Late spring and summer in Myrtle Beach means it’s time to aerate greens on area golf courses.
So layouts will close for up to a week in order to promote healthy conditions, particularly on greens.
Aerating is the process of punching holes in the turf.
The aeration process helps relieve compaction caused by heavy traffic on grass, controls the buildup of thatch (old plant material that accumulates at the soil surface), and promotes the health of grass roots by allowing air, water and nutrients to more easily reach them.
Top-dressing with sand in the aftermath of an aeration fills the holes to help the green surface remain relatively flat and smooth as the turf repairs.
In order to find courses that are in the best condition this summer, here is the aeration closure schedule for the Grand Strand for the remainder of 2024:
2024 Aeration Schedule (dates are subject to change)
Aberdeen Country Club – July 16-22
Arcadian Shores Golf Club – May 28-31
Arrowhead Country Club – closes each of its three nines for 3-4 weeks in May, June and July
Barefoot Resort Dye Club – June 17-21
Barefoot Resort Fazio Course – June 3-7
Barefoot Resort Love Course – July 22-26
Barefoot Resort Norman Course – July 1-8
Beachwood Golf Club – May 20-24
Blackmoor Golf Club – June 5-7
Brick Landing – late May/early June
Brunswick Plantation – June 6-7 and Aug. 14-15
Burning Ridge Golf Club – July 23-29
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – June 17-21 and Aug. 12-14
Carolina National Golf Club – May 28-31
Colonial Charters Golf Club – May 24-30
Crow Creek Golf Club – June 5 and late August
Crown Park Golf Club – May 26-27
Diamondback Golf Club – July 9-10 and Aug. 6
Dunes Golf & Beach Club – June 10-16
Eagle Nest Golf Club – July 31
Founders Club at Pawleys Island – June 6-10
Glen Dornoch Waterway Golf Links – June 17-18
Grande Dunes Resort Course – Aug. 6-12
Hackler Course at Coastal Carolina – June 24-25
International Club of Myrtle Beach – June 13-14
Legends Resort Heathland – Just 24-26
Legends Resort Moorland – July 8-10
Legends Parkland – July 22-24
Heritage Club – July 1-3
Leopard’s Chase at Ocean Ridge Plantation – June 24-28
Lion’s Paw at Ocean Ridge Plantation – June 27-30
Litchfield Country Club – Aug 6-12
Lockwood Folly – late May-early June
Long Bay Club – July 30-Aug. 5
Man O’War Golf Course – May 20-21, Sept. 3-4, Dec. 18-25
Meadowlands Golf Club – June 28 – July 3
Myrtle Beach National King’s North – closed until Oct. for renovation
Myrtle Beach National SouthCreek – June 18-24
Myrtle Beach National West – July 23-30
Myrtlewood Palmetto – July 30-Aug. 5
Myrtlewood PineHills – June 25-July 3
Oyster Bay Golf Links – June 24-26
Panther’s Run at Ocean Ridge Plantation – June 3-7
Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club – July 23-29
Pearl Golf Links East Course – June 17-21 and early Aug.
Pearl Golf Links North Course – June 10-14 and early Aug.
Pearl Golf Links West Course – June 24-28 and early Aug.
Pine Lakes Country Club – July 16-22
Prestwick Country Club – July 14-18 and July 8
River Club – July 16-22
River Hills Golf & Country Club – Aug. 6-12
River Oaks Golf Club – July 8-10
Rivers Edge Golf Club – June 10-14
Sandpiper Bay Golf & Country Club – June 10-12 and July 29-31
Sea Trail Byrd Course – closed until Sept. for renovations
Sea Trail Jones Course – May 28-31
Sea Trail Maples Course – aerated in Feb.-March
Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club – June 24-25
Thistle Golf Club – 18 holes sometime in June
Tidewater Golf Club – Aug. 5-11
Tiger’s Eye at Ocean Ridge – June 10-14
TPC Myrtle Beach – June 25-July 1
Tradition Club – July 9-16
True Blue Golf Club – June 10-14 and Aug. 5-7
Wachesaw Plantation East – June 4-6
Wellman Club – June 3-4
Wedgefield Country Club – June 10-11
Wild Wing Avocet – July 9-15
Willbrook Plantation – July 30-Aug. 6
The Wizard – May 28-29, Sept. 9-10, Dec. 11-17
World Tour Golf Links – July 9-15
HGTC introducing GAP program
The area superintendents who are responsible for aeration in the future just might be coming from Horry-Georgetown Technical College.
HGTC has recently entered into a partnership with the United States Golf Association to establish the Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program (GAP) in the Myrtle Beach area.
The initiative aims to provide a sustainable flow of skilled professionals in golf course maintenance, and many from HGTC will remain on the Grand Strand after graduation.
The GAP has been successfully piloted at Sandhills Community College in the Pinehurst, N.C., area over the past couple years. It provides a hybrid education with schooling and hands-on training in course maintenance.
A commitment of $1 million over five years from the USGA and donors will allow HGTC to offer tuition-free learning for a year and paid on-the-job training positions at partner golf courses.
