The Winds Is #1 On TripAdvisor!

The Winds Resort Beach Club has attained the distinction of being #1 On TripAdvisor! The Winds wants to thank you our guests and of course our fabulous staff for making this happen for us!

Here are just a few of the most recent comments:

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2012 Free Summer Golf!

The best golf value at the coast is at The Winds Resort Beach Club!

With rates that include a full hot Southern Breakfast Buffet each day there is no better golf value around!

2012 FREE SUMMER GOLF – 6/01/2012 to 8/31/2012:

We’re talking free green fees for all Winds’ guests on a selection of top area courses FREE. All you pay in, addition to your regular lodging rates, is carts and tax.

2011 courses included: Azalea Sands, Brierwood, Carolina Shores, Valley at Eastport, Sea Trail Byrd, Sea Trail Maples, Farmstead and Meadowlands.

After 12:00: Rivers Edge

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To book this golf package please call the The Winds Resort Beach Club Toll Free: 800-334-3581 or Email:reservations@thewinds.com

“Its All About Golf At The Winds!”

The Winds Resort Beach Club offers golfers a choice of oceanfront suites overlooking palm trees, subtropical gardens and our breathtaking powder-sand island beach or, for groups, our spacious 4, 5 and 6 bedroom Resort Cottages.

All packages include a Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet and use of all of The Winds Amenities: Three Pools (one indoor), Garden Bar Restaurant and poolside oceanfront Tiki-Bar.

The Winds’ deserves its reputation for being “a golfer’s paradise”, boasting nearly 20 of the “Grand Strand’s” best courses within 8 miles, and close to 100 courses within 30 minutes drive. Golfers love our FREE Summer Golf Program!

Sea Trail 3 Nights/3 Rounds

Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort The Winds Resort Beach Club (5 -10 mins. from Sea Trail) Read more

Big Cat 3 Nite/3 Course: $207

Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort (located just 5 -10 minutes away from the courses) and play three great Big Cat Courses:

Lions Paw, Panthers Run, Tigers Eye

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Package includes:

• 3 Nights Lodging
• Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Round of Golf On Each Of The Big Cat’s Three Courses
• Courses are Lions Paw, Panthers Run, Tigers Eye
• All Cart Fees
• All Greens Fees
• Daily Housekeeping

Prices based on 2 golfers in a *Camellia Guest Room. 4 golfers in a 2 bdrm/2 bath suite or 8 golfers in a 4 bdrm/4 bath Resort House. *Camellia Guest Rooms are non – oceanfront, rates are available for oceanfront one bedroom suites -please call for details.

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the Golf Desk

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Lion’s Paw Golf Club awarded 4 STARS in Golf Digest’s “Places To Play” has been described as the eminent Willard Byrd’s finest work.

Wild and untamed, rustic and quiet, this magnificent course presents a lion’s share of adventure and challenge accompanied by nature’s best scenery.

The finishing hole plays open from the tee and then flows through the trees to the green.Golf Digest also declared Lion’s Paw “The best in the Myrtle Beach area.”

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Panther’s Run was born to be a different kind of challenge. Masterfully designed by Tim Cate, this course meanders through nature preserves and tests your abilities to blend precision with distance.

Wide fairways twist and turn with water features to create visually scenic views. Bring your best game for the especially challenging #4 and be pleased with a score of par! Golf Digest agrees and placed Panther’s Run on their prestigious “Places To Play” list, as well as a “Top 30 in Myrtle Beach” rating from Links Magazine.

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Tiger’s Eye Golf Links is another dazzling design by Master Architect Tim Cate. Opened in 2000 with 18 unforgettable holes, this big cat is tough to tame, featuring 60 foot elevation changes, undulating fairways, sparkling lakes and a stunning par three island green. In 2007, Golf Digest ranked it among their “Top 100 U.S. Public Courses.”

Be sure to take a moment to enjoy the Tiger’s Eye clubhouse veranda and the stunning panoramic view- truly every golfer’s dream!

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk

The Winds Resort Golf Packages

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Golf Articles: The Winds

Several top regional golf magazines have recently written articles about golf in the Brunswick Islands of NC. Here are a few excerpts:

GOLF CHICAGO, Fall 2011

“If inland isn’t where you want to stay, The Winds Resort Beach Club on Ocean Isle Beach is a (warm) polar opposite.

Within the resort are one, two, or three bedroom oceanfront suites, which have decks that are pressed right against the Atlantic Ocean.

If you’re traveling with a larger group, then the resort offers four, five, and six bedroom houses which are just steps away from all the amenities that are offered.”

Read the entire article here (starts on page 30): http://www.golfchicagomagazine.com

SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND GOLFER, Aug/Sept 2011

“We stayed at The Winds Resort Beach Club right on the water.  Most of the rooms look right out over the Atlantic Ocean about 100 feet away at high tide, and we even managed a swim in the ocean before the excellent buffet breakfast served to all the guests.  The Winds has just over 100 rooms and has built some units perfect for golf groups on property.  “We have been getting a lot of golf groups staying in those two-floor units that have a big dining room, large-screen televisions and a huge area for hanging out and playing cards,” said Mel O’Daniels, assistant director of marketing.  There is also a Tiki bar amidst lush palm trees and dunes near the ocean.”

GOLF PENNSYLVANIA GOLF NORTHEAST, Aug 2011

“Following golf, we stayed overnight at The Winds Resort Beach Club at Ocean Isle Beach, NC.  This tropical oasis is situated in the sand dunes of South Brunswick islands, and offers luxurious rooms, suites and beach cottages nestled among the palms and only steps from the surf of the Atlantic Ocean.  One gets the feeling of being in the Caribbean when staying at The Winds.  The Thirsti Tiki, on the oceanfront pool deck, has the premier view on all of Ocean isle Beach for light dining and beverage enjoyment.

During the summer months, a stay at The Winds will get you free golf at one of those premier Brunswick County golf courses.  Guests at The Winds can take advantage of great golf deals and offers plus experience the benefits of the complimentary hot breakfast buffet and relaxation by the sea after a great day of golf.  This is a perfect place for groups or couples.

Staying at The Winds during the September and October months is easy on the wallet and for some $99 one receives lodging, breakfast buffet, golf and cart at one of several of the great courses the area has to offer.  That price is only $61 during the winter months.  Price is $110 for the month of March.  For information or to book online go to thewinds.com or call 1-800-334-3581.”

TEE TIMES, August 2011

“The first night we stayed at The Winds Resort Beach Club on beautiful Ocean Isle Beach.  Choose a second or third floor room and you will be rewarded with an outstanding view of the magnificent Atlantic Ocean.”

Winds Custom Golf Packages

The Winds Resort Beach Club has specialized in customizing all inclusive golf vacation packages in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area for more than 20 years.

Choose from close to 100 golf courses located along the entire 65-mile length of the Grand Strand, the best golf specials on the beach, and a large selection of accommodations . . . from oceanfront rooms and suites to four, five and six bedroom Resort Houses.

The Winds welcomes golfing groups. Leaders of groups of 20 or more stay and play FREE!

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Let our Golf Desk create an All Inclusive Custom Golf Package just for you combining:

• Accommodations (a wide choice of finely appointed Suites & Resort Cottages)
• Tee Times on a selection close to 100 Top Area Courses
• Carts
  
• Daily Full Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Housekeeping
• Pro Shop Discounts
• Discounts for Area Restaurants

Be sure to check out our Golf Specials Page for incredible seasonal savings on lodging and golf like our Free Summer Golf Program and other great seasonal golf specials!

The Winds is a proud recipient of The Gold Star of Excellence Award from the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association for “Spotless Reputation in Cleanliness”!

The Winds Resort Golf Packages

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SeaTrail 3 Nite/3 Course $193 All Inclusive

Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort The Winds Resort Beach Club (5 -10 minutes from Sea Trail) and play all three Sea Trail’s great courses – Dan Maples, Willard Byrd and Rees Jones

Package includes:

• 3 Nights Lodging
• Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Round of Golf On Each Of Sea Trail’s Three Courses
• Courses are Dan Maples, Willard Byrd and Rees Jones
• All Cart Fees
• All Greens Fees
• Daily Housekeeping

Prices based on 2 golfers in a *Camellia Guest Room. 4 golfers in a 2 bdrm/2 bath suite or 8 golfers in a 4 bdrm/4 bath Resort House. *Camellia Guest Rooms are non – oceanfront, rates are available for oceanfront one bedroom suites -please call for details.

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk

The Rees Jones Golf Course, which opened in the spring of 1990, is a perennial favorite of both visitors and locals.

Designer-approved renovations to the course in 1999 brought a more naturalized look with native grasses and wildflower plantings.

Click here to learn more about:

The Rees Jones Golf Course

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Each hole of the Willard Byrd Course is memorable for both beauty and exacting play.

Built around several man-made lakes, each ranging from 14-20 acres, every hole of this par-72 signature course requires a distinctly different approach to Byrd’s undulating greens.

Click here to learn more about: The Willard Byrd Course

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Golf Digest declared the Dan Maples Signature Golf Course as one of the “Best New Resort Courses” in the nation in 1986.

Tall Carolina pines and A1/A4 blended Bent grass greens define each hole on the beautiful par-72 course, still regarded as one of Maples’ finest.

Click here to learn more about: The Dan Maples Signature Golf Course

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk

The Winds Resort Golf Packages

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Big Cat 3 Night/3 Courses: $237

Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort (located just 5 -10 minutes away from the courses)

Play three great Big Cat Courses:

Panther’s Run, Tigers Eye, Leopards Chase:

Package includes:

• 3 Nights Lodging
• Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Round of Golf On Each Of The Big Cat’s Three Courses
• Courses are Lions Paw, Panthers Run, Tigers Eye
• All Cart Fees
• All Greens Fees
• Daily Housekeeping
• Prices based on 2 golfers in a *Camellia Guest Room. 4 golfers in a 2 bdrm/2 bath suite or 8 golfers in a 4 bdrm/4 bath Resort House. *Camellia Guest Rooms are non – oceanfront, rates are available for oceanfront one bedroom suites -please call for details.

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk at 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk

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Click here to learn more about:

Panther’s Run was born to be a different kind of challenge. Masterfully designed by Tim Cate, this course meanders through nature preserves and tests your abilities to blend precision with distance.

Wide fairways twist and turn with water features to create visually scenic views. Bring your best game for the especially challenging #4 and be pleased with a score of par! Golf Digest agrees and placed Panther’s Run on their prestigious “Places To Play” list, as well as a “Top 30 in Myrtle Beach” rating from Links Magazine.

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Click here to learn more about:

Tiger’s Eye Golf Links is another dazzling design by Master Architect Tim Cate. Opened in 2000 with 18 unforgettable holes, this big cat is tough to tame, featuring 60 foot elevation changes, undulating fairways, sparkling lakes and a stunning par three island green. In 2007, Golf Digest ranked it among their “Top 100 U.S. Public Courses.”

Be sure to take a moment to enjoy the Tiger’s Eye clubhouse veranda and the stunning panoramic view- truly every golfer’s dream!

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Click here to learn more about:

Leopard’s Chase Golf Club Named By Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine as one of the Top 10 New Public Courses in America for 2007. This par 72 course designed by Tim Cate is as scenic as it is enjoyable to play. You will encounter forced carries, some generous landing areas and dramatic elevation changes. As you travel the 18 holes, you will also notice a varied terrain accompanied by stunning natural vistas. The tee positions will accommodate all levels of play with equal risk and reward situations to allow you the best scoring opportunities. Save your delicate touch shots for the undulating greens. The waterfall along #18 green will calm and relax you as you finish your round.

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk

The Winds Resort Golf Packages

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Big Cat 4 Nite/4 Courses: $336

Stay at the area’s premier oceanfront resort (located just 5 -10 minutes away from the courses).

Play all four Big Cat Courses:

Lions Paw, Panthers run, Tigers Eye, Leopards Chase:

Package includes:

• 3 Nights Lodging
• Daily Hot Southern Breakfast Buffet
• Daily Round of Golf On Each Of The Big Cat’s Four Courses
• Courses are Lions Paw, Panthers Run, Tigers Eye
• All Cart Fees
• All Greens Fees
• Daily Housekeeping

Prices based on 2 golfers in a *Camellia Guest Room. 4 golfers in a 2 bdrm/2 bath suite or 8 golfers in a 4 bdrm/4 bath Resort House. *Camellia Guest Rooms are non – oceanfront, rates are available for oceanfront one bedroom suites -please call fro details.

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk

Click here to learn more about:

Lion’s Paw Golf Club awarded 4 STARS in Golf Digest’s “Places To Play” has been described as the eminent Willard Byrd’s finest work.

Wild and untamed, rustic and quiet, this magnificent course presents a lion’s share of adventure and challenge accompanied by nature’s best scenery.

The finishing hole plays open from the tee and then flows through the trees to the green.Golf Digest also declared Lion’s Paw “The best in the Myrtle Beach area.”

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Click here to learn more about:

Panther’s Run was born to be a different kind of challenge. Masterfully designed by Tim Cate, this course meanders through nature preserves and tests your abilities to blend precision with distance.

Wide fairways twist and turn with water features to create visually scenic views. Bring your best game for the especially challenging #4 and be pleased with a score of par! Golf Digest agrees and placed Panther’s Run on their prestigious “Places To Play” list, as well as a “Top 30 in Myrtle Beach” rating from Links Magazine.

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Click here to learn more about:

Tiger’s Eye Golf Links is another dazzling design by Master Architect Tim Cate. Opened in 2000 with 18 unforgettable holes, this big cat is tough to tame, featuring 60 foot elevation changes, undulating fairways, sparkling lakes and a stunning par three island green. In 2007, Golf Digest ranked it among their “Top 100 U.S. Public Courses.”

Be sure to take a moment to enjoy the Tiger’s Eye clubhouse veranda and the stunning panoramic view- truly every golfer’s dream!

————————–

Click here to learn more about:

Leopard’s Chase Golf Club Named By Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine as one of the Top 10 New Public Courses in America for 2007. This par 72 course designed by Tim Cate is as scenic as it is enjoyable to play. You will encounter forced carries, some generous landing areas and dramatic elevation changes. As you travel the 18 holes, you will also notice a varied terrain accompanied by stunning natural vistas. The tee positions will accommodate all levels of play with equal risk and reward situations to allow you the best scoring opportunities. Save your delicate touch shots for the undulating greens. The waterfall along #18 green will calm and relax you as you finish your round.

To book this golf package please call our Golf Desk: 800.334.3581 or email the GolfDesk

Course Review: Sea Trail Maples

The Maples Course at Sea Trail Resort & Golf Links offers a few touches that give it a unique look on the Grand Strand.

Several moss-draped oaks and pine trees grow in waste bunkers that line a few holes; brick and stone walkways lead the way to tee boxes through waste bunkers; an open cemetery is passed en route to the second tee box; and despite meandering through a heavily developed residential community, the course also has a handful of holes that run along the Calabash Creek.

“I’ve seen waste bunkers with pampas grass growing out of them, but never trees,” said Frances Pritchard of Conway, a member of a foursome that reviewed and rated the course in early December. “It’s a nice addition.”

The Dan Maples layout is not overly demanding in length, measuring 6,797 from the back blue tees and 6,332 from the white. And you shouldn’t lose many balls. Tree-lined fairways rather than hazards account for the course’s biggest challenge.

In addition to Frances, a hostess at Papa’s restaurant who carries a handicap of 28, the foursome included me, Pete Veum, a retired salesman from Myrtle Beach who plays to a 13, and Ed Wydro, another retiree from Little River who plays to an 18. Pete played the back tees, Ed and I the white and Frances the 5,090-yard red. The course also features 6,035-yard gold tees.

“It’s a fair challenge from the white tees,” Ed said. “Under normal circumstances, the average player would have a tough time but a good time. The course makes you think a little bit.”

“Which is a real problem for us,” Pete added.

Over the summer and fall, the Maples Course closed for $500,000 in renovations, and changed its greens from Bermuda to an A1/A4 blended bent grass. Due to the increased speed associated with bent, several green complexes were redesigned to reduce their undulation, though there are still significant mounds, ridges and slopes on most.

“I thought they putted well for only being a month or two old,” said Pete, who has played the course three times. “In the summer, they’ll be very fast. They’re much better than they were before.”

Sea Trail also refurbished bunkers with a light, white sand, and managed to improve air circulation throughout the course without significantly altering the course’s tight, tree-lined characteristic.

“You have to be accurate on the second shots on the par-4s and the third shots on the par-5s,” Pete said. “They all narrow down as you go to the green.”

There are approximately 50 bunkers on the course, but many aren’t in traditional landing areas and greens are generally open in front with no more than two bunkers protecting any of them. The course’s rough is not very penal.

“The rough is not too deep, but it’s high enough to let you know it’s there,” Ed said. “That’s the way it should be for the average player. It’s there, but you can play out of it.”

Because it’s a residential course, out of bounds lurks close to the fairways of many holes. But so do friendly neighbors. A bowl of candy was left at the base of a tree behind a home adjacent to the cart path off the 15th women’s tee box, and was accompanied by a sign wishing everyone a merry Christmas. Pete and Ed abstained, possibly fearing a terrorist scheme, but Frances and I each grabbed a piece. “They’re so skeptical,” Frances said. “Some people are just nice.”

The par-3s are all between 150 and 172 yards from the white tees and 170-198 from the blue tees, and holes 5, 11 and 17 are straightforward with an open entrance to the greens. “The par-3s looked a lot alike,” Pete said.

The third hole is the most distinctive of the par-3s. It features split tee boxes, with the red and gold to the left and blue and white to the right, where a pond to the right of the green comes more into play and a short but wide tree that is growing out of a waste bunker in front of the green must be carried. “It’s a different look,” Ed said.

The course gets much of its yardage from the par-5s, especially from the back tees, where they start at 545 yards and stretch to 575. The one reprieve from the white tees is the 490-yard 12th. Otherwise, they measure between 525 and 553 yards.

The fourth hole is a straightforward par-5, while the sixth is designed for three shots. It features a gradual bend to the right that makes it difficult to get a good angle to the green on the second shot, and a small pond 20 yards from the green on the left side to further deter bold attempts.

The 12th hole has the creek to the left but is open to approach shots and can be reached after a long drive, and the 575-yard 15th has a waste bunker running all the way up the left side to the 150 marker, and another small waste bunker with a dead tree to the front-right of the green.

Though the majority of the doglegs turn to the left, the par-4s offer a variety of yardages and looks. “The course is laid out really nice,” Frances said. “It’s not a humdrum course. Each hole is a little different.”

The diversity of the par-4s is demonstrated in the front nine’s closing holes.

The seventh hole measures 410 from the back tees and 375 from the white. A drive of between 200 and 225 is required to get past the left tree line on the sharp dogleg-left, with an approach shot from 130 yards or less to a green that slopes to the front and back due to a middle ridge.

The dogleg-left eighth is 410 from the blue and 380 from the white, and requires a drive over water through a chute of trees, then approach to a green protected by a pair of bunkers to its right. More of the fairway’s left side is open to drives from the white tees, considerably shortening the hole.

The ninth hole is perhaps the toughest on the course because of its length of 455, 445, 420 and 360 from the four tee boxes, and one of the smaller greens on the course with a large ridge separating its right front and back portions.

The course’s first two holes are short par-4s with Calabash Creek running along the right side of each, and the closing hole is a very birdieable par-4, measuring 410 from the blue, 330 from the white and just 250 from the red, with housing on the left.

By Alan Blondin

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