My dad likes to tell a story of his first-ever golf trip to Myrtle Beach in 1969. He took advantage of a golf package that covered his stay for a week in a beachside hotel with breakfast each morning, plus his green fees each day as well as two dozen golf balls, free beers at Happy Hour and a lunchtime oyster roast during the week.
The total package price: $99.
A few decades later, while most golf destinations have subjected return visitors to higher and higher tariffs for their tee times, Myrtle Beach has managed to remain quite reasonable, if not quite as shockingly affordable as my father first found it. Green fees do creep up towards the high spring and fall seasons, and the highest-end courses around the beach can command rates costing more than $250 on occasion. But the fact that there are dozens of golf courses to choose from creates a level of price-competition that continues to benefit budget-conscious golfers. The fact that certain buddy groups have been visiting the area annually for decades speaks to the consistency of the experience and bang for golf buck. When you go play golf in Myrtle Beach, you know what you’re going to get. That’s why so many golfers return year after year to sample the breadth of its courses…