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The Myrtle Beach area is home to more than 1,500 restaurants, including nearly every chain that has a presence in the south, but what your group should pay attention to are the countless locally owned eateries. Hiding in stand-alone buildings and strip malls throughout the Grand Strand are largely anonymous restaurants waiting to be discovered by visitors in search of an outstanding meal. Ciao!, an Italian restaurant located near 52nd Avenue N. on Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, is one of those places. You could drive by without noticing as there are no flashing signs to lure hungry golfers, but Ciao! is worth taking the time to find. The atmosphere, like nearly every restaurant along the beach, is casual but classy, and the food is homemade. All of Ciao’s sauces are made fresh daily and [...]

You’ve been on the course the entire day and your group is getting thirsty and hungry. Everyone wants something different though. Some wanted seafood, the others wanted a burger. No worries, Sam Snead’s has everything you and your group could want after a long day on the golf course! From the delicious shrimp scampi to the juicy filet migon, from an ice-cold beer to a Sam’s Top Shelf Margarita. Sam Snead’s will take care of you and your friends, no matter what the demand. Sam Snead’s offers a lunch, dinner, dessert, happy hour, drinks, and even a kid’s menu. No matter the time, Sam Snead’s has something for everyone. Sam Snead’s also features a PAR3 menu daily from 4-6 p.m. They also offer a wide variety of drinks on their happy hour menu, which runs [...]

From the mountains of West Virginia ... to the New Orleans swamps ... to the Carolina coast, Pam Richardson is the hillbilly-gypsy of our group. Since 1978 she has worked in all areas of the travel industry and in 2001 she joined us as a golf specialist. When Pam is not creating great golf packages and enjoying talking with the Coastal Golfaway customers, she plays a lot of old mountain music and enjoys hanging out on her boat. How long have you been with Coastal Golfaway? I win the award for being the longest employed by Coastal Golfaway (other than Jerry himself!). I have worked in various ends of the travel industry from specialty cruise lines, to travel agencies and airlines. When I came here from New Orleans, I needed to get back to work [...]

Adventure awaits at every turn on this one-of-a-kind golf package. In what might be the ultimate blend of stunning scenery and unmatched playability, Coastal Golfaway’s Best of the South End Package offers golf on three of Golf Digest’s top seven golf courses in the area. And Mike Strantz’s handiwork is on full display in two of them. The more challenging of Strantz’ designs, True Blue initially hit the golf scene with a reputation for being a beast. Some softening over the years has made the design considerably more player-friendly - assuming, most importantly, that you make the prudent choice in tee selection. Either way, you’ll want to buckle up for what will be a wild but memorable ride. Contrast this with Strantz’ approach with Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, and you’ll feel like you’re on a [...]

Rees Jones wanted to make his own mark with his first-ever solo design, yet still found a way to do so while paying homage to his family. Opened in 1974, Arcadian Shores Golf Club is surpassed in longevity on the Grand Strand golf scene by only a handful of designs, most notably its famous next-door neighbor - The Dunes Golf & Beach Club, built in 1947 by Jones’ father, renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones. As the elder’s Dunes Club design has enjoyed its place among the elite options on the golf vacation landscape, Rees’ Arcadian Shores made quite the splash of its own with its debut. With dramatic bunkering throughout the design, it resoundingly demonstrated Jones’ design philosophy of presenting an 18-hole journey that’s fair, challenging, interesting to play and visually exciting. And as [...]

Originally from “above” the Mason-Dixon Line, John Venters has lived in historic Wilmington, NC (the family home) for over 50 years. Thirty-four of those were spent traveling the Carolinas as a golf manufacturer’s representative, starting back when the “Grand Strand” consisted of fewer than twenty golf courses! Along with his father and brother, the Venters’ represented several well-known golf companies in the Carolinas and Virginia, for over 30 years. Get to know John: How long have you been working for Coastal Golfaway? I have been working in the industry for about 40 years and I’ve been with Coastal Golfaway for the last 10 years. What do you like about working in the golf industry? I like everything about it. I like the people involved and being around the game. Plus, my dad got into the [...]