Why have so many Myrtle Beach golf courses had recent renovations? Here’s one reason why

Golf is part of the core of Myrtle Beach’s culture, and some of the courses that serve as industry landmarks have undergone significant overhauls in recent years.

Across the Grand Strand, courses have undergone renovations and changes in recent years, with some properties closed to the public to make the changes.

In recent years, places like Azalea Sands in North Myrtle Beach, the Dunes Club in Myrtle Beach, Kings North near Conway, and Pawleys Plantation on Pawleys Island have announced, begun, or completed maintenance projects. Each course has its reason for making upgrades.

For some golf courses, the time has come to freshen up the course or return it to its original state. Other courses have made changes to improve their playability, which makes it easier for golfers of all skill levels to enjoy. The Dunes Club made changes to accommodate the PGA Tour’s requests before hosting the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic.

Like other capstone Myrtle Beach area buildings and hotels, golf courses need great care and attention. However, unlike monuments made from concrete, golf courses are akin to living organisms and need constant care and attention to keep them healthy and alive.

Jeremy Goldblatt is the chief operating officer for KemperSports, which manages and owns golf courses throughout the United States and specializes in running high-end golf courses. In 2023, KemperSports purchased Tidewater Golf Club, and Goldblatt said in an October 2024 interview that the firm is renovating the course by improving playability and working on some bunkers. He added that remaining timely with renovations is as vital as each golf course, which requires constant care, and missing maintenance could damage it.

However, some renovations and upgrades recently started are either addressing work that had been delayed for years or made possible by a recent upswing in the Myrtle Beach golf economy. Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, the Myrtle Beach golf economy faced an industry-wide recession that saw interest in the game drop, courses close, and less revenue to keep up the standard quality of golf courses.

The 2020s have seen a resurgence in the game’s popularity, and the corresponding increase in revenue has allowed courses to address the projects that some previously didn’t.

Executive Director of the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association and Interim CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Tracy Conner said the downturn resulted in many projects not going forward that were intended to revitalize golf courses. He added that many of these projects are being addressed now.

“Many of our golf courses had deferred maintenance that go back a decade or more,” Conner said in an August 2024 interview. “The Grand Strand golf industry will invest significant monies this year, as well as the next couple of years to come that are scheduled out there that I’m aware of.”

Putting off maintenance hurts a course because problems worsen with time and more wear and tear a complex faces. The drop in quality could also cause golfers to stop playing a course altogether.

While sometimes minor, re-investing in golf courses does help ensure people keep coming back. Goldblatt said that a high-cost industry like golf requires a commitment to re-investing in properties.

“If you let that go long enough, it becomes very expensive to fix,” He added. “You have to invest in them, and if you take care of them, our hope is they’ll take care of us, and that’s certainly been the case here recently.”