Equipment Questions/Discussions
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Hello Bill,
You invited some email and I thought this might provide some feedback for
you positive and negative about one man's opinion of the state of Myrtle Beach golf in
general. Do with it as you will.
My name is Mike Bankston (ghin 13.7), and I live in Atlanta. From 1997
through 2004 I have taken golf trips with a group of guys every February to
Myrtle Beach. This was an annual "guys only" trip.
We started with 4 guys
and had 8 in 2004'. Our modus operendi is to come in on a Friday and play;
go to the condo we have in our package, and play 2 rounds on saturday and/or
Sunday; play monday morning and then head back to our home. We have had up
to 16 guys in the past and they come from Atlanta, West Virginia, Indiana,
Jacksonville, and St. Simons Island GA. Some rotate in on alternating years.
We always play a minimum of 5 rounds of golf (one is replay), a night time
par 3, and at least 1 round of putt putt. We love to bet but to us "big
money" is winning or losing $10 a round.
Over the years I have used Matt Oakley, Golfmaster Jim, Legends group, and
Elliott Realty to coordinate trips for me. I have also put 2 together myself
which is more cumbersome but generally a tiny bit cheaper. We always play
one or two low or non-surcharge courses and at least two or three 4 star or
better courses each trip. Some of our favorites are Caledonia, Grand Dunes,
Tidewater, Tiger Eye, Wild Wing, Oyster Bay, Legends Parkland (Mooreland is
a joke), Love Course at Barefoot amongst others. In all I have played over
45 courses in the Myrtle Beach area.
I say all this to validate that I have some idea of what I am speaking of.
In General, the Weather even in late February is very good.
The people are mostly great to work with.
The courses are mostly in wonderful shape. Some notable exceptions are River
Hills which lost their greens (about 2002 or 03') and no one told us prior
to arrival. And Waterway Hills with WAY too many tee times crowded in the
morning and super slow play on average greens (at best). The other Dog we
played was Bay Tree Gold in the late 90's. But for the most part the courses
and staff's are terrific.
Golf packagers are not providing the level of service that I expect. I
assume that they deal with so many people that we are just another number to
them. I will provide examples:
Matt Oakly- Good job. Stayed at Litchfield plantation in a condo and played
the courses on the property.
Golf Master Jim- Pushed us to River Oaks condos 2 years running for lodging
which we hated. ( We booked late so better condos were not available). First
the property does'nt accept American Express which is a problem. Then the
condos are average at best with poor response time to stopped up toilets, Or
broken furnture in the condo. I bring these issues up to Jim and don't know
if anyone ever sees it or does anything about it. Plus Jim put us on River
Hills and this was our arrival course in 03' (I think it was 03') which as
we were checking in says : By the way we lost our greens so if you play a
hole or two and don't enjoy it just let us know and we will refund your
money". We drove 350 miles to hear that they lost their greens? I told Jim
after the fact that (a) you should have called us at least the day before
arrival to let us know and should have made an effort to find another course
if possible. Barring that, work a deal with the course where we get a free
play on another years trip to give them a chance to show us what they have.
Or give us a discount on merchandise in the store. Something to acknowledge
this problem. We played on DIRT, not greens. Miserable opening experience
that year. AND he put us up at River Oaks as if there were no other choices
anywhere on the STrand. He never responded to my criticisms or suggestions
via email or snail mail. So, in 04' we went to a different packager, Elliott
Realty.
HUGE MISTAKE!
Elliott- I had stayed with them on a summer vacation in the early 90's with
my family. That experience was positive. I called them and chose a golf
package that put 8 golfers up in a house with 4 bedrooms. Everything went
fine with the trip. Good weather, good accomodations, Great Golf. We were
very happy with the experience and thought we had found a service to use for
the next several years. I get a notice 5 weeks later that they were hitting
my credit card with carpet cleaning because we left the house a mess. I was
livid. Understand that of my pool of about 18 guys, we only have about 5
that are under 50 and only about 5 that are over 60. In our group we have
business owners, VP's of companys, (1) FBI agent, 2 Cops, 2 engineers, and
several retirees. None of my group is disrespectful. We spend money at
Martins golf shops and we eat in excellent restaurants every night. We play
poker but not once have we gone to late bars or strip joints. We are too old
for that. Never have we left a condo in other than excellent shape.
We were accused of leaving trash everywhere, unmade beds, dirty dishes in
the sink, the list is endless. All this from their Supervisor of cleaning
who did not go to the house to clean up after us until a week after we were
gone. The owner also accused us of practically "destroying" their carpet. So
of course they had to clean it. My crew takes our time and follows all rules
in setting a rental property back to the standard. We do drink but not to
get drunk. We did nothing to that carpet other than walk on it. The dishes
were washed, spreads put back on the beds and the linen left in bags as
required. Trash was bagged and taken down stairs to the garage and left in
conspicuous view for pickup. I understand that Elliott has to keep their
owners happy, but they made a mistake with us. Cathy, their representative,
was at the golf show in atlanta at the MBgolf booth last year and I let her
have it. I am not bashful about expressing my dislike for her company and in
telling anyone headed to Myrtle Beach NOT to do business with Elliott
Realty. Besides the business she has lost with me, I have influenced a dozen
golfers who have plans for Myrtle Beach. Would they have used Elliott? No
way to know. But, I am a big advocate of golf at Myrtle Beach and a
significant adversary for Elliott Realty in particular. The guy she was
talking to at this years show about using her company to book their lodging
and golf listened closely and after I walked away he asked me for specifics.
HE is not going to use them. Trust me, if we were in any way guilty of what
they accused us of, I would not carry this vendetta so passionately. The
cost of carpet cleaning was about $120. Not a big deal but the accusation
(and excuse to get free cleaning) was. As a result of this experience, I
took my annual group (12 this year) to St. Simons/Jacksonville in February
of 05'. This year I am planning to take them to the Alabama golf trail in
February of 06'. We will consider Myrtle Beach again in either June of 06' for our
summer trip or possibly February of 07' if I can find a service that
appeals to me and something else doesn't come along.
That said, You and the "fathers" of the Myrtle Beach experience, your vision
for the development of a Golf Mecca, your address of the transportation
issues (especially in the summer), and your emphasis on the night life and
restaurant scene are all appreciated by us, the average Joe schmoe duffers
who 'lust' after the courses and fun that you offer. I love Myrtle Beach and
we will come back at some point. But the only way I know to express our
disappointment with golf and lodging services in particular is to keep our
money away at least for a time and to let someone like you know that you
have a problem. I know our small golf group is not that significant and
truly won't be missed, but if sales are down in MB for golf and lodging,
then yall might want to wonder how many group leaders feel like I do only
maybe they are not going to bother to tell you so? I can tell you that St.
Simons was very busy in February of 05'. We intend to go back there at some
point in the future. Each exposure that my guys have to another area dilutes
the potential dollars we spend with Myrtle Beach. I promise you right now,
that without the problems with Elliott Realty, we would not have considered
going anywhere else for our February trip. Our summer trip is more of the
"adventure" trip with trips to Pinehurst, Sandhills, Winston Salem etc.
Myrtle Beach the last weekend in February was the staple and might yet be
again if we find the right service to work with.
Accept this as simple feedback. If you did a survey and tried to find group
leaders to let you know what works and what doesn't, you wouldn't get any
more information than I provide here. 90% of the courses I have played at
Myrtle Beach are superior to 90% of the courses I play in Atlanta, on a week
to week basis. Your 4 and 4.5 star courses are exceptional and terrific
values in a package. Litchfield, and Legends are terrific properties with
wonderful condos, good people and nice amenitities (not to mention nice
courses). Our stay at North Hampton one year (via a private owner) was also
a terrific experience. But River Oaks was a very cheap property with
management problems and Elliott Realty is a pariah.
We have been on golf packages to Mississippi, the Palm Coast, Orlando,
Tampa, Pinehurst, Sand Hills, Winston Salem, St. Simons/ Jacksonville and of
them all Myrtle Beach is my favorite with Pinehurst and Winston Salem a
close second and third.
I wish you luck on your new position and hope you get Myrtle Beach back to a standard
of excellence in all areas,
Mike Bankston VP, Southern Hospitality
Management Atlanta, Ga
Mr. Bankston
Thank you for your note.
Prior to joining the team here at MB Golf, I was the General Manager and Head Professional at The International Club for 3 years. I am also a Class A member of the PGA and have been since 1997. In my 3 years, I saw more than my share of golfers who arrived at my counter promised one thing, but realizing another. Luckily, their issues were usually with another course booked or with the resort where they were staying, but I always felt bad for them and wished I could help. MB Golf has been around for over 20 years and our motto is " a detail driven company". I think that's one of the reasons I'm so happy to be here. Being on the operations side for so long (been a golf professional since 1992) I realize what golfers face and what questions they will have. I think I can answer most of these on the front end, truthfully, or find an answer quickly if necessary. I know MB has a stigma for poor customer service crafted and forged over the past years. All I can say, Mr. Bankston, if you do decide to visit Myrtle Beach again in either June of 06' for a
summer trip or possibly February of 07' with Myrtle Beach Golf LLC you'll receive as much service and attention as if I was staying and playing with your group. Of that you can be certain. I hope we can work together in the future.
Best Regards
Bill Bernschein
PGA Professional
Executive Sales Director
Myrtle Beach Golf, LLC
www.mbgolf.com
Phone: 1-800-213-2388
Local: 1-843-357-3310
Fax: 1-843-357-3323
To Myrtle Beach Golf:I know that by the time you receive this, the young man that I'm writing this letter about will have left your employment.
Mr. Joseph Williams represents a refreshing example of what dealing with customers "should" be, and although he has since moved on, I wanted to congratulate you on having the foresight to have employed him and that an employee such as Joseph reflects highly on yourself.
I first talked to Joseph in August. I told him I would be traveling from California to spend a week in Myrtle Beach with close friends from Virginia, and asked nim to schedule us for some golf. Everything was looking good until Ophelia arrived and literally closed all of the courses that we were scheduled to play. In the middle of the storm, myself and one of my Virginia friends sought out Joseph in the hopes that he could provide some relief from the golf package that we had purchased only to be denied using it by the storm.
Without any hesitation, and with complete empathy for our situation, Joseph contacted each of the courses we'd been scheduled to play, and convinced each to forgo billing your office and basically restored our fees, less a small processing fee. Although we were very disappointed in being unable to play the golf we had so looked forward to, the efforts on the part of Mr. Williams to salvage our expenses was greatley appreciated. I had expected our request to be met with some resistance, but instead found an immediate effort to help.
On behalf of my friends and I, we congratulate you on your employment of Mr. Williams and whenever the occasion should arise to return to Myrtle Beach to take in some golf, or if such a choice is voiced by others we know, we will be sure to encourage all to deal with your Office and team for such arrangements.
John Gordon and friends
California, USA
Mr. Gordon, we do miss Joseph Williams. He has moved on to Charlotte, NC to start a new venture. He embodied who we are at Myrtle Beach Golf. We welcome Bill Bernschein, our resident PGA professional who has been hired to fill the huge void left by Joseph.
Thanks - Myrtle Beach Golf
You should update your website, newsletter and your readers w/ regards to River's Edge. We played it a week ago, one of the WORST golf experiences any of us have ever had. The absolute WORST greens we have ever seen. Dirt spots, sand spots, tire ruts, these greens should all be closed and re-done. Arnie would be in shock if he saw the conditions. Many of the tee boxes had very little grass. Construction sand dumped off to the side on several holes. Overall, a complete waste of time and money.
Mike Ellis
I am probably one of the most obsessed people when it comes to golf and it's products. In a years time I will buy and try just about everything that comes out on the market. Here is a short list of the equipment I like and am using right now.
Driver: Ping G5 Super
Cleveland 460 great for an average golfer
Irons: Cleveland CG2 Great Players club. soft feel
Ping I5 another great Ping Product
Mizuno They make a couple of great irons
Wedges Cleveland CG10 Industry standard Great
Callaway Very Good
Titleist Vokey Great Wedges
Aaron Frame
Golf Visitor
Callaway irons always feel a little clunky to me.
Taylor Made have no feel to them at all. If there is anything else you would like to hear just let me know, I always love to talk golf.
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Is there a less expensive ball that compares with the titelist Prov1x in preformance?
--
Chris Severs
Chris,
the Maxfli Black Max has very similiar (in my
opinion) characteristics and is about $1.00 less per sleeve.
Bill Bernschein
Resident Golf Professional
Myrtle Beach Golf, LLC
Referring the equipment issue I like and dislike. I play Mizuno MP-30 irons. I have never had irons that are so smooth and sweet to hit. I recently tried the new Titleist forged 704. They felt like a brick compared to the Mizuno. I also love the MP-001 - 4 wood I carry. I disliked the MP-001 driver.
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The utility club I really like is the Tour Edge Jmax, Tour version. This is really a nice club to hit and at only $120 with an Aldila NV 85 shaft, a real bargain.
My 2 cents worth.
Frank Weingart
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Myrtle Beach Golf Team,
I'm a senior player, with an 8 handicap.
I recently purchased a full set of Adams Golf Idea Irons and Hybrids.
They include the Adams 3- and 5- Fairway Metals, the 3- and 4- Hybrids and the Tom Watson 52- and 56-degree Wedges.
My driver is the new MacGregor MacTec, 10.5 degrees.
My putter is an older Odyssey, but they'll have to pry it from my dead body before I ever replace it.
I love these clubs. They are suprisingly easy to hit, requiring much less effort to retain the distances I am accustomed to hitting.
The younger crowd may prefer some of the other competitive models on the market, but this is one older guy who greatly appreciates playing clubs designed for folks who no longer swing at 120 mph.
Kind Regards,
Phil Acosta
Technical Sales Consultant
Latin America Region
Graphic Communications Group
Eastman Kodak Company
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Dear Myrtle Beach Golf:
One of my clubs I added to my bag this year was a 26 degree Nike CPR Hybrid. It is a real versatile club and is real easy to hit. I use it in the rough, in the sand and also for chipping when I am off the green. I could never hit my 3,4 and 5 iron well and this took the place of the 4 and 5 iron. I took my 3 iron out of the bag a few years ago and use a 5 and 7 Callaway Steelhead II. . By making this change to the hybrid, I took off about 4 to 5 strokes in my round.
I also have a Taylor Made R5 Dual D 10.5 Driver with a senior shaft on it. Originally I thought my swing speed was 92 mph but when I had it checked I was only at 84 mph. The move to a senior shaft was a wise decision on my part. I probably could have got away with a regular flex shaft but I am 57 years old and decided to drop the macho thoughts of a long drive. I was hitting a Biggest Big Bertha 10 degree with a stiff shaft that I gave to my son-in-law. He is 37 years old and hits about 260 yards with this club.
My irons are 1997 Callaway's with graphite shafts and the titanium inserts. I would like to try the Nike Slingshots one of these days, but I have confidence with my old clubs and am having a hard time moving up.
I shot a 43 yesterday for 9 holes with these clubs and a Callaway 2 Ball putter so I was pretty happy with my clubs. Who knows what the next round will bring.
Have a good day
Matthew Bartochowski
645 Borden Rd
Cheektowaga NY 14227
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I am presently playing Taylor-Made bubble shaft(graphite) and thinking of changing to rac3 (graphite) what difference should I see?
Peter Larbalestier
You mentioned to talk of equipment ,so! I use a set of TPX clubs right now and they treat me ok I guess. I just received a gift of a Sun Mountain Speed Cart to carry my clubs and I like it very much. I prefer to walk our 3 mile course (par 60) in Mansfield Ma. It's a nice small course and at 70 I need to walk when I can.
Last year at a golf show in Boston Ma I was measured by a Calaway Pro and he told me to invest in a #1 driver, Big Bertha with a 13 degree loft. He said at my age and type of swing the higher loft would help me gain distance.
I have not found one as yet but I am still trying. Again thanks for your newsletter.
Rich McCarthy
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bill Bernschien is a resident PGA professional who lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Bill formerly was General Manager of International Golf Course and was area manager for Indian Wells Golf Course of Myrtle Beach and Sea Gull Golf Course of Pawleys Island. Bill is responsible for rating and evaluating Myrtle Beach Area golf courses on behalf of
http://www.mbgolf.com and its Myrtle Beach Golf Scene. He is active in the Myrtle Beach community and contributes his time to writing many local blogs concerning golfing in Myrtle Beach. Please feel free to post any of his articles on your website, however, you must include the article in its entirety and this byline. Submit inquiries to:
publications@mbgolf.com
