Family Golf Week, highlighted by the 21st annual Father-Son Team Classic, delivered another memorable week in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as 700 players from 42 states, Ireland, England and Canada participated in the event.
Family Golf Week featured two tournaments, the ever-popular Father-Son Team Classic and the new Parent-Child Team Classic, which introduced mothers, daughters and grandparents to the festivities. The 2-person team events were played on seven of Myrtle Beach’s most popular courses, and a different format of play was used each day.
In addition to golf, participants enjoyed nightly catered events and received a gift bag valued at more than $500. The event’s title sponsors Cleveland Golf, Srixon and XXIO were instrumental in helping deliver a memorable tournament experience.
In 2019, Family Golf Week will be held July 17-20 in Myrtle Beach.
“My favorite part is just being able to play with [my dad] now that I’ve gone to college and I’m kind of moving on with my life,” said Atlanta native Justin Connelly, who finished third in the Johnson Flight with his father, Jay. “Always being able to come back and share this experience with him is unbelievable.”
The field was placed into 21 flights based on each team’s combined handicap. Raleigh residents David and Noah Butler emerged from a field of 130 teams competing in the National Division to claim the mantle of National Champions. The Butlers shot a gross score of 132 (the event was shortened to two rounds due to rain) to emerge victorious.
“Family Golf Week is a celebration of the game and the bonds it creates, and that was on full display,” said Mike Buccerone, president of East Coast Golf Events. “We had a great time meeting people and hearing stories about what golf means to their family. This is a one-of-kind event, and we are already looking forward to 2019.”
The host golf courses for Family Golf Week included Rivers Edge and the Love Course at Barefoot Resort, layouts that have been ranked among America’s top 100 public courses. Also hosting were Crow Creek, home of Myrtle Beach’s newest bentgrass greens, Arcadian Shores, Heathland at Legends Resort, Wild Wing Avocet and Wachesaw Plantation East.
Entry fee was $995 per team and included golf, daily lunch, and pre- and post-event functions. The gift bag included an Ahead logo’d shirt, Ahead logo’d hat, a dozen Srixon balls, Signs by the Sea Custom bag tag, 1 pair of 2UNDR athletic briefs and a $150 gift card per participant to be used for golf fees (practice rounds), food & beverage, merchandise and Logan’s Roadhouse.
Both Family Golf Week events required participants to have a USGA approved handicap and featured a different format of play each day, starting with better ball, followed by a modified alternate shot and a Texas scramble.
East Coast Golf Events, LLC, a valued National Partner of East Coast Golf Management, has partnered with Southern Dunes, the tournament’s long-time proprietor, to take over the Father-Son and Parent-Child team classics. East Coast, which provides management and marketing support to 25 courses, is one of the region’s most innovative and resourceful companies, maximizing growth for its partner courses.
East Coast is working with the Golf Tourism Solution’s Tournament Division, which manages eight events, including the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship, to handle tournament operations.