It remains to be seen whether Mel Graham has himself a winner with his new Myrtle Beach project, the
International World Tour GolfLinks,
but for the time being his unique club has generated enormous public interest since it opened in late '99.
International World Tour's elegant clubhouse flies the flags of countries
whose famous holes are replicated at this unique venue.
His scenic, well managed club is among two courses worth looking into, especially if you are staying along Myrtle Beach's Highway 501 corridor. The other is
Wild Wing's Avocet course.
Graham, a developer and entrepreneur based in Charlotte, NC, is the owner and lead design team leader of the club which boasts 27 holes all "inspired" by the heralded holes of the world's most famous golf courses.
Play his three 9's that include the
Open,
Championship, and
International
9's and you will play holes that either strongly or faintly resemble such great holes as No. 16 at Augusta; St. Andrews No. 1 and No. 18; No. 18 at Inverness, Winged Foot, and Doral; Amen Corner at Augusta; No. 4 at Baltusrol, No. 9 at Royal Melbourne and No. 8 at Royal Troon, nicknamed "the Postage Stamp."
Working with actual documents including construction and topographical materials of the original holes, Graham and his team designed the World Tour Club holes entirely on computer, taking meticulous care to replicate the "model" hole's length and all of its unique features including length, bunker size and placement, green size and contouring, and elevation changes. This painstaking process yielded some intriguing facsimiles of holes many of us have played or heard about.
Immediately left of the elegant hilltop clubhouse that lies at the end of the magnolia-lined drive are the St. Andrews opener and finisher. Laid out adjacent one another just as at the Old Course, the holes certainly tweaked my memory of playing the originals. The lengths are nearly the same and the "Swilcan Burn" runs down No. 1 and across in front of No. 18 tee box just as at St. Andrews. The 18th green carefully replicates St. Andrews' closing hole in all its massive splendor and nuance.
World Tour's 3rd is inspired by Sawgrass' signature 17th
These two holes are on the Open 9 which also features Sawgrass's signature 17th. As the 3rd hole of the International World Tour Open 9, this hole, at 132 yards, is slightly shorter than the original and the island green is smaller but in most respects the hole definitely gives golfers who have played Sawgrass a touch of deja vue. The same could be said of those who have played Valderama. The 3rd hole on the International 9 is Valderama's 4th that even has a waterfall and pond next to the green.
The Championship course, which included "Amen Corner," was not open during my visit in June of 2000, but I toured it and was less than impressed by Graham's rendition of Augusta. The attempt to replicate perhaps the most famous stretch of holes in the world was there, but the result was something less than Masters-ful.
To give him credit, Graham's intent was not to render perfect recreations of the famous holes. He is very careful to point out that his versions are "inspired by" and not "modeled after" the originals. The aim here was to create something of an atmosphere of being on the world's great courses.
Has he succeeded? Yes and no. Even when the original shapes and nuances come close, such as with "The Postage Stamp," the experience of playing the real version just can't be duplicated, but then it may not have to be. The best way to play the World Tour Links is to enjoy the "feel" of being on some of the famous holes you have played and otherwise just consider the International World Tour GolfLinks as another course in
Myrtle Beach worth trying.
In what some may feel is a bit of a hokey touch, golfers are issued a "passport" to give to the starter, but they can enjoy reading a bit of history of each replicated hole as they play it. The history is on bronze plaques next to the tee boxes.
The club lies north of River Oaks on the same road just minutes off 501 near the Intracoastal Waterway bridge. The clubhouse is impressive, stylishly built and comfortable. The service is excellent and maintenance of the course is second to none. Quality is also evident in other aspects, including the spiffy clean rest room facilities throughout the course and the very wide, well constructed cart paths.
The greens have grown in nicely but there are bare patches throughout the 27 holes due to the course's immaturity and to the lack of rain in Myrtle Beach in 2000. This is a high end course, but Graham is sparing no expense to make this a first-rate venue in Myrtle Beach.
He is so convinced he has something special, he has copyrighted the international theme and he plans to export it to Orlando and other golfing markets. The international theme of the club certainly has generated a lot of buzz among the golfing public, but in the long run it will be the quality of the golfing experience and not a marketing program that determines Graham's success. 
Myrtle Beach Golf
