For the fifth consecutive year, the Long Bay community offers a special “thank you” to veterans, with a flag-decorated fairway, plenty to eat and a standing ovation
May 30, 2012, Myrtle Beach, S.C. – When the retired military veterans playing at Long Bay Club on Friday (June 1) reach the 14th tee they are certain to hear words that many have never heard before.
The residents of the Long Bay community will congregate behind Jim and Theresa Watson’s home to share one message: Thank you. And the community adds to its message by painting a big American flag in the fairway and offering breakfast and lunch to the golfers on the 376-yard par 4 throughout the day.
The Annual National Retired Military Golf Classic, which runs through Saturday (June 2), is the largest and longest-running golf event for retired military in the world. It is in its 29th year. The men’s competition uses three Myrtle Beach National courses and Long Bay Club, while the women’s competition is being conducted at Aberdeen Country Club. National Golf Management operates all five courses.
“It’s our way of saying thank you to our veterans for their service,” said Jim Watson, a real estate appraiser who started the tradition five years ago. “I knew we were doing something good when a veteran in our first year broke down and said, ‘I fought in the Vietnam War and no one has ever said thank you until now.’ It’s an emotional day.
“Once you see it, you are hooked,” continued Watson. “We will do this until we die. All the veterans feel special for 15 minutes and that’s nice.”
The fairway is decorated with a 40’x22′ American flag that is painted on three days in advance, using 12 gallons of red, white and blue paint. And when each of the 62 groups reaches its best drive in the captain’s choice (scramble) format, roughly 175 residents are waiting on the left side of the hole to give them a loud round of applause and offer refreshments and something to eat.
“Not too many groups go through with a dry eye,” said Jim Watson.
In addition to saying thank you, the community raised roughly $2,000 last year for veterans programs.
The tournament consists of 72 holes (four rounds) for men and 54 holes (three rounds) for women. All participants must have a USGA handicap index and show a Military ID at registration. The field was capped at 880 men and 128 women.
About National Golf Management Company
The National Golf Management Company was formed in February 2012 with the merger of Burroughs and Chapin Golf Management (B&C) and Myrtle Beach National Company (MBN), making the new company one of the 15 largest golf course management companies in the United States. It is far and away the largest management company on the Grand Strand and one of the leading golf course companies in the Southeast. The merger brought together a total of 22 Myrtle Beach area golf courses.
Burroughs and Chapin Golf Management was formed in 1999, and its list of courses includes Myrtle Beach’s oldest course, Pine Lakes Country Club – the Myrtle Beach area’s first course (circa 1927). But the history of the company’s other interests, including real estate in and around Myrtle Beach, dates back more than 100 years. The lineage of the company is traced to F.G. Burroughs and Simeon B. Chapin.
Myrtle Beach National Company was formed in 1971 with the construction of the Arnold Palmer-designed 54-hole golf complex, which includes the West Course, SouthCreek and King’s North. Other courses of distinction include Long Bay Club, Pawleys Plantation and Willbrook Plantation.
Contact:
Craig Smith or Tim Gavrich at The Brandon Agency, (843) 916-2000
csmith@thebrandonagency.com / tgavrich@thebrandonagency.com
