Golf has helped many who play it fulfill lifelong ambitions, but more importantly, the game sometimes aids people who have never swung a club, live out a dream despite the most difficult of circumstances.

Thanks to the Myrtlewood Senior Men’s Golf Association and the popular 36-hole facility, a 5-year-old Myrtle Beach boy received a wish that will aid his fight against leukemia.

As part of the 5th Annual Myrtlewood Golf Tournament to benefit Make-A-Wish South Carolina, Luca Holmes received a Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World at the end of October. The timing of the trip will allow Luca to fulfill his dream of attending Disney’s “Nightmare Before Christmas,” the park’s popular Halloween celebration.

Luca and his family will be staying in the park, where they will enjoy access to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Legoland, an off-site attraction.

As part of the celebration, the 501st Legion Star Wars characters, who are some of Luca’s favorites, were on-site to be part of the big reveal. While Myrtlewood and its senior men’s golf association played a vital role in the event, they were hardly alone in making the day memorable for Luca and Eli, a fellow Make-A-Wish recipient who received a gaming computer.

Luca and his family arrived via chauffeur service courtesy of Hadwin White, a long-standing Make-A-Wish partner, who picked the family up at their home and provided transportation to and from Myrtlewood.

Adding to the special day, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office provided a lights and sirens escort to Myrtlewood, where Luca and Eli were met by Make-A-Wish SC volunteers Anthony Giudice, Denise Hyland and Kevin Reilly.

The Myrtle Beach High School ROTC presented the colors, and Luca led the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Myrtlewood Golf Tournament was played on the PineHills Course, an Arthur Hills design that recently completed a comprehensive bunker renovation project, and raised $40,000 to help grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses across South Carolina. The Myrtlewood Senior Men’s Golf Association started the event in 2020, and Founders Group International, Myrtlewood’s parent company, became an official event partner this year.

As part of FGI’s commitment, the company held a round-up campaign at all 21 of their courses in September with the proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish.

For more information about Make-A-Wish South Carolina, visit Wish.org/SC or email Kea Wade at kwade@sc.wish.org.