A successful golf course operator and builder of the thriving professional golf management program at Coastal Carolina University, and an area golf cart business mogul are the 2024 inductees into the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame.
Charlie Thrash and Phillip Graham were inducted during a ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Pine Lakes Country Club.
They brought membership in the hall to 36 when their plaques were added to the Hall of Fame Garden behind the Pine Lakes clubhouse.
Charles M. Thrash
Charlie Thrash lived a full life even before he became part of the Myrtle Beach golf community.
The Beaumont, Texas, native earned a bachelor’s degree from Lamar University in 1967 and a master’s degree from Texas Tech University in 1969.
He retired as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force in 1995 after 26 years of service, which included being stationed in Myrtle Beach on three occasions beginning in 1978, and is a decorated combat pilot who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Legion of Merit.
In 1996, fellow golf hall members General James Hackler Jr., J. Bryan Floyd and Bay Tree Golf Club’s other owners hired him as general manager of the the 54-hole facility in Little River.
During his tenure, Bay Tree was the host of several significant tournaments, including professional, collegiate, high school, and international junior events.
Bay Tree was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Myrtle Beach Area Golf Course Owners Association’s Golf Course of the Year.
The head pro Thrash hired at Bay Tree who remained until the facility closed in 2006 was Tracy Conner, who became executive director of the Myrtle Beach course owners association and is currently the interim president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
Thrash’s second career in the golf industry began in 2002 when he was named the director of CCU’s fledgling PGA Golf Management Program, which was created in 1999. He spent 10 years in the position.
The program is one of 18 accredited by the PGA of America and excelled under his guidance, becoming the largest in the nation.
Thrash said he was given two key directives by the school’s administration – grow the program and find a way to acquire the golf course that was adjacent to the school, which was then called Quail Creek Golf Club.
Thrash played a significant role in Coastal acquiring what is now the General James Hackler Course, which became instrumental in supporting the PGA program, neighbor Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s turf management program, and CCU’s golf teams and student recreational activities.
“Some creative financing, I think a couple calls to the governor’s office at midnight to get the final vote done, and Coastal was able to take over and eventually we owned the golf course,” Thrash said.
PGA Golf Management students at CCU combine academic studies and professional experiences at the Hackler course and other golf facilities arranged by the PGM staff and faculty.
The clubhouse was recently rebuilt and renamed the Colonel Charles Thrash Learning Center, with a second floor dedicated to academics with offices, classrooms, technology and equipment for simulation teaching for the swing and putting.
During his induction, Thrash credited the willingness to cooperate by those in the market, which was established by many of the industry leaders who are in the hall of fame, for the market’s success.
“I think the underlying secret to the success of Myrtle Beach is those cooperations, people dedicated to their jobs and their community, and those relationships you just can’t replace,” Thrash said.
In 2013, Thrash was recognized as the Father of the Year by organizers of the National Father & Son Team Classic.
His charitable endeavors included volunteering for the American Red Cross, for which he created an annual charity golf tournament.
Thrash now resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where much of his family also resides, after about three decades on the Grand Strand.
“This was certainly an unexpected honor and one I’ll cherish,” Thrash said.
Phillip R. Graham
Graham began his career in the golf cart business in 1968, when the Grand Strand had less than 10 golf courses.
He worked in the industry for more than 50 years until he died in 2019 due to lung cancer, and saw the area add another 110 courses over that time.
He was a major supplier of carts to many of those courses over five decades.
He worked for E-Z-GO as a branch manager for more than 30 years before purchasing the business and becoming the regional distributor for E-Z-GO in 2003.
Graham E-Z-GO became the company’s largest U.S. distributor as the market flourished and Graham built strong relationships, often doing business the old fashioned way, with a handshake and promise.
He became know to virtually be on-call for golf courses when cart emergencies arose, and his family continues his legacy in the business.
“Even in his final days his focus remained looking after his family and ensuring that his customers were taken care of,” said Matt Daly, Graham’s hall presenter Wednesday and director of operations for Founders Group International, which owns and operates 21 Strand courses.
“Let’s celebrate the values he instilled in all of us – hard work, integrity and the commitment to community. Graham E-Z-Go continues as a family-owned business dedicated to upholding these principles, striving to deliver excellent customer service and quality products in his honor.”
Graham E-Z-GO received numerous company awards during his tenure including Branch of the Year and Distributor of Year.
Personally, Graham served for many years as a deacon at Pine Grove Baptist Church in Conway. He was philanthropic, and dedicated to assisting the less fortunate and growing the church family.
Hall history
The Hall of Fame was created in 2008 and its existing 34 members include charter inductees Clay Brittain Jr., Cecil Brandon, Carolyn Cassidy Cudone, Jimmy D’Angelo, Hackler and Robert White.
The other members are George ‘Buster’ Bryan, Charlie Byers, Paul Himmelsbach, Jack Himmelsbach, Gary Schaal, J. Egerton Burroughs, Floyd, Edward Jerdon, Casper Leon Benton, George Hilliard, Critt Gore, Russell ‘Doc’ Burgess, Sandy Miles, Phillip Goings, Edward Burroughs, Kelly Tilghman, Vernon Brake, Bob LeComte, Ed Bullock, Larry Leagans, Dustin Johnson, the four members of Hootie & the Blowfish collectively, Mickey McCamish, Larry Young, Doc Lachicotte, Gene Weldon, Matthew Brittain and Jim Woodring.
