The Dunes Golf and Beach Club

The Dunes Golf & Beach Club Named One Of America's Top 100 Public Courses

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- The Dunes Golf & Beach Club has been ranked number 46 in Golf Digest's 2009-2010 "America's Top 100 Great Public Courses" listing, published in the April issue. The prestigious "Top 100 You Can Play" list is published biennially and ranks America's best public access and resort courses. Although a semi-private club, The Dunes Club qualifies for this list of the country's top public and resort golf courses by allowing limited package play through member hotels and package providers.

Established in 1966, the 2009-2010 Golf Digest ranking is the 24th edition of the ultimate honor paid to American golf course architecture. The rankings are based on extensive play and scrutiny of thousands of courses every two years by a panel of over 900 low handicap golfers. The courses were judged on various criteria: shot values, resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning and ambience. After the panelists submitted their evaluations, Golf Digest averages the scores of the categories and totals the averages to determine the overall rankings. A course must be two years old to be considered for "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses."

"It's an honor for The Dunes Club to be recognized as one of 'America's Top 100' courses," said Dennis Nicholl, Dunes Club head golf professional. "This Robert Trent Jones' design continues to stand the test of time as one of the best courses in the United States and I congratulate our staff for their hard work to make sure that our members and guests have a first-class experience each time."

The Dunes Club golf course was built in 1947 and is recognized as one of Robert Trent Jones' finest designs. Since its inception, it has proved to be a world-class course, offering the best in golf and member services. A consensus "Top 100" course, the Dunes Club has strived to continually improve the course. In December of 2003, the course reopened after the completion of a greens restoration project led by Rees Jones, the son of Dunes Club architect Robert Trent Jones. The project included the installation A-1 bent grass and changes to the first, eighth, 13th, 16th and 18th greens that allowed them to remain consistent with the design's original intent and to handle the increased speed of the new grass. The restoration of the greens came on the heels of a $6 million dollar project, completed in 2001 that improved on-course drainage, the practice facilities and tennis center, in addition to enhancing the clubhouse.

Hole 13, better known as "Waterloo" is Dunes Club's signature hole and has been honored by GOLF Magazine and Sports Illustrated as one of the greatest golf holes in the world. The par 5 challenge runs 590 yards from the back tees and golfers must circumvent Singleton Lake that runs down the entire right side of the fairway.

This summer, The Dunes Golf & Beach Club will host the 97th Carolinas Amateur and qualifying for the Southern Amateur. The club has also been home to the Senior Tour Championship, USGA Women's Open Championship, PGA TOUR Qualifying School, and the Golf Writer's Association of America (GWAA) Tournaments, among many other high-profile golf events.

For more information about The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, call (843) 449-5236.