Calabash Golf Links said to be closing, making way for more development

Tim McDonald,
Contributor

CALABASH, N.C. - Calabash Golf Links is joining an ever-growing list of Grand Strand courses to close, making way for rampant development.

Calabash owner Kemp Causey told the Sun News newspaper of Myrtle Beach that he had struck a deal with a developer to sell the course so it could be developed. Though the deal has not been finalized, Calabash employees told TravelGolf.com that Causey had informed them of the impending sale, which could happen as early as November.

With land becoming more valuable than some golf businesses, some courses are selling out, while others are struggling. The Grand Strand has lost four courses recently and three others are pending, while 12 have filed for bankruptcy.

"They're building so many homes around here you aren't going to be able to move," Calabash golf shop employee Lee Harrison said. "It's kind of interesting - people move here for the golf and the weather, but at some point people are going to say, 'well heck, if they're going to close all those courses that we can afford to play, what's the sense?' You're between a rock and a hard place."

The latest news comes especially hard for locals. Calabash was a favorite for area players, with its relatively cheap green fees of $30-$60 and the player-friendly course was also a favorite with juniors, seniors, women and beginners. In fact, in 2001 the course won year-end awards from Myrtle Beach Golf Magazine for best course for women, seniors, juniors and beginners.

"We get a lot of seniors because a lot of groups in the area identify this course as their home course," golf shop Manager Victor Knott told TravelGolf.com in 2002. "They know what they are going to get and they don't have to worry about penalty strokes for bad shots. It's a good bargain for seniors and Myrtle Beach has four or five major senior organizations that play regularly here."

It's also the first course to close in Brunswick County in North Carolina, at the northern tip of the Strand. A family-owned and operated course, Calabash is just across the state line in the small, fishing village of Calabash, known for its fresh seafood.

In 2000, it was one of only four courses to jump from two stars to four in Golf Digest's "Places to Play" list. Calabash was a leader in some ways: it was one of the first to feature virtual tours of the course on its Web site and also one of the first to offer its pro shop merchandise online.

The course, which opened in 1997, sits on 165 acres with no homes around it at present.

The development trend is pretty much true for most of the U.S., where golf participation has been stagnating since 2000, but it is particularly visible in Myrtle Beach, so dependent on golf. The area's courses once boasted an average of about 50,000 rounds annually; that is now down to about 36,000.

Some courses are finding they must have a residential component to remain afloat, like The Pearl in Sunset Beach, N.C., which has embarked on a five- to 10-year construction project which will completely transform the little seaside town. Many standalone golf courses in Myrtle Beach face uncertain futures.

July 10, 2005

Veteran golf writer Tim McDonald keeps one eye on the PGA Tour and another watching golf vacation hotspots and letting travelers in on the best place to vacation.