The Caravelle was the first hotel in Myrtle Beach to offer a golf package to guests nearly 50 years ago. The golf package would eventually become a staple of hotels in the Myrtle Beach area, making the city a popular destination for golf enthusiasts.

In an effort to provide guests with an elevated overall experience, the Caravelle Resort began an extensive $8 million renovation project beginning in late 2005. During the expansive renovation project, the Caravelle’s 340 efficiency rooms and suites, as well as 250 condominiums in eight additional buildings, were completely remodeled with designer décor and updated amenities. Each room offers new carpeting and freshly completed Mediterranean-style textured walls, in addition to new artwork, lighting, draperies and balcony furniture. A full-service resort, Caravelle offers several dining options for their guests, including a full-service restaurant Santa Maria, a poolside beach bar and grill and a poolside sandwich and ice cream shop. The Caravelle also provides several outdoor recreation options including a lazy river, two sparkling pools, five hot tubs and a brand new Wild Water pool designed exclusively for children. Additional Caravelle amenities include a fully-equipped game room, a fitness center, a laundry facility, a gift shop, a grocery store and a newly renovated Conference Center at the St. John’s Inn that provides more than 4,000 square feet of meeting space for special or corporate events.

All women golfers are invited to meet new friends and learn more about the Grand Strand EWGA chapter’s golf plans for 2007. The Kickoff Celebration will feature a guest speaker, door prizes, a raffle, Hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.

Tickets are $10 for prospective members and $15 for current EWGA members with a registration deadline of March 15th. For ticket nformation, call Sue Trythall at (843) 215-8352 or visit www.ewgamyrtlebeach.com.

February 13, 2007, Myrtle Beach, S.C – As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday presents the “Ultimate Buddy Trip” Sweepstakes in which one lucky golfer will win all-expense paid trips for himself and three friends to experience Grand Strand area golf.

In partnership with Golf Channel, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday will present the foursome with round trip airfare to Myrtle Beach where the group will enjoy four rounds of golf at premier Grand Strand courses, four nights’ accommodations, a $250 gift certificate to PGA TOUR Superstore, a daily breakfast buffet and complimentary car rental during the visit.

During one of the four rounds, the foursome will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of golfing with one of the LPGA’s hottest stars, Natalie Gulbis. A native of Sacramento, California, Gulbis has earned more than two million dollars in prize winnings during her five-year professional career. The 24-year-old is a crowd favorite at LPGA stops and is also well-known for her annual calendar.

Golfers can register for the “Play a Round with Natalie Gulbis” sweepstakes on Golf Channel’s Web site, TheGolfChannel.com. The registration runs through May 31 and the trip will be fulfilled in the fall of 2007.

“We’re excited to partner with Golf Channel to reward one lucky golfer with a five-day and four-night “Ultimate Buddy Trip” to Myrtle Beach,” said Bill Golden, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday’s vice president and director of marketing. “Gulbis is one of the rising stars on the LPGA Tour and we’re happy to provide four golfers with the exclusive opportunity of playing a round with her. The Grand Strand is home to the highest concentration of “Top 100” courses in the United States and by winning the contest, the golfer will automatically become the most popular member of his golf circle with four all-expense paid trips to Myrtle Beach for three of his friends.”

About Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday

World’s Premier Golf Destination Marketing Cooperative Launches Magazine to Celebrate 40th Anniversary in 2007

February 12, 2007, Myrtle Beach, S.C – To celebrate their 40th anniversary this year, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday recently debuted the inaugural 2007 Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday Magazine which will serve as the ultimate source for both golfers new to the Grand Strand area and longtime guests.

Keeping information about Myrtle Beach golf courses, golf package providers and golf schools formerly found in the Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday Planning Guide, the size of the Magazine increased significantly as 10 golf and travel writers contributed an additional 28 pages of articles on golf tips, golf etiquette, area events and tournaments, area restaurants and attractions to enjoy and the history of Myrtle Beach. In 2007, 34 photographs of Grand Strand area courses were also added to help golfers picture the site of their next round. For the first time, market advertisers appear in the Magazine to reach Myrtle Beach’s avid golf audience.

Myrtle Beach Direct Air & Tours, a new start-up low-fare non stop air service based in Myrtle Beach, is having a pre-opening of their ticket counter at the Myrtle Beach International Airport for Myrtle Beach residents in advance of their March 7, startup.

In celebration, Direct Air’s lowest fare of $99 each way will be sold at ½ price plus taxes to residents of Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand this Saturday through Monday. Promotional airfares are based on round trip purchase with flight certificates good for travel between Myrtle Beach and a choice of either Pittsburgh, New York / Newark, or Niagara Falls International Airport. Travel must be completed between March 7 and October 31, 2007 and reservation is based on availability at time of booking.

Travel for flight certificates must be scheduled by calling the toll free number 877-432-DIRECT (3473).

Myrtle Beach Direct Air’s President said, “We wanted to create a program that would allow our neighbors a chance to bring loved ones together on a more frequent, convenient, and affordable basis and allow them an opportunity to experience our service.”

The new service will provide non stop flights between Pittsburgh, Newark, and Niagara Falls International Airport and Myrtle Beach beginning on March 7. Travel time between the cities serviced by Myrtle Beach Direct Air & Tours is less than two hours.

Residents can purchase flight certificates only at the airport during the three day sale. The sale will be held January 27, 28, 29 - Saturday, Sunday, and Monday between 8AM and 6PM at the Myrtle Beach Direct Air & Tours ticket counter located at the Myrtle Beach Airport. Myrtle Beach Direct Air & Tours staff will be at the airport to greet residents and answer questions during the sale.

A group of local investors, led by Myrtle Beach area businessman David Brittain, today announced its purchase of MyrtleBeachGolf.com. MyrtleBeachGolf.com is the most visited Myrtle Beach golf related site on the Web, recording more than 60,000 visits per month.

The ownership group, known as Grand Strand Golf and Travel LLC, will own and manage the Web site. Grand Strand Golf and Travel LLC members have more than 75 years of experience of golf, travel and marketing experience.

“The opportunity to purchase this Web site was one that we simply could not pass on,” said Brittain. “This Web site is the most visited golf related site for Myrtle Beach and because of how important golf is to our business; we felt that this was a good strategic move.”

The newest addition to the Ocean Ridge Plantation “Big Cat” Family, Leopard’s Chase Golf Club will open for play on February 15, 2007, just in time for the spring golf season. The third Tim Cate course in the 72-hole Ocean Ridge Plantation community, Leopard’s Chase is the first Grand Strand public golf course to open in six years, since Shaftesbury Glen Golf & Fish Club, Farmstead Golf Links, Grande Dunes Resort Course and Crown Park Golf Club debuted in 2001.

Located just minutes from North Myrtle Beach in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, Leopard’s Chase complements the area’s natural coastal beauty with subtle elevation changes, undulating fairways and greens, undisturbed wetlands areas and native vegetation. The par 72, 7,200-yard layout is spread out among 220 acres and features TifSport Bermudagrass fairways and bentgrass greens. One of the many distinguishing features of Leopard’s Chase is the significant number of holes which require short carries over both water and wetlands and the numerous bunkers strategically placed throughout the 18 holes.

“Leopard’s Chase Golf Club is an exciting and highly-anticipated new addition to the family of Big-Cat courses,” stated Becky Noble, president of Ocean Ridge Golf. “It is another dazzling Tim Cate design which will contribute to the perfect golf experience here at Ocean Ridge Plantation.”

Monday After the Masters tournament organizers announced today that proceeds from the 2006 Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament totaled $450,000, breaking the previous high from 2005 of $425,000. The 2006 Monday After the Masters also recorded the first sell-out in the 12-year history of the tournament as more than 6,000 fans packed The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort & Golf in North Myrtle Beach on April 10th to see their favorite celebrities, athletes and musicians compete in the annual charity golf tournament.

Donations from the 2006 Monday After the Masters were distributed to the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation ($219,000), the South Carolina Junior Golf Association ($129,000), the Special Olympics of South Carolina ($50,000), the First Tee Program of Spartanburg ($30,000), Junior Achievement of Coastal South Carolina ($12,000) and Fairway Outreach ($10,000).

Raising more than $3 million for South Carolina charities during the 12-year history of the Monday After the Masters event, The Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation is an endowment created to support the educational needs of children in South Carolina. The South Carolina Junior Golf Association was established in 1990 by leaders possessing a love for the game and a commitment to passing on golf's heritage to the youth of South Carolina that might not otherwise have the chance to experience golf and its many benefits. The Special Olympics of South Carolina provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with mental retardation, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts skills and friendships with their families, and other Special Olympics Athletes and the community.

The First Tee Program of Spartanburg was created in 1997 to provide young people of all ethnic and economic backgrounds an opportunity to develop through golf, character education, and life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. The Junior Achievement of Coastal Carolina is the local division of the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students in grades K-12 about entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs. Since 1987, Fairway Outreach has provided a Christian-oriented program centered on faith, golf, and life skills for deserving youngsters in the Midlands.

"2006 will always be an unforgettable year with Arnold Palmer's first appearance at the Monday After the Masters tournament," said Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish. "I know that it was memorable for the band to golf with him and since the tournament sold-out so quickly, I'd say that the fans were excited to see Mr. Palmer as well. We are grateful to everyone who helped us set a new donations record in 2006 and we look forward to an even bigger and better Monday After the Masters in 2007."