Myrtle Beach courses escape major fire damage

Despite a recent rash of wildfires, most golf courses in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area escaped any significant damage and remain open for play. About 70 homes in Horry County had been destroyed and more than 100 damaged by the fires, which have consumed nearly 20,000 acres since they started last Saturday.

The fires, located in a small area just west of the Intracoastal Waterway in the northern section of Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, had been about 40 percent contained as of early Friday morning. Only three golf resorts ' Waterway Hills Golf Club, Grande Dunes Resort and Barefoot Resort and Golf ' were threatened, according to a news release from Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, a nonprofit trade association of 76 championship courses in the Myrtle Beach area. Two of the four Barefoot Resort courses suffered cosmetic damages, while Waterway Hills reported no damage and Grande Dunes experienced minimal damage to the berm that separates the course from Highway 31.

Both Waterway Hills and Grande Dunes were open for play on Friday. The Norman and Dye courses at Barefoot Resort were also open on Friday while the Love course was scheduled to reopen Saturday. The Fazio course remains closed until an access bridge connecting holes 12-14 is repaired. It is expected to ready for play next week.

This was an intense week for the Grand Strand area and we thank the emergency personnel who worked tirelessly to keep us safe, said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. ‘We are fortunate that the fire was contained in a small section of Horry County and did not cause any damage to three golf courses located in that area. April is the busiest golf month of the year for the area but our guests will not have their travel and golf plans affected by the fire or smoke.’