Golf trips to the Myrtle Beach area generally happen in the spring and fall.
Summer is generally for family vacations.
Family Golf Week combines the two vacations into one, and has endured for nearly three decades.
The 28th Family Golf Week event is being held next Thursday through Saturday, July 16-18, on nine Grand Strand courses.
“As much as we know Myrtle Beach is all about golf, and all about families coming to the area to visit the beach, like it’s two different tourists,” tournament director Ryan Hart said. “This is like a combination of both. It’s getting the family to come while also using the game of golf to get them here.”
The tournament has grown from about 418 teams last year to approximately 450 teams this year, accounting for about 900 participants.
Numerous states are represented and teams are coming from as far away as California and Canada.
The base location for the event is moving this year to Sea Trail Golf Resort in Sunset Beach, N.C., which has undergone tens of millions in renovations and additions over the past few years – with more to come – and features a renovated convention center that will be used for post-round events.
The base golf facility has changed in past years to places including Wild Wing Plantation, Legends Golf Resort, and Barefoot Resort.
“Everything has always been at a golf course, outside, under a tent,” Hart said. “I just think the amenities and everything at Sea Trail are going to really be like an icing on the cake for this event. I think it’s going to be awesome moving it up there.”
The nine courses are Sea Trail’s Byrd and Maples courses, Barefoot Resort’s Dye and Love courses, River Hills Golf & Country Club, Myrtlewood Golf Club’s Palmetto Course, Arcadian Shores Golf Club, Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club, and Rivers Edge Golf Club.
The Events
Family Golf Week includes two separate events – The National Father & Son Team Classic and The Family Division tournament.
The Father-Son event features two males with at least a generation separating them. It has been held every year since 1998 with the exception of 2020, when it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“If you go all the way back to when the thing started, the concept was to get families and do it in the summer when kids are out of school and stuff like that,” Hart said. “. . . Now the majority is the grandfather age guy with their son, and they use it as a way to kind of bring the whole family back together.
“This event is just something they mark on their calendar and they’re not going to miss. It’s pretty neat.”
What started more than a decade ago as the Parent-Child tournament has turned into the Family Division that has either a female participant as part of the two-person team, or no generational age gap between related team members.
The tournaments crown both gross and net champions over 27 flights in multiple divisions determined by the age of the oldest team member, with each division champion receiving trophies and Staff golf bags emblazoned with “national champions.”
Family Golf Week is operated by Mike Buccerone and Rob Mosser, who are executives with East Coast Golf Management, which manages Sea Trail.
The Cheney Brothers food distributor will provide food with a smoker Wednesday during registration and a putting contest.
Family Golf Night on Thursday in the indoor ballroom will feature golf simulators and a long drive contest for participants, and all members of each participant’s family are encouraged to attend. Logan’s Roadhouse will be providing food Thursday and at Saturday afternoon’s awards reception.
Friday night will feature a long drive competition and demonstration on the simulators featuring long drive specialists from Xtreme Long Drive.
The tournament names a Father of the Year, and this year it is Bill Johnston of Pennsylvania, who is playing with his son Doug. Bill, 76, played in the first year of the event with his father, and played a round alongside Buccerone and his father.
“It’s kind of cool how they’ve stayed a part of the event, and he now plays with his son, and at some point [Doug] will probably do the same thing,” Hart said. “Most sons learn the game from their father and it’s like a generational passing.”
The Family of the Year includes Jamie and Kasey Harter, a father-daughter duo, who are both from New York.
The event will also celebrate an Ambassador of the Year for the first time, and Lynn Messer of Wisconsin is the inaugural recipient. He is playing with his son John, who lives in North Carolina.
“The coolest thing about it is you get to hear stories and stuff throughout the week where there are just a ton of people that when you get to that age and you live in different states it’s hard to keep up with family, and a lot of these people use it as a way to get back together,” Hart said. “It’s more than just the two participants, it’s the whole family that comes down and everybody kind of feels like they’re a part of it whether they’re playing or not.”
