ALAN BLONDIN ON GOLF 

If you take a cursory glance at the Founders Club at Pawleys Island while driving past it on U.S. 17, the course looks like it has matured enough to easily meet today's originally scheduled opening.

The new design by former Gary Player Design lead architect Thomas Walker on the site of the old Sea Gull Golf Club has lush green grass and manicured white bunkers visible from the road. And a 5,000 square-foot clubhouse with a Lowcountry look is in place, complete with a wraparound porch that overlooks the 18th green.

But the course is not immaculate enough for its owners to yield to the temptation of opening for the fall season to recoup some of the several million dollars they spent in construction costs.

The opening has been pushed back to Feb. 1, 2008.

"Honestly, we could open today, but we don't want to jeopardize future revenue streams by making a little bit of money to start with," said Tommy Smothers, general manager of Classic Golf Group, which manages the course. "We want to hold it off and do it right the first time.

"First impressions are lasting impressions, so we want to make that impression a positive one."

Walker's design, which will play more than 7,000 yards from the back tees, features a new strain of ultra-dwarf Bermudagrass on its greens known as Emerald.

"The greens are immaculate," Smothers said. "The real problem areas are isolated spots in the fairways and the pond levels are extremely low, which is not aesthetically pleasing. Those are the main two issues delaying the opening date. ... Everything went as planned as far as the design and construction goes, other than the drought we've experienced all summer."

TPC of Myrtle Beach reopens

The TPC of Myrtle Beach reopened Thursday after being closed for nearly three months for a renovation project that included the installation on its greens of Mini-Verde ultra-dwarf Bermuda, which is new to the area and the same grass installed last year at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course in Florida.

While the course was closed, all greenside bunkers were completely refurbished with new sand, and areas around the greens have been mowed closely so balls that miss the green will now roll into collection areas on most holes.

The exterior of the clubhouse was repainted and a 10,000-square-foot putting green was built on the back of the driving range, along with a 7,000-square-foot chipping green with both sand bunkers and grass bunkers around it. "It was done for use by the Coastal Carolina men's golf team," said course co-owner Chip Smith, a CCU alum and booster.

A teaching facility with two indoor hitting bays and state-of-the-art video swing analysis equipment will be constructed in the next year or two in the next phase of building at the TPC, which received five stars from Golf Digest readers.

"I'm committed to make it live up to its reputation as the best down here," Smith said. " I'm willing to do what it takes to make it happen."

The course is managed by Legends Group, which reopened both the Heathland Course at Legends Resort and Heritage Club earlier in August following renovations.

Building a better tournament

The Sunbelt Senior Tour's South Carolina Senior Open, being played this week at Tidewater Plantation and Golf Club for the third consecutive year, has become a quick success story for its players, organizers, and benefiting charities.

A tournament-record 60 players hailing from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, England, Switzerland and 17 states will be vying for the $8,000 winner's check from a purse exceeding $40,000.

Several participants regularly compete on the Champions Tour, including defending champion Steve Thomas of Tupelo, Miss., 2006 runner-up Tim Conley of Braselton, Ga., and John Ross of Freeman, W.Va., who finished eighth in July's British Senior Open. Three-time PGA Tour winner Gary Hallberg is making his Sunbelt debut in the event.

The tournament is in its seventh year, but since moving to Tidewater it has grown exponentially with the help of Tidewater tournament director Bill Pearson and its title sponsor, Tidewater Builders Inc. This year the tournament will give a total of $30,000 to two charities - the North Strand Helping Hand and Autism Advocate Foundation.

"We sell sponsorships and have a great title sponsor for the tournament. We've had such support from the business community," Pearson said. "It's like every successful venture. If it wasn't for the volunteers ..."

Pearson said he and one part-timer comprised the Tidewater tournament staff three years ago. This year he has nearly 50 volunteers. "We had a meeting the other day and it was like a college pep rally," Pearson said.

The three-round tournament has six days of events. A homeowners tournament today kicks off the event, and a Golf Fest that is free and open to the public will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and include a trick shot demonstration by John Whitty, long drive demonstration by Thomas, skills contests, clinics, food and entertainment.

A 9 a.m. pro-am Monday has approximately 90 amateurs signed up and has spots available because sponsors have donated spots back to the tournament. Pro-am registration will close at 4 p.m. Sunday. The tournament will be played Tuesday through Thursday.

Strand shut out

Though the Grand Strand has 10 of the top 100 public courses in the U.S. according to Golf Digest, no Strand courses made Golf Magazine's recently-released list of the top 100 courses. Several Carolinas courses are ranked, however.

In South Carolina, Kiawah Island's Ocean Course is No. 28, Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island is 40th, Yeamans Hall in Hanahan is 60th, Long Cove in Hilton Head is 88th and Briar's Creek in John's Island is No. 90. In North Carolina, Pinehurst No. 2 is No. 11 and Wade Hampton in Cashiers is ranked 53rd.

Top 100 rankings are selected by the magazine's panel, whose 100 members represent 15 countries. The men and women include major-championship winners, Ryder Cup players, architects, leading amateurs, journalists and nearly a dozen course connoisseurs who have played most or all of the Top 100 Courses in the World.