Trail Courses Named to Golf World Readers Choice List

Bill Woodward

The readers of Golf World Magazine have chosen the 50 best public, private and resort facilities in the country for 2009. Three Myrtle Beach area courses – Shaftesbury Glen, Pawleys Plantation, and Sea Trail – were selected as part of the “Resort” list. These local courses share list with other resort courses like Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Harbour Town, Innisbrook, and Doral. There is a condensed version of the list at the end of this article, and you can read Golf World’s entire article here.

According to Ryan Herrington, the article’s author,

“Golf World spent nearly six months gathering data on golf establishments throughout the country, evaluating them across multiple criteria to identify the nation’s premier facilities. When all was said and done, we received more than 21,000 individual golf course ratings and more than 252,000 criteria evaluations.”

This is more than just another ranking of golf courses. The Readers’ Choice Awards considers the quality of the golf, but also considers more of the overall “golf experience.” Some of the criteria evaluated were the quality and condition of the course, the clubhouse, the speed of play, the service, and, for resort courses, the lodging accommodations. Both Sea Trail and Pawleys Plantation offer on-site condominium rentals, while Shaftesbury Glen features five luxurious suites right on the top floor of the golf course clubhouse.

Golf World plans to make the Readers’ Choice Awards an annual event.