The PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com World Amateur Handicap Championship, the largest golf tournament in the world held in one general location, will host approximately 3,000 participants in its 41st year.
The event being played Monday through Friday is down about 200 players from each of the past couple years.
The arrival on the Grand Strand of Hurricane Idalia forced the cancellation of the tournament’s fourth round last year, and first-year tournament director Ryan Hart surmises that may have kept some of last year’s participants from returning.
“We’re down a little bit this year, and if you’re asking me what the main reason would be I would definitely say it’s got to be the storm,” Hart said. “When you have a storm come through like that and you have to cancel a round . . . it’s impossible to give back something like that. It was a little bit of a knock on people’s experience last year.”
The forecast is a lot more promising this year, as there were no tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea as of Friday with no formations expected over the next week.
Truly a world event
There are players from 49 states – only North Dakota is not represented – and 17 foreign countries, with sizable contingents from Canada, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Great Britain.
“It’s neat how many different people from all over the world come to it,” said Hart, who has replaced Scott Tomasello as World Am operator Golf Tourism Solutions’ director of its 13 tournaments. Tomasello remains a consultant for the event.
“We alternate through people coming from different countries, and it seems like every year when we’re talking about stats it’s either 50 or it’s 49 states and we’re missing one like this year,” Hart said. “It’s nuts how many people come from so many different places.”
Players range in age from the minimum of 17 to 91, and approximately 25 percent of the registrants will be first-time participants, Hart said.
“There’s always a great rollover of new people that are coming to see the Myrtle Beach area,” Hart said. “There are a lot of people who were out of town people at one time . . . then they just move and buy homes here and now they’re local.”
There are 12 divisions with 60 competitive flights that will be playing on 54 Strand courses, with 31 courses being used daily.
While most of the flights are for a net competition that factors handicaps into flighting and scoring, there are also gross flights and a non-competitive “Just For Fun” division that has attracted about 150 players and has randomly-drawn prizes.
There is a gross division for women, and gross divisions for men under 50, senior men 51-60, and mid-senior men 60-plus.
More than 300 women are among the entrants in divisions of 59 and under, and 60-plus.
The tournament has changed from shotgun starts in 2023 to tee times at golf courses from 7:30-9:30 a.m., though a few layouts have shotgun starts due to course design.
“By doing tee times it kind of gives people more of the normal golf experience,” Hart said. “At the same time it allows our golf courses to service people to the level they want to be able to service people. When 100 people just show up on property at 8:15 to 8:30, it’s hard for us to showcase what’s great about our golf courses, so the tee times allow us to do that.”
Party at the convention center
The “World’s Largest 19th Hole” gala and expo will be held from 6-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
It will feature 55 exhibitors showcasing their products, which Hart said is up a bit from last year, two golf simulators, and PGA Tour Superstore’s Demo Alley, which allows players to test new equipment from multiple manufacturers,
The 19th Hole includes food and drinks, and a total of 20 local restaurants along with the convention center will be serving food over the four nights.
Bands scheduled to perform one night each in the ballroom are Band of Oz, The Breakfast Club, Julio and the Saltines, and East Coast Party Band.
Personalities with emcee and interview roles at the 19th Hole include former PGA Tour member and Golf Channel analyst Charlie Rymer, Golf Talk Canada host Mark Zechinno of TSN and SiriusXM, and SEC Network reporter Alyssa Lang.
John Maginnes and Brian Katrek will be broadcasting their Katrek & Maginnes on Tap radio show on SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio from the event 4-6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday,
“It gives us a bunch of different people and a bunch of different personalities there,” Hart said.
Contests include chipping and a 60-foot putt with significant prizes including $25,000 for anyone who holes out in the final round.
