Away with golf carts!!

Keep your fancy, over-priced 'golf instructors' - a good caddie helps your game more - TravelGolf.com

This Week at TravelGolf.com: Jan. 31, 2007
One caddie is worth 500 golf teachers

Caddies are for pros and rich golfers who throw their money away.

For the Average Joe golfer, the guys in white overalls are as much of a needless splurge as fluorescent golf pants and a swing aid that's an actual circle you step inside (thanks PGA Merchandise Show!).

At least, that's what my ignorant self used to think. One round with a caddie changed my beliefs faster than John Edwards spins his political views.

One round. A good dozen golf lessons from a host of uber qualified gutsy teachers still hasn't come close to convincing me that the whole field of golf instruction isn't largely smoke, mirrors and fancy gadget snake oil. But one walk improved with a caddie and there's no doubt in my mind these guys are legit difference-makers.

Spare me all the mumbo jumbo science analysis on the range. Give me a guy like PGA National Resort's Kevin McCaffrey, a 52-year-old former New York Sanitation Department worker from the Bronx who is not afraid to bark out, "Mr. Baldwin, I think you need the rescue club." Again and again.

A good caddie makes you feel like every club decision is yours and yours alone. Even as he inches out that 5-iron while you were thinking 7. Plus, no fancy GPS device that's just as powerful as the technology the British Secret Service uses is going to tell you how your ball's going to react in south Florida's winter winds.

Plus, walking with a caddie is just cool. When's the last time you felt cool taking a golf lesson - as they hunch you over and straighten out your back like their chiropractor brethren.

Contrast that with strolling down the fairways with nothing in your hands, your caddie at your side. Hit a decent shot and it suddenly feels like a great shot. You're charging ahead like Tiger Woods on Masters Sunday. Even those worn golf shoes suddenly seem lighter.

The only thing lighter after a golf lesson on the range is your wallet.

Golf instruction is a mammoth glitzy business where cash registers ring. Caddies are regular guys like McCaffrey who've often left hard 9-to-5s.

And one caddie is worth about 500 instructors. There's your golf justice.

__________________________

I couldn't help but chuckle when I read this earlier today.......reminds of the scene in Caddyshack - "....been a lot of complaints lately.....smoking grass....bad caddying! You wanna be replaced by golf carts??"
Well....they have been replaced. The pressures of rising costs to keep a course playable; the over-inflated salaries of the PGA Professional (who stands in the clubhouse behind the counter trying to figure out how to turn the computer on and count back change!)......just kidding Mike....I know you know where that button is!
Without that extra $10 - $25 extra cart fee, most courses would be pastures by now. But seriously...why drive?...when you can walk? Isn't there nothing better than a relaxing stroll down the fairway, getting to know each blade of grass, every bunker, every slight variation of every hole?
I'd much prefer to walk every time I play, although I must admit, I do ride more than I should....not to mention the fact that it's almost impossible to walk down at Myrtle, but again, it's all about the revenue unfortunately. When you walk you get to know your course so well (especially if you're all over it like I am!). Think about how great it would be to play on a course for the first time, but be able to know precisely where you should be on every shot! (not that you'll be there....but at least give yourself a shot!) Course need caddies....bottom line! How are you going to fist pump underneath that golf cart roof after that great shot...thanks to your caddie?? What better way to keep a high school kid off the streets too. Let him make some money...promote your course and probably improve his skills too! Even if the course just set aside a portion of the day where you had to take a caddy...not a cart. Probably never happen.
What do you think?

Gas Prices in Myrtle Drop Below $2/gal

The Sun News | 01/29/2007 | Gasoline prices sink across Grand Strand

Isn't this fantastic news as we approach the summer vacation season!! Let's hope they stay around these prices for all of us who will be driving down to the Grand Strand this summer!
Gerry

Gasoline prices sink across Grand Strand
By Emma Ritch
The Sun News
Mark Fisher fills up his truck Saturday at the Amoco station on Third Avenue South in Myrtle Beach. The price of an average gallon of gas has dropped below $2 in the area.
JANET BLACKMON MORGAN/The Sun News
Mark Fisher fills up his truck Saturday at the Amoco station on Third Avenue South in Myrtle Beach. The price of an average gallon of gas has dropped below $2 in the area.

The average gallon of gas has dropped below $2 across the Grand Strand, and consumers could see even lower prices at the pumps during the next few weeks.

A mild winter reduced the demand on heating oil, leaving refineries to focus on making gasoline. That increased the supply and pushed down prices, industry analysts say.

The larger inventory, combined with dropping crude oil costs - a barrel has been hovering between $50 and $55, down from the high of $78.40 in July - means consumers get a temporary break when filling their tanks.

Dale DeWitt, who pumped 20 gallons of $1.99 regular gas into his Ford Explorer at a Myrtle Beach Exxon on Friday, said he's relieved prices have dropped, even if the savings are temporary.

"It's nice to look at the sign and see it's under $2," he said. "For a long time, I was thinking it wouldn't get this low again."

Gas prices typically bottom out in the last week of January and first week of February, analysts say. Drivers take fewer long-haul trips after the holidays, and homeowners cut back on heating costs as temperatures rise.

That means the Grand Strand could see prices lower than the present average of $1.99 a gallon in coming weeks, said Sarah Davis, spokeswoman for AAA Carolinas.

"Gas prices may drop just a little bit more, but there was talk about really boosting the inventory of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. When there's less [gasoline] on the market, prices will go up," Davis said.

Typically, prices increase in March when refineries close for spring maintenance and start making summer blends of fuel, which are more expensive to produce than winter blends, Davis said. People also increase travel starting in February, reducing the supply.

Many gas stations on the Grand Strand could be selling gas at a loss to get to the $1.99 mark, said Jeff Lenard, spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores.

"A lot of retailers are eating that margin to get to that price point because $1.99 is a lot cheaper than $2 to most people," Lenard said. "More than a quarter of people say they would change their behavior for a penny a gallon."

Convenience stores make profits off the coffee or snacks sold inside, so the gasoline prices are one way to tempt consumers. Other stations that are continuing to sell gasoline at higher prices are still getting customers.

Lynne Mackey of New Jersey pumped $2.05-per-gallon regular-grade gas into her Nissan Altima, even though stations a mile away offered the same product for 4 cents to 6 cents less.

"I had to stop here," Mackey said. "I couldn't really go much further before I might run out of gas. And then, 6 cents isn't going to make that much difference."

Fuel costs reached all-time highs in the U.S. after 2005's Hurricane Katrina, which disrupted distribution and pushed prices above $3 a gallon in many parts of the Southeast.

South Carolina's average price for a gallon of regular gas was $1.96 on Friday, according to AAA Carolinas. Prices in the lower-Atlantic region averaged $2.14 last week, according to the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration. That's down 6 cents from the previous week and 21 cents from a year ago.

The region - which includes the Carolinas, the Virginias, Georgia and Florida - typically has lower gas prices than average. The EIA says the average U.S. consumer is paying $2.17 a gallon.

When it comes to how fuel costs could affect the Grand Strand's tourism industry, that's the price that matters.

"What's most important is not the price of fuel here, but the price of fuel in the region [the potential visitor] lives," said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "Declining fuel prices should benefit us, not only by increasing disposable income, but also by giving consumers more confidence in their spending ability in the coming months."

Tourism officials have said the increased fuel costs of last summer caused many visitors to cut back on shopping, dining out and the length of their trips to the Grand Strand.

"Fuel prices play a role in vacation decisions," Dean said. "They certainly do impact discretionary income, and we benefit, and travel in general would benefit, when fuel prices are declining."

Many factors could influence the price of fuel in the next few months, Lenard pointed out, so no one can really predict where prices will go.

Weather that affects the supply chain could drive up prices, as could reduced supplies by OPEC.

Every dollar change in the price of a barrel of crude oil equates to 2.38-cent change at the pump, Lenard said.

Even fear plays a part, he said. As much as 50 cents of each gallon at times could be attributed to people stocking up on gasoline if they fear an impending shortage, he said.

"No one knows where prices will be," Lenard said. "Oil's a commodity and is traded as such. Sometimes the price reflects actual supply and demand, sometimes it reflects emotional reactions."

Dale DeWitt | bought gas on Friday

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Welcome to Beaches and Bunkers

Beaches and Bunkers

Welcome To Beaches and Bunkers - Our Vacation Home in Myrtle Beach


Hello all!....and welcome to our blog. We'll try to keep you up to date with what's happening with us, with our condo and with what's happening in the Myrtle Beach area! We hope you'll add you comments, reviews, perspectives regarding your MB vacations or just whatever happens to be on your mind!
Don't forget to visit us anytime at http://www.beachesandbunkers.com for a tour of our home and the area around it.
We're closing in on winter up here in the Northeast, but not quite ready to put away the golf clubs! With temps hovering around the 60 degree range for the last few days and the prediction for a day or 2 more later in the week, we'll be keeping them close to the door. Hopefully we'll get lucky this winter and we'll be able to get a number of rounds in over the course of the winter. In the meantime, I'll be preparing for my next trip down to Myrtle coming up in early December. this will be just a quick golf trip down with a few friends from work. Golfing in Myrtle in the off season can be such a treat!....not to mention not being a drain on your wallet! You can book your own teetimes online and save a bundle. Here's a couple examples.....we'll be playing Aberdeen (just a mile from the condo) and beautiful 27 hole complex weaving through the homes and condos as well as deep into the woods for just $29. Aberdeen has been one of my favorites for a while now. We'll also be playing 18 at Shaftesbury Glenn CC up in Conway. This will be a first timer for me but at $35, it's very difficult to pass up. If you've played it....let us know what you think of it. I've read great reviews of it and I love that it's out in the hinterland and probably not that well known by all the 'package' golfers that tend to play more around the center of Myrtle. But here's the 'piece de resistance'! ......Carolina National is offering a "Toys for Tots' golf special during the 1st 2 weeks of December. For just $25 plus a $10 new toy, you can play 18 holes at one the the premier golf courses in the entire Myrtle area. We've played Carolina many times over our years of visting the Carolinas and it is truly one of the most pleasurable experiences we've ever had. You could leave your clubs behind and just walk the course and take in some of the most breathtaking views all along the way.
If you've never visited Myrtle in the off season, you might want to reconsider...even if you don't golf! There are some great walks on the beach when the temps are in the 50's and 60's and some occasional 70's over the course of the winter. Those migrating northern snow birds must know something!....and many of them are now learning that the Carolinas have a great deal more to offer (at a substantially lower price!) than Florida does!

(originally written in early December, 06)

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Cherry Grove Adds A New Nature Park On The Marsh

The Sun News | 01/25/2007 | NMB opens nature park on marsh

NMB opens nature park on marsh
From staff reports
Tracy Carr of Longs walks through the Heritage Shores Park in North Myrtle Beach with her sons Jeffrey, 6, (left) and Justin, 4, after the dedication ceremony Wednesday.
REBECCA KOENIG/The Sun News
Tracy Carr of Longs walks through the Heritage Shores Park in North Myrtle Beach with her sons Jeffrey, 6, (left) and Justin, 4, after the dedication ceremony Wednesday.

* Video from the park's opening

A dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday marked the opening of the Heritage Shores Public Nature Park in the Cherry Grove area of North Myrtle Beach.

The park - on 8 acres north of 55th Avenue North and Heritage Drive - has a series of boardwalks, two picnic shelters, boat access to the Cherry Grove marsh, two information kiosks, an observation station and a series of trails about two-thirds of a mile long.

City officials and residents have said it will be a great addition to the area. The city budgeted a total of $132,000 in its 2004-05 and 2005-06 Parks and Recreation funds for the nature park.

The park includes interpretative signs to identify the plants, animals and nature that people might see in the park, as well as directional signs to help people get around in the park.

Parking is at the Cherry Grove Boat Landing on 53rd Avenue North.
Online video extra

Go to MyrtleBeachOnline.com to view video of the Heritage Shores Public Nature Park and to hear North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley talk about the park's contribution to the city's quality of life.

We stumbled upon the public boat ramp in Cherry Grove (pictured at left) early last fall and we just fell in love with the spot. It's the backwater from the ocean, which is only a few hundred yards east over the spit of land up at the end of north Myrtle Beach. There are stunning views of Tidewater Golf Course across the water and the marshland was just beautiful....reminding us a lot of what we see up here on Cape Cod. We wandered through the marsh and scrub as much as we could picking some wild blackberries and taking some wonderful pictures of the marshland. When I spotted this article in the Sun Times, I was so excited to hear that the town is making this kind of effort to preserve this spot of land and add so much to it. Now I just can't wait to get back down to MB to see the improvements! If you're not familiar with the area...drive into the center of Cherry Grove, take a left at Boulineau's IGA and drive down Ocean Blvd until 53rd St. The area is at the end of 53rd.

Here's a shot (at right) taken from the shoreline looking over to Tidewater Golf Course and here's another (at left) looking north from 36th Ave over the marshland back towards the new park. You might be able to pick out the two guys in the water having some pretty good success netting.
If you get the opportunity....take the time to visit this are of Cherry Grove.....I'm sure you'll enjoy and appreciate it!

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