It was 1970 and Ron Bingeman, Larry Spangler, Everett Cassel and Bob Hayes had just concluded their first Myrtle Beach golf trip. The group stayed at the Caravelle, played the Dunes Club, Pine Lakes and Litchfield Country Club, but when the trip ended, disappointment was the prevailing emotion.
“We came for four days the first time, and when we went home, we were sick,” Bingeman said. “We said we were never going to (come for only four days) again. We were going to have to get (our stay) up to a week.”
That first trip launched a four-decade love affair with Myrtle Beach golf. Bingeman and his buddies made good on their word, staying for a week in 1971, and have come back every year since, recently enjoying their 40th consecutive trip to the area.
When the group began their annual pilgrimage, Richard Nixon was president, the average NFL player salary was $23,000, and there were barely enough Myrtle Beach golf courses to fill their itinerary. Much has obviously changed, but same experience they enjoyed in 1970 is what brings them back today.
“It’s is absolutely the highlight of the year,” Spangler said. “It’s like being back in college with the boys. It’s a real highlight. Good food, good golf and we get along really well.”
The trip has grown to nine days, but nature and fate have at various times attempted to keep them from coming. The closest the group came to missing the trip was 1989 when Hurricane Hugo slammed the South Carolina coast just days before their arrival.
The hotel they were slated to stay in had its first floor washed out and the area suffered extensive damage, but the suburban Philadelphia residents weren’t deterred. They called every hotel on the beach looking for a place to stay, eventually finding a condo at Oyster Bay in Brunswick County, N.C. The North Strand was spared the worst of the storm and the group forged on.
“There were enough courses open and they had dragged off the trees,” Spangler said. “We just owned the beach. It was so strange to see almost nobody down here. “
In the mid-1970s it was Cassel’s Volkswagen Van that attempted to throw a monkey wrench into their plans, but a mechanical problem stood no chance against the aspiring MacGyvers. The van’s accelerator cable snapped at night on I-95, leaving the foursome scrambling for transportation.
While Cassel was inspecting the situation, Bingeman found a blown out truck tire on the side of the road and wondered if the steel in the tire could be used to replace the cable. Cassel removed a knife from his toolbox, cut out the steel belting, spliced it together and ran it to the engine in the back. The van didn’t exceed 50 miles per hour the rest of the trip but it survived the journey (as a matter of fact, the rigged cable stayed on the van until December of that year).
“Instead of losing days, we lost about 30 minutes,” Bingeman said.
Other than those two incidents, the group hasn’t faced any substantial threats. They’ve always traveled between mid-September and October, and never had to worry about getting any grief from their spouses.
When Christmas time comes, all they request is a trip to Myrtle Beach.
Just as amazing as the length of time the group has been coming to Myrtle Beach is their continuity. Spangler, Cassel and Bingeman have made the jaunt every year. Hayes, who has since passed away, dropped out after the 1989 trip, but finding a replacement wasn’t difficult.
Bingeman worked with Craig Aiken and the two often played and talked about golf. When Hayes dropped out, Aiken seamlessly filled the void.
“He was always telling me about Myrtle Beach,” Aiken said. “Then one of the guys couldn’t go anymore and Ron suggested I might want to give it a try. Here I am 20 years later.”
On Aiken’s first trip, he was surprised to learn the group stopped somewhere between Philadelphia and Myrtle Beach to play 18 before finishing the journey, but approximately 10 years ago, they began flying. The group now takes a Spirit Air flight out of Atlantic City, allowing them to play the extra round on the Grand Strand.
After 40 years, they have played practically every course – they have the logoed golf balls to prove it – and have made friends along the Grand Strand, starting with Thistle head pro Gene Weldon. As they look forward to their fifth decade of Myrtle Beach golf, they have the knowledge of locals.
Each year they pick a different region of the Strand and concentrate on courses in that particular area. There is no bickering about course selection, restaurants or anything else, despite the fact they spend as much time lobbing verbal grenades as they do hitting the ball.
The Myrtle Beach golf community has changed considerably since 1970, but group’s passion for the game and the Grand Strand have been constants.
“As the new (courses were) developed, we tried to keep up with each one,” Bingeman said. “They just kept outdoing each other, getting better and better.”
Not coincidentally, the arc of their trip has traced that of Myrtle Beach as a golf destination, and they anticipate year number 41 being the best yet.
Just wanted to chime in and say my Mrytle experience started also in 1970 as a family destination. I was a fairly new golfer but a father of five that required life guarding and other parenting skills. I golfed very early in the morning and then became the shopper, a part time chef, minature golf expert, and chairman of five kids in the Alantic. What a great place for my family to have visited!! Since then I have been back many times, not 41 though, with club friends and my youngest sons group. Now that is fun trying to not only hit it as far as them but beat them once in a while in the betting pools,but also to keep up with them after hours. I am very close to 75 and would be ready in a heart beat to make the next trip to my beloved Mrytle.I wish for the group in the article to continue on into the 5th and 6th decade. God Bless!!
That's a great story on a group of guys playing together for 40ish years.. they are to be commended on this great achievement. I find it interesting they are coming down for 9 days now... after 3 days I am bushed.. maybe they play a day and two and rest a day..
Here to 40 more and congrats.
I'm from Montréal (QC,Canada), in 2004 with 3 friends at work was all ours first trip in Myrtle Beach for 5 days of golf.
When I came back, i was so amaze by this place and the courses. In 2005 two friends change work and city, the other friend made a eightsome every years again only for 5 days of golf, that's not enough for me so since then I go there each year by myself (car) for 10 days of golf in april, and every time I can't believe how beautifull it is (city, golf courses, peoples. Sometime i wish to live there the rest of the year I dream about it almost all night, when march is coming I am so exciting and said to myself one more month. The best golf course of my town would be the last best in Myrtle Beach. To return of the 40 years trip story, that it so interesting to read, I hope that I will do the same (34 times to go for 40 like you guys). God bless! I wish you all health, luck and more golf. Thanks for your story and reading mine.
What a great story! Just to keep friends 40 years is an acomplishment. We probably won't make 40, but we're going to keep on. 8 to 12 of us from Lebanon, Tenn make the trip in May. We spend the week between the 2 motorcycle rallies. It's interesting watching the first group leave and the other come in. Golf in Myrtle Beach is the greatest and we play different courses everyday. The food is top notch and everyone is so friendly making us all feel at home. Thanks MB for helping us have a great time.
In response to some comments below:
We play nine straight days and play 36 holes an average of 4 to 5 times each year.
In 40 years, we have only lost one day to weather ( year #35 ) and we don't own rain suits. We did lose nine holes to weather on three occasions but only one full day.
We like to say Myrtle is good as the best, better than the rest........and just a little bit habit-forming. (borrowed from Joe's BBQ in Shallotte)
We also look at golf as a game of rhythm and blues-if you don't swing with the right rhythm, you'll go home with the blues. (unborrowed)
Our two favorite years? Year #1 and next year.
-- GO PHILLIES --
God Bless has been mentioned in a few comments below ---- HE has.
Chris:
We love what you did with our story.
Many thanks to you
Many thanks to Golf Holiday
Many thanks to Gene Weldon
You are all "Kings" in our book
>>>> GO PHILLIES
Binger
Hey you guys rock!!! Only a brother of the links can relate to you guys and just what it means to play Myrtle! We played this year a month ago and played a memorial tourney for one of our friends who played his last round at Thistle just a year ago. This year when we crossed the bridge to the island of the "Gambler" we said a few words and threw his windbreaker off the bridge into the water! This is what Myrtle is all about! Thanks for sharing forty years of memories with all the other hackers that head to Myrtle!
our trip began in 1995 i had to miss 2008 due to lack of funds but i barely had enough money to make 2007 and the reason there was a spot was because my friend Joey was killed on his motorcycle by an illegal immigrant about 2 minutes from his house
and he had just paid for this golf trip i truly hope God loves him as we all do
My first trip was in 1968, also staying at the Caravelle hotel. Ther was only about 6 or 7 courses at that time and no bars. If you wanted a drink...you had to have a "brown bag". What a difference now, with the great courses, gentlemens clubs and great restaurants. I have played golf all over the USA and Myrtle Beach has everything a man wants and needs. I have went with several groups, this last being for the last 21 years and have had just about every experience you could have on a golf trip.
40 years! God Bless! . Keep it up. I have been enjoying MB golf trips since 1997. Lots of changes in MB over the years. Golf course, well there are great ones and than there are a few not so great. Food is good, it is what you make it. My MB trip is therapy. As a CPA, April 15th is the breakout day. After three days of MB golf, sun and zero responsibilities I stop dreaming about income taxes. Never had a bad time in MB. People are helpful and smiling. I agree that a golf trip to MB should be a minimum of 9 days!