” in its annual “Golfweek’s Best” rankings. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club was ranked No. 94 in 2008, and was one of two South Carolina courses to make the list (Yeamans Hall Club, #40).

Golfweek defines a classic course as being built prior to 1960, and rates courses based on criteria that includes the ease and intimacy of routing, integrity of design, quality of feature shaping, natural setting and overall land planning among other categories. The Dunes Club was first named to Golfweek's list of "100 Best Classic Courses in 1998, and is the only Myrtle Beach area course to be named among the top 100 each year. Among countless other accolades, the Dunes Club as named as the #28 best public course in the United States by Golf Digest earlier this year.

The Caravelle Resort is a resort member of this famed golf club and you can be a Member for the Day when staying with us. Call our Golf Director at (800) 507-9145 for more details on how you can reserve your place on this amazing golf track.

Local Product Dustin Johnson Off to Stellar Start on the PGA Tour

Myrtle Beach resident Dustin Johnson is finding life on the PGA Tour to be pretty simple compared to your typical tour rookie. Johnson, a three time All American from Coastal Carolina, qualified as a full time member of the 2008 PGA Tour by finishing T14 in the 2007 PGA Q School and has immediately proven himself to be a capable competitor amongst the stars of Tiger, Phil and the host of other mainstays on the tour.

After only five events, Johnson finds himself 19th on the tour money list and 18th on the Fed Ex Cup standings with two early top 10 finishes and a third finish in 12th place. Johnson's 70.10 scoring average places him 13th on the tour list and his remarkable ability has stood out most off of the tee, with his booming drives averaging well over 300 yards, placing him 3rd in driving distance on the tour.

While Johnson won't be found in this week's World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, don't expect him to be excluded from these elite fields for long. After only six career events Johnson has not accumulated enough world ranking points to qualify for this event, but it's a safe bet that he won't be left behind by the cream of the PGA Tour's crop for long.