The Veterans Golf Classic has been welcoming former service members and their families to Myrtle Beach for nearly two decades, and this year’s golf tournament promises to be the biggest yet. That’s because in addition to the same three days filled with fun and festivities on and off the greens, this year’s Veterans Golf Classic also has a new date that is sure to enhance the overall experience for active duty and retired military members and their families.
Moving up a couple of weeks from the traditional June date, this year’s May 20-22 Veterans Golf Classic allows participants to also enjoy the City of Myrtle Beach’s Military Appreciation Days. Come for the golf tournament and stay for the month-long festival that honors America’s military service members, including the May 26 Military Appreciations Days Parade and Family Picnic at The Market Common and the May 28 Memorial Day Veterans March and Remembrance Ceremony.
It’s all part of the Grand Strand’s long-standing relationship with the military dates that back to the World War II era. Before Myrtle Beach, South Carolina gained fame for its sand, sun, golf and surf, the Grand Strand was a place where young men and women came to serve. The former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base operated for more than a half-century, helping keep America safe for more than a half-century before its official closing in 1994.
Although the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base no longer houses service members, the community continues its unwavering support for the military by welcoming veterans to play in their own golf tournament. The 19th Annual Veterans Golf Classic allows the Grand Strand to keep saying thank you for your service with a fun-filled event that provides veterans with a chance to play some of the Strand’s finest courses with their brothers and sisters in arms.
The Veterans Golf Classic includes three rounds at a total of nine different courses. The tournament offers doubles play under a variety formats – better ball, combined net team score and scramble – with an overall winning team scoring the best combined total. Partners are paired according handicap in order to level the playing field, which is divided into four military-themed flights – Eisenhower, MacArthur, Nimitz and Franks – to inspire rivalries between branches.
This year’s event will be held at Aberdeen Country Club, Arrowhead Country Club, Burning Ridge Golf Club, Crown Park Golf Club, Long Bay Golf Club, River Club, Sea Trail Plantation Byrd Course, Tradition Club and Wachesaw East Golf Club. Each participant will play on three courses, and there are opportunities for discounted practice rounds and additional play. Participants also receive special rates at local resorts and hotels.
Those who served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard and their family members are eligible to participate, and there’s a lot more than golf in play, including post-round gatherings, cookouts and cocktail parties. The event gives veterans a chance to experience the spirit and camaraderie with those they served alongside during their military days.
Registration for the Veterans Golf Classic is $255, which includes green fees for three rounds of championship golf and a gift bag packed with goodies, like an official VGC-logoed polo shirt, hat and bag tag, as well as a $20 gift card to the PGA Tour Superstore and one dozen Srixon Q-Star golf balls. The tournament also holds a number of drawings, giveaways and awards to sweeten the experience.
For registration information and full details of the tournament, visit www.VeteransGolfClassic.com.