Golf tourney makes you feel like a pro

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/10/2019 (2214 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I am standing on the 18th green with a 12-foot putt left to win the PGA trophy and raise it to the cheering crowd in celebration.

It is a dream of many golfers — regardless of their skill level or age. It is a vision that becomes a reality for many ordinary club golfers at the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Golf Tournament in South Carolina.

At the end of August, my golf buddy Gerry Wersch and I had a chance to play in this event, along with more than 3,000 other decidedly non-professional golfers. Billed as the largest and most fun golf tournament on the planet, it met all our expectations — both for good times and the fire of competing against those our age and handicap level over four days of professional-tournament-style golf.

With 69 categories, including a number for female golfers, there is a place for everyone — from scratch golfers to those whose handicaps go beyond 35.

While I only recently heard of this event, it has been going on for 36 years, with many participants having returned for most of those years.

Alan Olson, who lives near Las Vegas, is one of those people. His first World Am experience was 30 years ago. He has attended almost every year. “It’s fun to come and play here. You meet a lot of people from all over the world while golfing on excellent courses. In the evenings, you get to taste the food from some of Myrtle Beach’s best restaurants, and sample drinks you may never have heard of before.”

When I asked if he’d be returning, he said, without hesitation: “Next year, and I don’t see myself stopping.”

Every evening, golfers gather at the Myrtle Beach Convention Centre for what is called the World’s Largest 19th Hole. It features free food, complimentary beverages of all kinds, and some of the best-known golfers and teachers — such as Hank Haney and Michael Breed — discussing the state of the game and answering individual questions from audience members seeking to improve their scores.

In the main hall, the leaderboard scores for each category are shown on a huge screen. It’s a thrill to see your name on the list, even if you are not in first place.

Sixty of the 80-plus Myrtle Beach golf courses are used for this event, with each participant’s group assigned a different course every day. With 3,200 golfers to co-ordinate, one could easily conclude this might be an organizational nightmare.

Not so. As my travelling partner Wersch said, “The organizational skills to get these 3,200 people to the hotels and golf courses is unbelievable. You’d think it would be chaos, but it’s very well organized.”

From the time we registered at the PGA Superstore to the moment we checked out of our hotel, the schedules were adhered to like clockwork.

Wersch and I were in different groups because of our difference in handicaps and ages. Being assigned to courses in opposite directions from the Doubletree Myrtle Beach Resort where we stayed — with only one rental car — posed a potential challenge. No problem. At registration, people can find rides from each hotel with others in the same group who have volunteered to ride-share.

While the first ride was meant to be for one game only, driver Ken Rudin and Wersch became close friends, so they continued to travel together to the different courses each of the four days.

Rudin, as many other golfers had done, brought his spouse with him. Many golfers’ partners did not golf but were able to participate in a significant way nevertheless.

It was one of the surprises we encountered during registration — in addition to our own personal passes, we received guest passes. The complimentary passes offer free entry into the evening’s festivities at the convention centre for participants’ non-golfing guests.

Those festivities are many and varied. A hole-in-one contest and a 60-foot putting contest are just two of the highlights. Finalists on the closing night compete for grand prizes. This year, Silvia Rosenberger of Bremen, Germany, made a putt she will never forget as she watched her ball go into the hole and received a cheque for US$25,000.

In addition to Germany, players in this year’s World Am came from 20 other countries, as well as 49 of the U.S. states.

The winner of the final golf playoff — where the leaders in each category after four rounds compete against each other to be the major champion — was William Welch of West Islip, N.Y., shooting a net 69 with a gross score of 85.

His win underscored the goals of this not-for-profit tournament.

“We want to be the most inclusive golf event you will find anywhere,” said Scott Tomesello, tournament director for playgolfmyrtlebeach.com, who organizes this massive undertaking annually. “Here, the everyday golfer can participate and feel like a tour player over 72 holes, just like a PGA Tour event.

“It is golf by morning and party by night in the golf capital of the world,” he said. “What more could you ask for?”

If you go

On this occasion, I stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort. Breakfasts are complimentary for golfers. It is a large, full-facility property and the beach is excellent.

Two other hotels I have stayed at in the past and recommend are Marriott’s Residence Inn and the Island Vista Resort.

It is worth extending your Myrtle Beach stay should you take in the World Am. By the time you return from golf every day and get ready for the convention centre partying, which starts at 6 p.m., there is not much time to explore what truly is an interesting destination.

I am looking to put together a group to go to next year’s World Am, which runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4 next year. If you are interested, send me an email.

pradinukr@shaw.ca