She’s hinted at it in years past, and as recently as last month at the Monday After the Masters charity golf tournament in North Myrtle Beach:

Golf great Annika Sorenstam made it official earlier today, announcing her retirement from the LPGA Tour at the conclusion of its 2008 season.

ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel and Golf World’s Ron Sirak, among others, don’t express much surprise over the news. What’s left to prove? With 72 career LPGA wins (including 10 major titles and 18 additional international wins), more than $22 million in career earnings, eight Player of the Year honors and the only 59 ever to be recorded by a woman in competition …Why not leave at or near the top of your game – a facet of greatness that nonetheless eluded such American sports icons as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali?

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It’s a cannonball jellyfish, and it’s harmless to humans. You’ll see them wash up on Southeastern shores from time to time, like this one did just south of Apache Pier on Monday. Also known as “cabbage heads,” cannonball jellies can grow as large as 10 inches in diameter and don’t have tentacles.

When the Myrtle Beach Fire Department paid a recent visit to Ocean Bay Elementary School, it gave my son, Nicholas, a chance to see a little of what it was like for his grandfather back in the day.

That's Grandpa, standing, in his heyday as a New York City Firefighter, circa 1970.

The rebirth of a spring rally mainstay, a concert by a 22-million-album-selling A-lister, and Harley at the Hard Rock highlight a jam-packed agenda for the 2008 Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Week.

You can find the full schedule of events right here. Among the highlights:

• H.B. Spokes has literally risen from the ashes, and reopened in time for the spring rally. A September 2007 fire gutted the former main building, but months of intensive rebuilding have paid off – much to the delight of its longtime regulars.
• All together now: Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy … That’s right – His name is KIIIIIIID … Kid Rock! And he’s coming to Hard Rock Park next week (Tuesday, May 13, 7 p.m.), joined by Rev Run of Run D.M.C. fame. They’ll be rockin’ the Hard Rock’s 10,000-seat ampitheater with a show that’s free with a paid admission.
• Speaking of Hard Rock Park, Harley-Davidson has now moved its entire Bike Week exhibition slate to the brand-new theme park. The “Harley-Davidson Road Tour at Hard Rock Park” runs May 13-17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, complete with free demo rides, free music and plenty of fun. Check out this link to see the lists of vendors and activities.

Get your motor runnin’, folks, ‘cause it’s almost here!

So this week’s Players Championship is placing an undue hardship on the field, subjecting its competitors to the indignity of playing the “fifth” major on (gasp) Bermuda greens. So says an anonymous PGA Tour pro:

”My only complaint is with the greens. No major championship is held on bermuda greens, so if we want the Players to be the fifth major, why are we playing on bermuda? I don't think the greens will ever be as good as when they were overseeded bermuda. The real reason they made the change wasn't to make the greens better for the Players, it was to make them better year-round …”

Boo-friggin’-hoo.

Gratuitous sarcasm aside, here’s my question to you:

How much of a difference does it make for you, the Myrtle Beach golfer, whether you play on Bermuda or bentgrass greens?

I understand the basic benefits of each, especially after reading this overview from MyrtleBeachGolf.com. But the deeper I dig into the debate, and see how modern agriculture is now producing different forms of each grass that makes them better suited for conditions that previously made it difficult for them to thrive … I get a headache.

It’s not made any easier when I see that popular layouts like Barefoot, King’s North, The Dunes and Tidewater go the bentgrass route, while still other premier courses like Caledonia, Prestwick and The Founders Club prefer Bermuda. Last I knew, none of these golf destinations suffers a shortage of play because of their greens preference.

Here's the painful fact for me: no matter how well-conditioned either type of greens may be, I could putt on loose gravel and get the same result (That’s what happens when your Never Compromises putter might as well be named “Never Met a Two-Putt That I Couldn’t Turn Into a Four-Putt.”).

I’ll leave it to you, my more accomplished flat-stick friends, to tell me which type I should prefer. Fire away!

ReserveAmerica has released its 2008 lists of America’s “Top Outdoor Locations,” resulting in two Myrtle Beach-area landmarks being selected among the country’s elite.

Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet was included in two rankings – first, among the “Top 25 Park Beaches," drawing these accolades:

"This wide, sandy beach is the best preserved beach on the Grand Strand of South Carolina. The beach includes a well-developed dune system, and provides a habitat for diverse wildlife. There are walkways to provide access to the beach for visitors to crossover the dunes. There are also great restroom facilities for beachgoers."

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My view of Led Zeppelin The Ride, from the outside.

I can't wait ...

Since its founding in 1971, Hard Rock International has been committed to its "Save the Planet" motto, with the goal of making the earth a safer, healthier and better place to live. Continuing its mission, Hard Rock has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation for the launch of its new Lil' Rockers Menu, featuring delicious kid's meals packaged with fun activities that show youngsters how they can help protect the environment.

Beginning this past Arbor Day (April 25th), each kid's meal at the Hard Rock Café in Myrtle Beach, and at Hard Rock restaurant locations throughout North America and Puerto Rico, now includes tree seed packets, encouraging lil' rockers to plant trees and help produce more oxygen and preserve wildlife habitats. Hard Rock International has also teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation, making the commitment to plant at least 25,000 trees this year. Additionally, with the help of the new Lil' Rockers menu, Hard Rock and the Arbor Day Foundation hope to help plant an additional one million trees in 2008.

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