HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

We're taking some time to huddle around our hearths and be with family for the holidays, so this will be our last posting for 2009.

Over the year, we've shared some super deals and we hope you've been able to take advantage of them. Many are still available, so you might want to scroll down and check out some of our past postings.

If you're looking for a present for that special golfer in your life (or to treat yourself), here's a deal hot off the presses.

Just yesterday, Pawleys Plantation announced an unbelievably low-priced 3-night “January Jump Start” package for $219, golf included. That's a price you'd pay for a stay at a golf resort several stars below Pawleys Plantation. If you've never experienced the enchantment of Pawleys Plantation with its moss-draped oaks, salt marsh backdrop and awesome Jack Nicklaus course, jump on this because it's one of the best deals out there. And, it's a great way to start off the new year.

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And may all your wishes come true.

Santa Baby, Put This Under My Tree! Myrtle Beach Offers Free On-Course Playing Lessons When You Go To Golf School

Myrtle Beach has been giving away a lot this year — free golf, free food, even free beer. But never before has its premier golf school offered a free playing lesson.

As one of the Top 5 golf schools in America, it would be easy for the Phil Ritson-Mel Sole Golf School (located just south of Myrtle Beach in Pawleys Island) to rest on its laurels. After all, the head guy, Mel Sole, is asked to fly inside and outside the U. S. just to impart his special brand of golf knowledge.

But, hey, winter is a lean time in the golf business — even in a relatively warm destination like Myrtle Beach. So Mel —who's always thinking about ways to get more people playing golf — came up with sweetening one of his golf school packages with a high-end goodie — the playing lesson. Similar on-course lessons with a pro can easily run $200 or more. But through February 24, they're free when you book a golf school.

Here's how it works: Mel took his outrageously affordable (and therefore, extremely popular) “Best Ever Golf School Package” and added a nine-hole playing lesson for free. Think about it: 2 and ½ hours out on the course with a top-notch teaching pro focused on you and your game. For free.

And, like all good things, this deal will come to an end. Right now, it's set to run from now through February 24. Now here's some really great news — Mel kept the price steady at $799 per person (based on double occupancy, taxes inclusive). You get a luxurious one-bedroom suite, two rounds of golf with carts on Pawleys Plantation’s signature Jack Nicklaus course, three breakfasts, and three-days of golf instruction at the school. And, a free 9-hole playing lesson by a Ritson-Sole instructor on the Nicklaus course.

Here's your chance to go to golf school and bring home more than just a new understanding of your swing. You can get a better understanding of course strategy and management. And that means you'll start saving more strokes faster.

A package like this would cost three or four times as much at any other Top 25 golf school. So $799 is a great value and a bargain price, laid right at our feet. Don't miss out.

One last thing: this could be the best Christmas gift you give the golfer in your life. He won't know you saved a lot of bucks and you'll get credit for giving the gift of a lifetime. Go to www.pawleysplantation.com or www.ritson-sole.com. Like to talk with a real live person? Call (800) 367-9959 or (800) 624-4653.

Looking For Free Golf? Myrtle Beach Has It.

We're all looking to get more for our hard-earned bucks these days. Now, the Glens Golf Group in Myrtle Beach is helping out. They're offering free golf to those who buy at least three rounds of golf.

Here's how it works: Book and play three or more courses during the morning hours and you get a free 18-hole replay in the afternoon. Pay for a round. Get a round free. Simple. And a great way to double your money!

Now some of you who've been playing in golf in Myrtle Beach for a while know that the free replay deal can be iffy. Most places, you only get the free replay if no one's booked the afternoon times. With the Glens package, your replays are guaranteed for that same day.

This “Free Golf Special” includes some pretty sweet courses. Premium courses. Glen Dornoch. Heather Glen. Possum Trot. There's also Shaftesbury Glen, which was recently named the Myrtle Beach area's “Golf Course of the Year”.

Learn more at Free Golf Special online or call 1-888-999-9520.

If You're Not Coming To The Coast For Thanksgiving This Year, Mark Your Calendar for 2010

The Coastal Carolinas are the perfect spot to spend Thanksgiving. The weather is warm, the golf courses plentiful and rates both on and off the oceanfront are lower than most times of the year. Some families even make it a tradition to rent a large beach house and gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner there.

Take the Grand Strand area of Myrtle Beach. By day there's golf or strolling along the beach, hitting the mall sales or cashing in on some cut-rate deals at the outlets. At night, the theaters come alive with holiday shows full of music and comedy that's guaranteed to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Like things a little more low key? Try Carolina Beach or Kure Beach just east of Wilmington, N.C. Visit the Fort Fisher Aquarium or stop by The Fudge Boat for a mouth-watering delight. Or do a little Christmas shopping in the quaint shops and check out their holiday-decorated boardwalk and activities.

If you're not one of the lucky ones spending this year's long Thanksgiving weekend along the Carolinas coast, mark you calendar and make plans for 2010.

Growing A Trail: Cape Fear National Joins Brunswick Golf Trail

Not many courses are being built along the Carolina coast these days. So when a new one debuts, it grabs attention.

The coast's newest will open at the end of November. The Brunswick Isles Golf Trail folks have already spread their arms to embrace the newest kid on the block and that's good news for golfers.

With the addition of Cape Fear National at Brunswick Forest, the Trail now offers 450 memorable holes of championship golf. It meanders down the coast for about 80 miles from Leland, N.C. to North Myrtle Beach, S.C., through some spectacularly beautiful, unspoiled coastal land.

When you ride the Trail, you can catch a round at Cape Fear National as part of a really affordable multi-night package. Think under $200 per person. So grab your golf group and get organized.

First question: what do you get? One night of free accommodations when you book two or more paid nights in a villa with three other buddies. Everybody gets a free lunch every day. You all score a free souvenir golf towel. And, how about same course/same day replays for cart fee only?

Here's the 411 on Cape Fear National: Managed by KemperSports. A “premium” daily fee facility. 18 holes. 7217 yards from the tips. Architect Tim Cate (think Tiger's Eye, Thistle and Leopard's Chase). Tees, fairways and primary rough grassed with Tifway 419 Bermuda. Bunkers filled with brilliant white SP 55 sand (the same used by Augusta National). Bent grass greens averaging 8500 square feet. Dramatic berms and elevated tee boxes.

Okay. Stop drooling and make your reservation now for a Trail package that includes Cape Fear National.

Official Trail accommodations are available at Brunswick Plantation, Village at the Glens and Coastal Golfaway.

Check it our at www.brunswickislesgolftrail.com

Trip Advisor Brags On Myrtle Beach Golf

People who live along the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach, S.C. know it's a great place to play golf. But when Trip Advisor — a site that claims to have over 30 million traveler reviews and opinions — brags on you, you just gotta perk up and listen.

Imagine our excitement when, on November 9, Trip Advisor released its list of the “Top 10 U. S. Golf Destinations” and Myrtle Beach came in at number 4. We weren't surprised at being so high up on the Top 10. But we were a little thrilled to be just behind pricey places like Pebble Beach's Monterey Peninsula, Pinehurst, N.C., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

And, let's face it, while those other three places are pretty darn nice, Myrtle Beach is tops when it comes to the one-two punch of affordability and quality.

There's no other place on the planet where you can find so many courses on Golf Digest's list of America's Top 100. In fact, so many Myrtle Beach courses have national awards that we've lost count.

But let's talk affordability.

Times are tough. Money's tight. If you want a golf vacation playing QUALITY courses and you're counting your pennies, there's just one choice — Myrtle Beach. Sure, there are other places in the Southeast that have volume. They've been bragging lately about the NUMBER of courses they have. So, maybe you're thinking of heading to Mississippi, Alabama or the little burg of Santee, S. C. But, don't set yourself up for disappointment.

For around $300, you can score a pretty sweet golf vacation in Myrtle Beach. You'll get a villa, golf and carts included. A lot of times, breakfast is even part of the deal. Throw in tips and a night out on the town, and you can have a getaway for less than $500. Now that's a bargain.

Legends Golf & Resort in the heart of Myrtle Beach feels like you're in Scotland and it's got rates that even the most tight-fisted Scotsman will appreciate. Plus, 5 championship courses.

Their special winter package is good through February 24, 2010. You get a villa for 3 nights and 3 rounds of golf with cart for as low as $225 per golfer. They even throw in free range balls and a ticket for a drink each day. Pay attention now: this stay and play special package is not available online. It can only be booked by calling Legends at 800-990-8991 or 843-236-9318, and requesting “Winter Special Code WS.”

Some of Myrtle Beach's best golf courses are part of the coast's newest gem, The Brunswick Isles Golf Trail. It stretches 60 miles from Southport, N.C. to North Myrtle Beach, S.C., winding through some spectacularly scenic areas.

Through February 24, 2010 you can get a stay and play package along the Trail starting at $182 per person. They sweeten the deal with a free night if you have two or more paid nights. Then, they give you a free Brunswick Isles Golf Trail souvenir golf towel and a free lunch each day of play. Check out the Brunswick Isles Fall Golf Package at www.brunswickislesgolftrail.com.

If you're thinking about a group outing, The Glens Golf Group are the guys to turn to.

Springtime means the return of their popular Putt and Party Package for groups of 16 or more. You get a “welcome party” on arrival night that includes free beer, BBQ chicken wings and a “putt for dough” contest on the putting green. The putting contest winner gets a gift certificate good in any Glens' pro shop. Call 1-888-999-9520 for details or email jason@glensgolfgroup.com. 

Like to gamble on and off the course? The Glens is the only place in Myrtle Beach that has a Golf & Gambling Package. You get a place to rest your weary head, golf and tickets to an evening gaming cruise on a casino boat that has Vegas-style slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Poker. Call 1-888-999-9520 or email jason@glensgolfgroup.com. 

Want to hit the road with your honey and combine a little golf with romance? Check out Pawleys Plantation where you can enjoy upscale luxury at down-home prices. Picture this: the charm of the Lowcountry, fairways lined with massive 200-year-old moss-draped live oaks, and greens set against multi-colored salt marshes. They've even got a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course.

This classy place has a Lowcountry Links Package that starts at just $321 per person. You get three nights accommodations, three rounds of golf with carts and breakfast each day. On Thursdays and Fridays through December 18, two of you can even have a romantic gourmet dinner in their plush dining room for just $30 – that's $15 each. The executive chef is an artist and whips up really scrumptious dishes on those occasions.

Find out more at www.pawleysplantation.com/packages.cfm.

Head For The Coast For Free Holiday Fun

It's been a tough year for the economy and more than a few of us just can't wait for 2009 to get on out of here!

On the other hand, the holidays are right around the corner. They should be a time of joy. Time for getting together with family. A time to take advantage of free entertainment.

Yep, that's right. Free entertainment. In coastal communities in the Carolinas, there's more than enough going on for free or at very low cost to fill up a holiday trip. Best of all, the hotel rates are low this time of year. So get the family in the car and make a weekend of checking out the holiday fun.

Myrtle Beach, S.C.'s “Center of Fun," Broadway at the Beach, kick starts the holiday season with a Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 7th from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. It's in a new spot this year – the south side of Broadway at the Beach near the IMAX 3D Theatre. Entertainment is by the Irish Tenors, a group that performs at the nearby Palace Theatre where you'd pay upwards of $30 a person to hear them. There will also be performances by the Socastee Singers, Carolina Freestyle Cloggers and a Gospel Choir.

Up the coast at Carolina Beach, N.C., there's lots going on over several days.

Sunday, November 22 stroll down Carolina Beach's main street and enjoy the decorations, open houses and special sales at charming shops during the 4th Annual Holiday Walk.

Friday, November 27, catch the 1st Christmas By The Sea and the The “Lighting of the Boardwalk” at 8 p.m. Throughout the month of December this boardwalk will be all dressed up for the holidays and free stuff will include story-telling by a fire pit, ornament making for the kids, and live entertainment.

That same night (Friday, November 27) you might actually want to start getting in the holiday spirit at the Carolina Beach State Park where the Light Up The Lake ceremony takes place at 7 p.m. It kicks off a month-long Island of Lights Festival which features lighted displays along a one-mile path around Carolina Beach Lake. Entertainment that night is by the Carolina Beach Elementary School Chorus, plus there will be luminaries, caroling, a live nativity and Santa. And it's all free!

Mark your calendar for the weekend of December 4 because that's one of the best times to head to Carolina Beach. Friday, December 4 is the date for the spectacular Island of Lights Christmas Parade. For nearly two hours, this electric parade rolls by, featuring floats, bands, clowns, horses, Santa Claus, and much more. The fun starts at 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday, December 5, the Island of Lights Holiday Flotilla begins at 6 p.m. How cool is a parade of fishing boats and pleasure crafts, electrically decorated with thousands of lights, cruising from Snows Cut to Carolina Beach Boat Basin and back?

Can't make that weekend, then shoot for the next.

Saturday, December 12 is the date for the Island of Lights Tour of Homes. Check out holiday decorations and enjoy Southern hospitality while on a self-guided tour. On Saturday and Sunday, December 13, you can even take the kids over to the Aquarium where everyone gets treated like a kid as adults and children alike can get in for the child's rate of just $6. There will be photos with Santa, crafts, a puppet show, and a big-screen showing of “Mickey's Magical Christmas.” Even “Scuba Santa” will be in the big tank!.

As we finally get to the end of this year and begin looking forward to the next one, there's no better place to celebrate than Carolina Beach.

Thursday, December 31, ring out the old year at the Island of Lights New Year's Eve Countdown beginning at 9 p.m., on the Boardwalk. This is a true family-friendly event with dancing in the street and tunes spun by a DJ. At midnight, a giant lighted beach ball will be lowered, followed by a dazzling display of fireworks.

So head for the coast and get in the holiday spirit. You don't have to spend a bundle to have a great time.