Did you know that 25 airports nationwide now provide non-stop service to Myrtle Beach? The following is a listing of these markets, along with direct links to their Web sites so you can book your summer beach/golf getaway today!

• Allentown, PA (ABE) - Direct Air, Allegiant Air
• Atlanta, GA (ATL) - Delta, Continental, Northwest
• Atlantic City, NJ (AIY) - Spirit Airlines
• Boston, MA (BOS) - Spirit Airlines
• Charlotte, NC (CLT) - USAirways, United Express
• Chicago, IL/ O'Hare (ORD) - Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
• Chicago/Rockford, IL (RFD) - Direct Air
• Columbus, OH (CMH) - Direct Air
• Detroit, MI (DTT) - Northwest
• Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL) - Spirit Airlines
• Ft. Meyers/Punta Gorda, FL (RSW) - Direct Air
• Huntington, WV (HTS) - Allegiant Air
• Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI (AZO) - Direct Air
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP) - Northwest
• New York/LaGuardia (LGA) - Spirit Airlines
• Newark, NJ (EWR) - Direct Air, Continental
• Niagara Falls, NY (IAG) - Direct Air
• Orlando/Sanford, FL (ORL) - Direct Air
• Philadelphia, PA (PHL) - USAirways
• Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) - Direct Air
• Plattsburgh, NY/Montreal (PLB) - Direct Air
• Toledo, OH (TDZ) - Direct Air
• Washington, Dulles (IAD) - United Airlines
• Washington, Reagan (DCA) - USAirways
• Worcester, MA (ORH) - Direct Air

Pop quiz: What do the U.S. Open and a Myrtle Beach junior golf tournament now have in common?

Answer: Lucas Glover as its champion.

The Greensville, S.C. native and Clemson alumnus picked a fine time to earn his second-ever win on the PGA TOUR, outgunning the world's top two players down the stretch Monday to claim the 109th U.S. Open Championship at Bethpage Black. Glove shared his thoughts on winning his first major with Wendi Nix of ESPN:

Glover's road to major championship glory began in South Carolina, and included victories at the George Holliday Jr. Tournament at Myrtle Beach National in 1992 as well as three consecutive triumphs in the South Carolina Amateur (1998-2000).

Congratulations, Lucas!

Rivers Edge Golf Club in Shallotte, NC, closed June 1st, 2009 for two months to convert the putting surfaces to environmentally friendly SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum turfgrass, according to Signature Golf Group, the Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based management company.

Dave Downing, CGCS, Signature Golf Group president, will oversee the transition of the putting surfaces from Bentgrass to SeaDwarf® Paspalum, a drought-tolerant improved turf variety that requires less water and less fertilizer and may be irrigated with alternative water sources.

Rivers Edge cites poor water quality negatively impacting the existing putting surfaces at the course as the primary reason behind the conversion to the more resilient, salt-tolerant SeaDwarf® Paspalum.

"Rivers Edge has decided to change the putting surfaces to create more positive, consistent conditions on those surfaces," said Downing.

Although SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum has been successfully planted on golf courses around the world, the renovation of Rivers Edge will be the first-ever "No-Till" conversion done with SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum. No-Till is a process by which the new grass is planted without tearing out the existing surface. The No-Till process has two benefits: it maintains the existing contours of the greens surface; and it allows a golf course to reopen sooner, as the renovation process is much faster than standard methods of renovation that, in effect, would destroy the greens and require them to be rebuilt.

"The No-Till method of greens renovation is a very innovative process. SeaDwarf® is a very innovative turfgrass and the only dwarf variety of paspalum grass on the market today. The combination of the two could be a game changer for the golf industry," said Stacie Zinn, president of Environmental Turf, the Avon Park, Florida company that licenses sod producers to grow SeaDwarf® worldwide.

"I can't think of a better place for the SeaDwarf to make its debut as a no till project. This transition from bentgrass to seashore paspalum to my knowledge is truly a first," said Hank Kerfoot, president of Modern Turf, the Rembert, South Carolina company supplying the sprigs for the project. "The use of a new grass to help adapt to an extreme environmental condition is the reason we grow grasses like SeaDwarf. It is far better to work with what nature gives you, than to try and control it. In the capable hands of John Shaver and David Downing, I have every confidence this will be a successful venture."

As a test, Rivers Edge converted the facility's putting green last summer and it was "very successful," Downing said.

Rivers Edge Golf Club plans to re-open in August 2009. Rivers Edge will be posting progress reports and photos throughout the conversion process online at www.river18.com.

Source: Signature Golf Group

Myrtle Beach is making summer school fun. The Golf Capital of the World has partnered with three of the game's best instructors to create special Golf Summer School programs. Improve your game with expert tutelage and state-of-the-art instruction equipment. Your quest for higher education will guarantee future success on the golf course!

Curriculums to improve all levels of talent are offered, arranged in comfortable student-to-teacher ratio classes. Our teachers utilize the latest techniques and teaching equipment and instill knowledge from past experiences that has earned accolades for outstanding playing and teaching abilities.

The Hugh Royer Champions Golf Academy at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Long Bay Club is home to Hugh Royer III, a former PGA Tour player, four-time Nationwide Champion and the school's lead instructor. The academy is the perfect fit for professionals and experienced amateurs to refine swing techniques, course management skills and tournament preparation, but welcomes players of all levels. This year, they're also offering weekly and multi-week training camps for junior boys and girls age 12-20.

South Carolina PGA Section Teacher of the Year in 2005 Ted Frick heads up Top 25 Golf School of America pick Classic Swing Golf School at multi-course facility Legends. The Classic Swing has one of the area's most elaborate practice facilities including equipped with lights and was selected by Golf Magazine as the Most Affordable Top 25 Golf School in America.

Brad Redding, a Top 100 Teacher selection by Golf Magazine, oversees the Grande Dunes Golf Academy in the heart of Myrtle Beach. The Grande Dunes Academy offers its own March-April specials and for the ultimate golfer a four-day golf retreat with Redding.

Golfers can choose the schedule that best fits their schedule and budget, whether it's all about practice, practice, practice, or if he or she wants to test out what they've learned on the Grand Strand's variety of tee-to-green challenges.

Also, kids 16 and under can play free on 46 Grand Strand courses when accompanied by a paying adult. Other courses offer substantial discounts for junior play.

"We want Moms and Dads to bring the entire family to Myrtle Beach where everyone can enjoy golf,'' says Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday president Bill Golden. "This year we want to help families improve their games and their golf vacation to be filled with memories they'll cherish for a lifetime.''

Source: Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday

Grand Strand Golf School to Host Hurricane Junior Golf Tour's Myrtle Beach Open, June 13-14

Representatives from the Champions Golf Academy announced this week that the two-year-old golf school will now be known as the Hugh Royer Champions Golf Academy. Located at the Long Bay Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., the Hugh Royer CGA (HRCGA) was created to meet the needs of golfers at every stage of their amateur and professional development. The HRCGA provides a comprehensive development platform for golfers seeking to dramatically improve their ability to compete effectively and win, by providing state-of-the-art equipment and expert coaching and instruction.

The HRCGA will play host to the Myrtle Beach Junior Open, a stop on the national Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, June 13-14 at Long Bay. The 36-hole event is open to all junior golfers between the ages of 10 to 19 years of age. Golfers will be grouped according to their age and will receive points based on their finish. The winners of each age division will advance to the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour Championship Invitation at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Fla. in December.

The first round begins Saturday, June 13, with tee times starting at 8:06 a.m. After golf, participants and their families are invited to a tournament cookout, catered by Ruth's Chris Steak House, along with a clinic hosted by the HRCGA instructional staff, Nike Golf and Sunset Beach Putters. The final round is scheduled to begin Sunday, June 14 at 8:06 a.m. with the awards ceremony to be held immediately afterwards.

"We're excited to launch our new name and welcome the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour to Myrtle Beach," said Royer, director of instruction and former PGA TOUR player. "My family has been involved in playing and teaching the game of golf for decades and we decided to change the name of the Academy to reflect those achievements. By hosting the Myrtle Beach Junior Open, we hope to introduce local junior golfers to competitive golf and provide an opportunity from them to participate and possibly compete in the tournament's championship in Florida later in 2009."

For more information on the Hugh Royer Champions Golf Academy, call (843) 399-1551 or visit HughRoyerCGA.com.

Sources: HRCGA; The Brandon Agency

More than 1,000 members of the American armed forces took to the Grand Strand links this week, competing in the 26th Annual Retired Military Golf Classic hosted by The Myrtle Beach National Company.

Scores were low in this captain's choice format, and spirits were high - for the same overriding reason why retired soldiers from more than 24 military bases worldwide flock to the Myrtle Beach area each May, year after year.

Camaraderie.

"Meeting players from all across the country, the camaraderie amongst all the branches of service, it's great - and it always will be," said Robert Kuhn of Middletown, N.Y., a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who took home the men's "A" player championship with a three-round score of 173.80. Indeed, Kuhn's passion for making new friends and sharing stories has kept him coming back to this event for the past nine years.

"I've been working so long and so hard for this, and to be able to finally break through with the help of some great teammates is a tremendous thrill," said Charlotte Briggs of Columbia, S.C, a retired sergeant first-class from the U.S. Army and 19-year veteran of this event who won the women's "A" player title (192.60). "But the camaraderie we share, and the respect we have for one another for the service we've given our country, is that much more special when we can celebrate it in such a great setting like this."

The Retired Military Golf Classic was contested on five Myrtle Beach National courses - SouthCreek, West Course and King's North at Myrtle Beach National in Myrtle Beach; and Aberdeen Country Club and Long Bay Club in North Myrtle Beach.

By Jason M. Rodriguez

Military Appreciation Days will be celebrated in Myrtle Beach from May 28-30, as more than 20 military groups from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia compete in various sports and a cook-off.

Appreciation days kick off Thursday with a golf tournament at Whispering Pines Golf Course for active military members. A handgun marksmanship tournament will also be held Thursday at the indoor range of the Myrtle Beach Law Enforcement Center Annex. Finally on Thursday, a men's basketball tournament will be held at Crabtree Memorial Gymnasium.

At 7 p.m. Friday, the U. S. Air Force Heritage of America Blue Aces Band will perform in Grand Park at The Market Common. On Saturday, a 5K Run and Walk is planned for 8 a.m., and open to active military and veterans at no charge and civilians for a $20 fee. The run/walk begins at Crabtree Gym. Exhibits will be set up at 9 a.m. in Grand Park representing various branches of the military.

Golfers now have another avenue by which they can chime in on their favorite parts of the Grand Strand scene.

The new "Golf Insider Forum" allows readers to offer their thoughts on related topics that extend beyond specific course reviews. "Top 5 Finishing Holes," "Best 19th Hole" and restaurant reviews have been among the items of most recent discussion.

Of course, site visitors can still check out other golfers' detailed course reviews, and give their own opinions; view videos and features on area courses; and connect with the latest package and last-minute specials being offered.

Just click here to find out more, and get in the discussion!

More than 200 South Carolina entrants are among a record 9,086 golfers worldwide vying for a coveted spot in the 2009 U.S. Open, to be held June 18-21 at Bethpage State Park's Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y.

The South Carolina Golf Association hosts local qualifying events this week in Beaufort and Spartanburg, in which 10 locally based competitors will participate. Click here for the Beaufort and Spartanburg pairings.

Qualifiers from the 18-hole local format advance to 36-hole sectional qualifying on Monday, June 8.

The ever-imposing figure of Tiger Woods awaits, both as defend champion and winner of the last Open held at Bethpage Black. But as a weekend hacker (and former Bethpage resident with his own history of waiting on long lines to play at that facility), I'd love nothing more than to see a local qualifier claim "The People's Open" at "The People's Country Club" - the moniker made popular when Bethpage Black became the first publicly owned course to host the tournament seven years ago.

If that were to happen, though, it would take the end of a 40-year drought from the last time a local qualifier raised the trophy (Orville Moody, 1969).

Long odds, sure. But come on ... who wouldn't root for another "Tin Cup"-type moment?