Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz: Blair O’Neal Enjoys the Dunes Club

May 10, 2012

Myrtle Beach Golf Buzz host Blair O'Neal visited the Dunes ClubMyrtle Beach Golf Buzz host Blair O’Neal took her first trip to the Dunes Club, the Grand Strand’s most revered course. O’Neal sat down with Dunes Club head pro Dennis Nicholl to get an inside look at a layout that is ranked among America’s top 100 public courses by both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. From the famed 13th hole to the Dunes Club’s rich history – the course has hosted the U.S. Women’s Open, six Senior PGA Tour Championships, and the finals of the PGA’s Q-School – O’Neal provides golfers an in-depth look at the layout.

 

Transcription:
Blair: Hi, I'm Blair O'Neal, host of The Golf Buzz, presented by Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. Today I'm with Dennis Nicholl, head golf professional of the Dunes Golf and Beach Club. How are you doing?

Dennis: Good morning.

Blair: Thanks for having us.

Dennis: Thank you. Glad to be here.

Blair: Can you tell me a little bit about when the course was built and who is the designer of the Dunes Golf and Beach Club?

Dennis: The Dunes was built in 1948. The back nine that we play now was the original nine, and that was built in 1949 by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Actually, that was his first high-dollar project that put him on the map as an architect. From that point on, his history as an architect is stunning. This was really his first high-dollar project. In 1950 he built the front nine, which is now the front nine which was the back end at that time and we flipped them, so that's how you play the course now. It's a great design, very traditional, elevated greens, huge bunkers. It's a cliche, but every club in your bag, you're going to hit, definitely, when you play here.

Blair: And beautiful views right by the water. You can't beat that, right?

Dennis: It's stunning. The ninth hole plays up and sometimes it's hard to focus on your putt when you're staring out at the Atlantic Ocean. And then the back nine, holes 10 through 13 play around the swash that comes in from the ocean, and Lake Singleton, so it's beautiful.

Blair: What would you say is your favorite hole out here?

Dennis: Probably people's most favorite and most popular ones are the 13th hole, the Waterloo, which is a par 5 that wraps around Lake Singleton. It's Sports Illustrated Top 100 Golf Holes in America. That's probably the most popular, but that's a love/hate relationship on that one. People either love it or they absolutely hate it.

Blair: Would that be one of the toughest holes out here, then?

Dennis: It is, definitely. People think a big lake, you have to lay up short of it, like you hit over the corner and then hit into the green from there. People think the water is the problem, but actually, from about 100 yards and in there's a two-tiered green bunkers surrounding it. That's really where the game begins on that hole.

Blair: So the insider tip on how to play that hole?

Dennis: People try and gamble too much and try and get really close to that water. You really don't have to. As long as you play it safe, you can get around there okay and usually make par. Par on that hole, believe me, any day, is a great score.

Blair: Get your par and get out.

Dennis: That's it. Get in, get out.

Blair: That's a very good tip. So Dennis, being that this is the second golf course built on Myrtle Beach, what noteworthy events have been held here?

Dennis: It has a rich history with the tournaments. We've hosted the Women's U.S. Open in the '60s, we had the PGA Tour Q School back in the '70s where names like Ben Crenshaw and Gary McCord were earned the PGA tour card here. In the '90s, the Senior Tour Championship run for six years, which was well-noted in Myrtle Beach and certainly was a popular event during that time. All the big names, [inaudible 2:28] Wynn, and Gary McCord came back and won here in the Senior Tour Championship.

Blair: I'm wondering, can you tell us how the viewers can go about looking at tee time out here?

Dennis: The Dunes Club is private, but there are a few ways that you can gain access. One is, obviously, to play with a member, be a guest with a member. That's certainly the easiest. We have what we call member hotels in town. That started back when the package business was built through the Golf Holiday. It started here at the Dunes from the '60s, but the package business really boomed in the '80s and we had original member hotels, the Caravelle, Caribbean, Breakers, and those have since grown into big conglomerates. We have a number of hotels you can book through. If you go to GolfHoliday.com you can pull up those hotels and book a golf package for the Dunes Club as part of your trip. One other way is if you're a member of another private club anywhere else in the country, your head professional and can call in and book a reciprocal tee time.

Blair: Thanks so much, Dennis, for giving us the insider tips on how we can come out here and play The Dunes Golf and Beach Club. Thanks for having us.

Dennis: Thank you.

Blair: I'm Blair O'Neal and thanks for watching The Golf Buzz.