Myrtle Beach's Granddaddy - Pines Lakes Country Club Restoration Project Going Smoothly

The greens and bunker restoration project at Pine Lakes Country Club, Myrtle Beach's first golf course, continues to progress, and the "Granddaddy" is on pace to reopen in mid-July.

The Craig Schreiner-led effort is highlighted by the installation of new Sunday bermudagrass greens, a conversion that is significantly enhancing the putting surfaces at Pine Lakes. The greens are also being restored to their original size, expanding the total putting surface area from 103,000 square feet to 124,000 square feet, an increase of 20 percent. Schreiner, ASGCA, ASLA, is also restoring every bunker on the course with an eye on improving drainage, playability and returning Pine Lakes to the more natural look architect Robert White intended.

"The restoration of Pine Lakes is going well," said Steve Mays, president of Founders Group International. "We've enjoyed near-perfect weather and the bunker project has been seamless. The more work we do on the bunkers, the more we like them. We can't wait to welcome golfers back to the Granddaddy."

Nearly every bunker on the course will be smaller with high faces being replaced by grass that rolls more gently into the sand. The changes will reduce the number of times players are faced with near-vertical bunker shots, in addition to improving access into and out of sand and maintenance.

Myrtle Beach traces its origins as a golf destination to the opening of Pine Lakes in 1927, and the course, designed by White, a native of St. Andrews, Scotland and the first president of the PGA of America, continues to hold a special place in the market. Built along natural dunes less than a mile from the Atlantic Ocean, Pine Lakes features elevation changes and a classic design that has long made it one of Myrtle Beach area's most popular courses.