Greg Norman likes his waste bunkers! Watch out for this one on hole 7.

The Barefoot Norman Course in North Myrtle Beach underwent a nice renovation this past summer. The greens were switched from Bent grass greens to Champions Ultra Dwarf Bermuda.  With the weather in the high 60`s a week before Christmas (yes, I’m rubbing that in), I had to get out and play to see the work that was done and give it an ole’ MBGolfPro (that’s me) golf course review.

I took the student with me and gave him a rematch in our “Teacher vs Student” golf match. (See the results below.) The Par 72 Norman Course has 5-sets of tees and will challenge any player of any level.  The course measures at just under 5,000 yards from the forward tees and just over 7,000 from the championship tees.

Barefoot Norman – The Front 9

Keeping his own playing philosophy in his design (Greg Norman of course, World Golf Hall of Famer), the “Bump and Run”, he gives  you a chance to make the up and down, on nearly ever hole, even with a green miss. Barefoot Norman course features huge green complexes. The average green size is 6,300 square feet and includes only 60 acres of mow-able grass! Waste bunkers and native grasses line nearly every hole.

Let me explain the “Bump and Run” real quick.  Norman’s  philosophy is to get the ball rolling on the ground without getting it airborne when you are close to the green.  The higher you chip, the likely it is you will lose control or stray “off course,” no pun intended. This of course, is only applicable if you don’t have anything between you and the green.

Hole #9

Finishing out the front is the tough par-5, the 9th hole that can make or break your front nine score.  The 9th hole is lined with bunkers down the left side. To make matters a bit more difficult, wetlands extend the entire length of the hole on the right side of the fairway and cross about 50 yards in front of the green.  If you can avoid the bunkers or wetlands, it gives you a perfect opportunity to lay up around the 100 yard marker. This leaves your third shot into a green that slopes severely right to left.  Making par on the 9th-hole will win you the front nine 60% of the time.

Barefoot Norman – The Back 9

As you approach the 10th tee, you get your first glimpse of the IntraCoastal Waterway. The Barefoot Norman course is the only one of the four courses at Barefoot Resort & Golf that has Waterway views. Not only does this hole have Waterway views, but six of the eight holes after it as well. The par 3, 10th hole is guarded with the waste bunkers and the waterway on the right side. There is a bailout to the left of the green (not visable from the tee, this is where the GPS on the carts comes in) that goes back into the Greg Norman “Bump and Run” philosophy if the green is missed.

Hole #10

Overall the course is one of the more underrated courses on the strand. With the new greens, Barefoot Norman will climb up every ranking category and should be on everyone`s playlist.

Oh, and back to the Teacher vs Student….

The teacher closed out the Student 5 and 3 with a two putt birdie on the Par 5, 15th hole.

FUN FACT:  Greg Norman not only designed this COURSE, but he designed the GRASS for the tees and fairways as well, a hybrid called GN-1, made by Norman’s own turf company.

FUN FACT #2: Not only is this course unique because it’s the only course in Myrtle Beach with the architect’s own grass, but Norman ALSO has his own restaurant here, just across the Waterway from Barefoot Resort. (And hey, we’ve got coupons!)

As always, ”Fairways and Greens” -@MBGOLFPRO

Its that time once again for our Monthly Top Myrtle Beach Golf Course Rankings for the month of September 2011. As in previous months, our top rankings blog has been our highest trafficked web page on our site.  Again, I will say that these rankings for the courses are very close to my own personal rankings. So lets unveil which courses are in the Top 10.

For the second consecutive month, we have a NEW #1. We also have a new comer to the rankings, with one of my personal favorites dropping out of the Top 10 after being voted to the Top 10 for a month.

1. Bald Head Island – The renovations last year at Bald Head Island have paid off. The Re-design was done by Tim Cate.

2. Caledonia – After being #1 for a month, the Mike Stranz design is still a golfers favorite.

3. Dunes Club – Craig`s personal favorite.

4. Barefoot – Dye Club - Arguably the hardest course on the Grand Strand, but golfers still love the challenge.

5. Pawley`s Plantation – Ranked in the top 5 for the second consecutive month.

6. TPC-Myrtle Beach – This is the only course in Myrtle Beach to ever get 5-stars from Golf Digest.

7. Thistle – The Thistle has jumped into the top after not being at all in August. Some of the best greens on the Strand.

8. Tidewater – With some of the best marsh views on the Strand, also know as the “Pebble Beach of the East Coast”.

9. Willbrook – Craig`s South end favorite, also known as a “Locals Favorite” for its beauty and playability.

10. Pearl – East – Reopened with NEW Mini Verde Greens and amazing views of the Calabash River.

There you have it folks the Top Myrtle Beach Golf Course Rankings for September 2011. Please feel free to leave comments on your favorite courses page and vote for your favorite Myrtle Beach golf courses. You can also follow me on twitter @mbgolfpro and leave comments on our Facebook page.

Until next time … Keep it in the short grass. -MBGolfPro

The 2,300 acre Barefoot Resort and Golf is looking in Prime Conditions for Myrtle Beach Fall Golf 2011. Barefoot Resort and Golf consist of four of Myrtle Beach`s best golf courses, a 30-acre practice facility, marina, Docksiders Bar & Grill and is all accessible by a historic swing bridge that was built in the 1930`s.   After closing and reopening on July 13th, 2011. The Barefoot Fazio course made the conversion from Bent Grass Greens to Champion Ultra Dwarf which is becoming a popular putting surface along the Grand Strand.  Not only did the Fazio course but also the Barefoot Norman course received new Champion Ultra Dwarf greens.

Champion Ultra Dwarf allows faster putting surfaces than normal Bermuda grass greens. Champion is excellent warm weather grass and can be found at over 400 golf clubs in the south east. Ultradwarfs have become more popular than Tifdwarf because they produce moreshoots per unit area than Tifdwarf and thus provide a smoother and quicker putting surface.

With the Barefoot Dye Club ranked #1 in our Top 10 Golf Courses in Myrtle Beach for two consecutive months, the Barefoot Love, and upgraded Barefoot Fazio and Norman courses will be a great option for Fall Myrtle Beach Golf. The 3+1 Barefoot package allows you to play one of the four course for Free in the afternoon.

Don’t forget to check out our Barefoot Golf Courses website for info.

Hitting the ball solid is a fundamental problem that many of us deal with in the game of golf. I believe the 1990′s group En Vogue said it best with, “free your mind and the rest will follow.” Sounds simple enough right? That’s because at times it really can be just that simple. The quickest and easiest way to take strokes off of your golf game is to free your mind of thinking about striking the ball. When you’re able to approach the ball with a clear state of mind as you do when practicing, chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well you’ll make contact with the ball. Wherever you may find yourself playing: Vegas, Scotland, a local golf course or in Myrtle Beach, your mindset needs to remain the same.

How often do you find yourself making a picture-perfect swing during practice, complete with a tiny divot pointing directly at the whole? I bet you even talk to yourself immediately afterwards saying, “Why in the world can’t I do this during a regular round?”. You can! A common mistake made by an overwhelming majority of recreational golfers, is that they put a huge emphasis on the point of contact. Don’t do it! The science of a golf swing shows that actually hitting through the ball produces the most distance and accuracy, while hitting to the ball, or over-emphasizing the point of contact, often leads to large divots and heavy slices.

The most successful and consistent golf swing is a smooth and level one that sweeps through the location of the ball without doing anything special at the point of contact. How can you do this? By simply forgetting about it! Don’t hover over the ball like it’s a land mine waiting to golf off. Approach the situation just as you do during practice; with a clear mind. It sometimes helps me to close my eyes and slowly count to three prior to making my swing. My breathing is controlled, my muscles are relaxed, and I’ve put myself in the best situation to make an excellent golf swing.

Please feel free to leave comments below on techniques you use to make great contact with the ball.

For more information on our Myrtle Beach Golf Department, check out our hubpages profile.

For a sure-fire thought process when amidst a bunker try to harness these basics:

Swing thought one – GET IT OUT, leaving your shot in the bunker will just add stokes to your game, you have a better chance of chipping up and making a long putt by “Getting It Out” than leaving your shot in the bunker.

Swing thought two – GET IT ON, As you have moved up with a better Bunker game from swing thought one, Getting It On” means getting the shot on the green, any where on the green increase chances of making better scores by making a long putt.

Swing thought three – GET IT IN, you are now a pretty good bunker player and can “Get It Out” and “Get It On” with consistency. The next step is to make the shot. That’s right positive swing thoughts will increase your score every time.

Some of the bunker basics include keeping a wide open stance as well as an open club face as much as you can.  Always make sure you have solid footing.  Slipping and sliding throughout a shot is undoubtedly not a good maneuver. To keep it simple, consider that for every degree open you rotate your stance, match it with an open clubface. As you do that, situate the target right in between the two angles. One of the keys to your swing in the bunker is to think about speed not strength.  In order to keep your swing complete, the concentration of swinging faster as opposed to harder will keep you swinging through the ball and not down into the sand.  This also triggers a more complete body rotation as well.  A full body rotation is helpful in order to use less hands. Less hand action makes it easier to keep your club face open.  In sum, the body must be completely active. Wrists and feel and remember it’s all trial and error.

If you are up for the challenge, these courses have some tough bunkers to overcome: Legends Moorland, Barefoot Dye, Prestwick, True Blue, Kings North, Leopard’s Chase, and Tiger’s Eye.

Myrtle Beach is the Golf Capital of the World, and the area’s hospitality extends to even the youngest of golfers. The Grand Strand has 46 courses, including some of the nation’s best, that allow junior golfers (kids 16 and under) to play for free when accompanied by a paying adult. Several other facilities permit Juniors to play at deeply discounted prices. Below is a list of courses you can play. If you are not sure if a courses is close to a Condolux Oceanfront condo, use are extensive Myrtle Beach Golf Course Map. Call our Golf Directors at 1-800-624-6418 or email golf@northmyrtlebeachgolf.com for more information.

Aberdeen, Arrowhead , Beachwood (PM), Blackmoor, Burning Ridge, Crown Park, Farmstead, Founders @ Pawleys , Glen Dornoch, Grande Dunes, Heather Glen, Heron Point, Indian Wells, Indigo Creek, International Club, MBN – Kings North , Leopards Chase, Lions Paw, Litchfield, Long Bay, MBN – South Creek, MBN – West Course, Meadowlands, Myrtlewood – Palmetto, Myrtlewood – Pine Hills, Panthers Run , Pawleys Plantation, Pearl – East, Pearl – West, Pine Lakes , Prestwick (PM), Quail Creek @ CCU , River Club, River Hills, River Oaks, Rivers Edge, Sandpiper Bay , Tidewater, Tigers Eye, Tradition Club, Wachesaw East , Waterway Hills, Wicked Stick, Wild Wing, Willbrook

What does Double Tee mean? Why do golf courses in Myrtle Beach Double Tee? The term Double Tee is used when golf courses start groups off of both the 1st tee and 10th tee at the same time.

Why do courses Double Tee? Courses in the Myrtle Beach area Double Tee to help get more golfers on the course. If a course were to start every group off of the first hole, then the “Back Nine” of the golf course, would be empty for about 2-hours and 15-minutes each day leaving about 15 tee times open depending on the tee time increments at each course. With 15-tee times and the low end avg. cost of $50 per golfer that is an additional $3000.00 per day and on the high end at $200 per round it could be as much as $12,000 per day in lost / gain revenue. With most golfers wanting to play between 10am to 11am the double tee does not allow and most times are not open after 9:30 am depending on the golf course.

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View the golf courses in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Your drive may set your mental attitude for the hole but your short game will determine your score.  Many golfers set aside hours for their drive and minutes for their short game.  However, it is one’s short game which needs to be perfected in order to score low.  Distance is necessary to get you where you want to be on the hole but there is no way to get your golf ball in the hole without an excellent short game.  Therefore, there are stroke saving shots which will help your short game tremendously and will help you to score lower on your score sheet.

Such shots that are included in this category of stroke saving shots include the fringe shot, the greenside divot, the running chip shot, the lob shot, the buried lie, the short putt, the long putt, the greenside bunker shot, the long bunker shot and the backward shot.  If you can include all of these shots into your short game then you will be ready to play any course including the excellent and challenging Myrtle Beach golf courses.

Here is a description of each one of these shots so that you have an idea of which ones you should start working on today:

The Fringe Shot – This shot is used when the golf ball lies on the border between the green and the rough.  Normally, the golf ball is rather close to the hole so trying to chip the call may prove to be disastrous.  In this shot, you should use a 4 wood, 5 wood or a 7 wood and use one of these particular clubs like a putter.  Just put the ball as if you were putting even though you are not actually on the green.

The Greenside Divot – This shot is very useful when your ball lands in a divot.  By using an 8 iron, you will be able to chip your ball out from the devoted area and into a more desirable location.

The Running Chip Shot – This is a great shot when you need some distance but do not want your ball to be flying and bouncing around.  With this type of chip, the ball will literally run on the golf course towards the pin.  The recommended golf clubs for this shot are the 8 and 9 irons.

The Lob Shot – If you need some height then the lob shot is perfect.  By opening the face of the club as much as you can, you will be able to let the ball soar without launching it far from its target.

The Buried Lie – Unfortunately, there are patches of the rough which seem impossible for you to get your ball out of.  With this shot, you will be able to soar free from the worst lies on the rough.

The Short Putt – A short putt is considered to be any putt on the green where the golf ball is 6 feet or less from the hole.

The Long Putt – The long putt is considered to be any putt where the golf ball is 20 feet or more from the pin.

The Greenside Bunker Shot – Getting stuck in the sand can be a nightmare for golfers who do not have this shot in their repertoire.  By opening the face of the Sand wedge and hitting about an inch behind the golf ball will help you to fly out of the sand trap without regret.

The Long Bunker Shot – For these types of shots where height may not be necessary to get you out of the trap, you can use your 8 iron rather than the sand wedge to get you out of trouble.  This shot will help show you how.

The Backward Shot – This is one of the most valuable strokes in golf if you have bad luck while playing.  It seems incredible where you find the ball whether it be right next to a tree or anywhere else where it may seem like an impossible play.  With the backward shot you will be able to get you and your ball out of a jam without losing valuable strokes.

Each of these shots have their particular place in one’s short game.  Some of these stroke saving shots may be more valuable than others but this all depends on one’s game.  Practice the shots which are absolutely necessary such as the short and long putts.  Practice the shots that seem useful depending on your tendencies to shoot for the bunkers in some cases and at least review those shots that you may never seem to use but might one day become very necessary such as the backward shot.

The plethora of courses for will provide you with plenty opportunities to practice and use all of these stroke saving shots again and again. Come stay and play with us on your Myrtle Beach golf vacation and experience the whole spectrum that golf has to offer from the most challenging and world renowned courses to the family friendly, beginner’s courses.