Myrtle Beach World Am and Golf Courses Celebrate the Amateur Golfer

Billed as the "Largest Single-Site Golf Tournament in the World" with 72 holes of net, stroke play on many of Myrtle Beach's most exquisite (and demanding) golf courses, the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Tournament draws 3,300 golfers from around the globe for both the competition and the camaraderie.

Golfers have been coming to this tournament for years, some since the 80's when the World Am was called the "DuPont World Amateur Handicap Championship in Myrtle Beach" and only offered ten golf courses along the Grand Strand. Within thirty years, the number of courses in this tournament has swelled to over fifty and the number of players has grown in kind.

A few of our favorite golf courses in Myrtle Beach which offer its own mystique include:

Caledonia Golf and Fish Club, which never fails to impress players with its stately demeanor.
Pine Lakes Country Club, well known on the Grand Strand as "The Granddaddy" of Myrtle Beach courses.
Grande Dunes with its Intracoastal Waterway views and technology-driven Golf Performance Center.
World Tour Golf Links, unique as its holes simulate some of the finest in the world!

Pine Lakes Golf Club - The Granddaddy of Myrtle Beach Courses

To play the World Am is definitely a golfers dream and, if you love to compete in a fun and rewarding environment, you should definitely punch your ticket for next year's event.

Each year that I visit the 19th hole, billed by the Myrtle Beach World Am as "a Really Big Golf Party", I speak with dozens of people.

Although the game of golf takes center stage, friendships are forged and merriment is high on the list of priorities - what could be better than playing golf by day and being wined and dined by local restauranteurs and entertained by some awesome dance bands?

Cool accessories!

Tin Cup was sporting their unique metal ball markers again this year and Snell Golf was debuting their hot, new golf ball (of which I received several sleeves for testing)...this golf ball's inventor also worked in R&D for Titleist and TaylorMade so this ball should show promise!

Visit the Myrtle Beach World Am website to view the full list of golf courses, scoring, handicap system and events and you will want to place this tournament on your bucket list!

Have you played in the World Am? If so, let us know your thoughts below in this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners!


photo: PineLakes.com

Top 10 Scottsdale Golf Courses Great for the Beginning Player

You may have heard a lot of hype about how Scottsdale, Arizona, is a fantastic destination for golfers from all over the world to come test the world class golf courses that lie in the desert.  The weather is terrific and the breathtaking landscapes offer a "WOW" factor.

Many of the golf courses in Arizona feature that desert-style environment which can make a round of golf challenging due to the forced carries off the tee boxes and fairways - but don’t fooled by it - there are many golf courses in the State that cater to the average golfer as well, featuring wide fairways and more links style golf.

Phoenix and Scottsdale are two destinations which cater to all level of golfer from intermediate to experienced.

Below is a list of the top 10 golf courses in Scottsdale that are great for the beginning golfer to play while on an Arizona Golf Vacation.

These courses below are very playable for the average golfer and are recommended based on their quality and scenery.

1. Legend At Arrowhead Golf Club: an award-winning Arnold Palmer-designed championship golf course.
2. Superstition Springs Golf Club: Regional qualifying site for PGA Tour events, so you know it is in pristine shape!
3. McCormick Ranch Golf Club: Water in the desert? Palm trees and mountain vistas too!
4. StoneCreek Golf Club: Recognized by Golf Channel as one of Arizona's "Best Kept Secrets."
5. Wigwam Golf Club: Three Memorable Courses to Choose!
6. Arizona Biltmore Golf Club: Two courses with a choice of traditional or links-style Golf.
7. Camelback – Padre Course: A traditional-style course with awesome views of Camelback Mountain.
8. Orange Tree Golf Course: Once an orange grove, now a desert oasis, this course is recognized as "green" with great Camelback Mountain views.
9. Starfire Golf Club: Formerly Scottsdale Country Club, this is a 27-hole Arnold Palmer designed facility.
10. Grand Canyon University Golf Course: A muni-golf course with state-of-the-art amenities.

Think we need to add a few more golf courses to this list? Use the comments section of this golf blog to state your case!

Why the Line on Your #Golf Ball Could Hurt Your Putting

Do you draw a line on your golf ball and use it to point to where you want your ball to roll on the green? If so, you could be diminishing your chances to hole out.

During a recent lesson with my PGA instructor, Dale Ketola, at the Grande Dunes Golf Performance Center, the focus was on putting and the mental game. Dale made me realize that I don't need the line which I currently place on my ball to point to the target - the line, speed, confidence, and feel are all in my head.

Dale incorporates really high line golf technology into his lessons to show where players need improvement or if they are on the right track. Along with V1 software, BODITRAK and Flightscope, my very able instructor utilizes FocusBand with his students.

FocusBand is a mind-sensing neurofeedback device which shows when a golfer is thinking too much negative thoughts when playing the game. Sounds like it comes from the head of Gene Roddenberry, doesn't it? Several well known PGA Tour, LPGA and Web.com Tour players, such as Jason Day and Michelle Wie, use this apparatus...and now it is my turn to try it out!

We used this headband during my putting lesson to help measure my subconscious thoughts while standing over the ball. Am I:
- Overthinking (Excessive Fear or Anxiety)
- Having Fear of Failure
- Frustrated
- In the Zone

Dale dropped a ball on the green (as if it landed in that perfect position) and watched as I performed my pre-shot routine.

The simple interface showed that, while standing over the ball ready to putt, my brain was "in the red zone".

Uh, oh,...I was definitely thinking too much! But, what was I thinking of? That was for my instructor to determine as machines cannot give you that piece of the puzzle...yet.

It is his experience as a teacher and player that made me understand what I am thinking, sensing and how to limit my thoughts to one visual before striking the ball.

I asked Dale what he does during his pre-shot putting routine. He says that, before taking his putt, he analyzes the green, then stares at the dirt in the bottom of the cup and puts that thought of the circle into his mind; he goes up to the marker, places his ball (with a small circle drawn on top) into position, aims and shoots.

At address, I need to, "Occupy my mind with what's going to happen, not how it's going to happen."

You can also relate putting to driving a car and how you don't consciously think of pressing down on gas or brake pedal or placing your hands on the steering wheel or turning your car to the left or right - you just know how to do it already and make it happen.

I learned quite a bit during my putting lesson at the Golf Performance Center - thank you, Dale! Now, I need to practice my new routine so that, when I get onto the course, my brain is in the "green zone" on the green!

A parting thought about the importance of putting...

After his sobering loss at the 99th PGA Championship, David Duval said of Hideki Matsuyama, "On a Sunday, I don't think you have to make a ton of 15-footers, but you have to make the four and five footers to win a golf tournament."

Here is a great putt from Justin Thomas during the 3rd round of the U.S. Open which helps prove that the mind is what gets the golf ball to the hole:

ARE YOU KIDDING? WHAT. A. PUTT! @JustinThomas34 #USOpen (🎥: @usopengolf) pic.twitter.com/foKFJsNo1K

— GOLF.com (@golf_com) June 17, 2017

What techniques do you use to "see" the ball to the hole? Let's talk putting! Post comments below on this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.