Myrtle Beach has been voted the ‘Best Golf Destination’ globally as the recipient of the 10Best travel award contest sponsored by USA TODAY, the United States’ most widely distributed newspaper, living up to its billing as the ‘Golf Capital of the World.’
The award winner was determined during a month-long, online vote by 10Best, a premium on-line travel guide, and USA TODAY readers from a group of global destinations that have golf as a centerpiece. Other nominees that finished in the top five, in order, included Kiawah Island, S.C.; Pinehurst, N.C.; Sea Island, Ga.; and Naples, Fla.Scotland was the top international golf destination, ranked ninth, and the only non-U.S. site that was voted into the top 10.
“Golf’s most important ratings panel is comprised of the people who spend their hard-earned money to take a golf trip, which is why this honour is so meaningful to us as a destination,” said Bill Golden, President of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, the golf marketing cooperative representing more than 100 golf courses, hotels and golf travel companies.
“As home to more than 50 4-star courses and 13 layouts that have been ranked among America’s top 100 public courses, Myrtle Beach has always strived to provide golf’s best and most inclusive experience, and the 10Best vote was affirmation of those efforts.”
With non-stop air service from more than 25 United States cities, Myrtle Beach is golf’s most accessible and inviting destination. The ‘Grand Strand’ has four courses currently rated in the top 100 public courses (Dunes Club, Caledonia, TPC Myrtle Beach, Barefoot Resort’s Love Course) by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine among its 13 ranked all time and has 51 courses with at least a 4-star rating by Golf Digest. Course architects include the titans of the game such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, Pete Dye, Greg Norman and John Daly.
Located over a 60-mile radius in the north-eastern coastal region of South Carolina, Myrtle Beach complements its golf offerings from Pawleys Island, S.C., to North Carolina’s BrunswickCounty with a diverse range of premier accommodations, restaurants, entertainment and shopping options, as well as some of the most picturesque beaches on the East Coast of the United States. Additionally, outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, water exploration and sightseeing opportunities at gardens and state parks add to a well-rounded trip. The area draws 15.2 million visitors and 3.5 million rounds of golf annually.
In 2013, the National Golf Foundation surveyed core golfers and found that Myrtle Beach was by far the game’s most popular destination in America and Canada.More than 17 percent of core golfers played in Myrtle Beach during a two-year span, outdistancing Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz., at 12 percent, and then other spots in Florida.
Myrtle Beach golf has received promotion in USA TODAY’s print version and on usatoday.com’s travel home front as a result of its 10Best honour.
Myrtle Beach Golf Holidayhttp://www.golfholiday.com