http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tales/Incredible Golf Tales From Golf Holiday.en-usMon, 9 Jun 2008 10:16:25 ESThttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/533/?rss_link=533This is only a test!!Fri, 6 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST>http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/533/http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/521/?rss_link=521Several years ago, my group from New Jersey was playing at the Wedgewood Course at the southern part of the strip. I noticed and pointed out a sign at the beginning of the round that warned to be watchful for alligators and rattlesnacks. The round was uneventful until we reached the 14th fairway. My partner, Bill, had been having difficulty with his driver all day and since we will playing a "team skins match" the drives on this hole were becoming important. This particular hole features a modest landing area bordered by water in front of the tee, to the left center of the fairway. Bill swung his driver and hit a straight shot (which for Bill wasn't good since he regularily he a fade.) The ball flew through the air seemly heading for the water to the left side of the fairway. When the ball landed, there was no bounce or a splash. After the short ride up the cart path, out two carts approached the area where Bill's ball had gone. When my cart got to about 20 yards to where we though Bill's ball had landed, I observed movement, big movement of something starting to move upon our approach. We immediately recognized a large alligator was in front of us. My partner Bill jumped out of the cart with his camera as well as one of my friends, Linus in the other cart with his camera. Linus was the oldest golfer in the group in his mid 60's at the time. The alligator seeing the two golfers jump out of the carts immediately stopped and then turned and entered the lake. I yelled at Bill to be careful since I had heard the alligators may look slow but were in fact animals that could move quickly. When Bill came back to the cart, I repeated what I had said about the quickness of an alligator. Bill turned to me and said, "All I have to do is run faster than Linus!" Bill's ball was found sitting on the bank of the lake where the alligator had been first observed. Needless to say, we all stepped very carefully through the roughs the remainder of the round.Fri, 21 Jul 2006 20:42:18 EST>http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/521/http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/516/?rss_link=516As a child I spent a great deal of time visiting Myrtle Beach on family vacations. We always had the best time, but it had been years since I had returned. It seemed like the perfect destination to take my wife for our first wedding anniversary. As an avid golfer, I also wanted to try to pursuade my wife to take up the game. Two birds with one stone was my objective. We made the trip and had the best vacation we have ever had, before and since. It was magical. There was so much to do, we never did get to play any of the world class courses in the area, but we did hit almost every other attraction on the Grand Strand. On the day of our anniversary we played EVERY mini-golf course on the strip, and we swam in the ocean, we shopped and we visited the Aquarium. It was a great, GREAT day. The food, the people, even the weather was second to none. For our anniversary dinner we went to The Greg Norman Austrailian Grille. It is worth noting that I am a huge Greg Norman fan, and I was anxious to smaple the fine dinning this amazing spot has to offer. It was perfect. The meal, the atmosphere, the service. It was on par with our acctual wedding day. We did not think that it could possibly get any better. But it did. After dinner we strolled the boardwalk and overheard a local merchant say that Greg Norman himself, would be dinning at his restaurant the very next day. Not ones to pass over a chance of a lifetime, we put our departure plans on hold for the next day. We arrived at the Grille at noon the following day, and spoke to the staff to confirm that Greg would infact be at the Grille as we had overheard. They confirmed that he was enroute, and that it might be possible to meet with when he arrived. Not only did we meet Greg Norman, but we enjoyed a bite to eat, and had a great conversation with my golfing idol. What a thrill. Our Myrtle Beach experience was a trip of a life time, and we still talk about it all the time. Never in my wildest dreams could we have imagined that our first anniversary trip could have been so flawless. We will never forget Myrtle Beach, and we'll be back for sure. Who knows, maybe we'll go back for our next anniversary.Thu, 8 Jun 2006 12:40:39 EST>http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/516/http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/514/?rss_link=514we have gone to MB every year for the past 20 years with about 16 to 24 people this one year we are up early on our way to the course and we have to stop so a few of the better golfers could buy used golf balls. as we get out of the van one guy slams the door on another's finger and splits it open and it is bleeding, now we know MB but not where the hospital is we did see a animal hospital so we took the guy in told the vet we were late for a tee time he cleaned the wound put in a couple of stiches bandaged it up gave him some asprin and told him to see a doctor if it started hurting him later. everything was fine except everyplace we went he got looks because he had a huge bandage on he bird finger and would set there and give everbody the finger all night.i will give him credit he did play every round not to good but he played.Thu, 8 Jun 2006 12:25:30 EST>http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/514/http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/517/?rss_link=517Our group has been traveling to Myrtle Beach to play golf for about 10 years now. Some of the faces have changed over the years but the majority of us have remained intact. One of our one year wonders was a friend of one of our regulars who filled in for someone at the last minute. His name was Frank. Frank drove down to our meeting place, met the rest of the guys and stepped into the van for the glorious drive to Myrtle. We were about 3 hours into our 12 hour drive when Frank felt comfortable enough with us to open up. We had just stopped for dinner at a Chinese buffet in Virginia and as we all reloaded into the van, Frank broke some news (along with some wind) to us: "I should have told you guys that Chinese food gives me gas!" Well as you can imagine the next 9 hours in the van proved to be more challenging to us than True Blue from the tips and it earned him the moniker of "Flatulent Frank." As the rest of our 6 day golf crusade unfolded we learned that Frank got gas from from all forms of food except for fruits and vegetables which he refused to eat because he didn't like them. On the last day of our trip we always pack up the van and head north for an early morning round before driving back to New Jersey. This chilly morning in February we were heading to the Pearl. We had just finished the Golfers Special at the Plantation Pancake House and set out for the course. We were unsure of the exact location of the course so I took out my treasured Myrtle Beach golf map that I had counted on for years. My copilot, Charlie, in the front seat was plotting the route as we turned onto highway 179 when all of a sudden and without warning we were overcome with the toxic fumes of "Flatulent Frank." Charlie took the role of the emergency response team and opened all the windows to the van. As the windows opened my map immediately flew out the window. As I watched my trusty guide through the rearview mirror disappear, I looked back up at the road ahead. The car in front of me had stopped and I had to jam on my brakes to barely avoid a collision. Keep in mind that all of our luggage was stored in the back of the van because we were headed home after the round. Well now we had bags, shoes, golf balls and Myrtle Beach souvenirs flying into the front seats and pelting us! As I brought the van to a safe stop at the side of the road we all took a moment of silence to compose ourselves and to thank God that we were safe. It was also the time that Frank was voted off of the island for good! We survived that trip and many more since. I can not help to think how I would have explained that accident to the police: "Well officer you see Frank farted, Charlie opened the windows, the map flew out and............." Needless to say Frank was never welcomed back with us and Lt. Dan who had invited him was given a 1 year suspension. We have shared many laughs and much fellowship on our golf trips to Myrtle Beach. I have many other stories but this one just "reeks" of humor and "Flatulent Frank."Thu, 8 Jun 2006 12:42:49 EST>http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/517/http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/523/?rss_link=523My last trip to Myrtle Beach was 3 years ago…..Heritage, Pawleys, Tradition, Caledonia and True Blue. It was my first time at the southern part of MB and I thoroughly enjoyed the courses, however, my play was a different story. I was about an 8 handicap at that time and proceeded to have 5 of the worst rounds of the year……never broke 95. Yes, I know those courses are hard, but my swing, my game, and my sanity was gone within the 4 day trip. To make along story short, after my approach on #9 (played back nine first) I casually took my golf bag off the cart and dumped the entire thing in the swamp under the bridge. It was my best swing of the trip!!! My only regret was losing my putter. Otherwise, it made for a lot of laughs at my stupidity and childish antics. And I did learn a lesson. I have not thrown a club since that day and take the game for what it is. Anyway……either the gators or TB personnel have a nice set of clubs.Tue, 3 Oct 2006 13:12:54 EST>http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/523/http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/515/?rss_link=515I was playing one of the best rounds of my life at Long Bay and well on my way to breaking 90, quite a thrill for a 26 handicapper. My wife and I hit our drives on 15 and begin heading down the fairway when in the distance we see dark clouds building fast and the wind beginning to freshen. My wife suggests we leave to find shelter before the storm hits us but I say, "Relax, we have plenty of time to finish this hole before the storm hits." I had no sooner hit my second shot into the air than an incredible wind suddenly roars up the fairway, lifts my ball straight up and blows it back toward us. We would have stayed longer to marvel at such an unusual sight except that along with the howling wind came a torrential downpour. We run to the cart and begin unfastening our bags to put them inside the cart in a feeble attempt to keep them dry. I remove my bag, pitch it through the back of the cart over the seat and turn to help my wife with her bag. Suddenly to our amazement the cart takes off at full speed with NO ONE IN THE CART! We shout over the din of the storm, “How in the world?” and begin to chase the cart as it bounds across the fairway toward a big, ugly swamp. Just as I reach the driver's side of cart and dive in to pull my bag off the accelerator (can you believe it?), the cart hits a drainage ditch with such great force that I get thrown up and down and land hard on the armrest with my chest. A split second later, the cart hits an embankment located just above the edge of the swamp and stops abruptly as it becomes high-centered. That abrupt stop throws me sideways into the cart's "dashboard" and then flips me over the embankment and down into a muddy swamp. By this time, several other golfers have noticed us chasing our driverless cart and come over to investigate. They all say how fortunate that the cart did not go flying into the swamp, and how unfortunate that I did. With everyone's help, we get the cart off the embankment and proceed to the nearest shelter to get out of the raging storm. You should have seen the looks on the people's faces around the shelter when they spot me, covered from head to toe with black mud and sand. In due time, the storm passes, I finish my tale of adventure and most of the people decide to call it a day. Now, remember earlier in this story when I said I was having the round of my life. Well, darn if I was giving up just because I was wet, battered, bruised and covered with mud. My wife and I finish the round and I shoot an 84, even though my ribs hurt so bad I can hardly breathe let alone swing a club (my drives went barely 100 yards). We head back to our hotel, clean up, have dinner, and then go to a hospital emergency room. There we learn that I suffered a broken rib and multiple contusions to my chest. Doctor’s orders are to take it easy – no golf for a while. So, to this day, the fondest memory I have of Myrtle Beach is the first 90, rather than the first rib, I ever broke.Thu, 8 Jun 2006 12:35:41 EST>http://www.golfholiday.com/about/tale/515/