When you spend 11 years as a private event planner and DJ, you learn a lot about the business as a whole.
That’s exactly what I did, and it’s what makes what I’m about to write something you can take to the bank. From 2012 until the closing months of 2022 I helped orchestrate hundreds of weddings in one form or another.
It started with a set of turntables and some speakers. From there, it evolved into day of coordination. Then, the months-long planning process as a whole. And from there, officiating.
You want me to write something about that experience in the field combined with my years of playing golf in the Myrtle Beach area? Yeah, I got this.
These four venues are ones I’ve worked at in a wedding capacity, often days before or after playing their adjacent courses. I’ve seen how they operate in terms of daily golf management while simultaneously pulling off a couple’s big day.
My turntables have been sold off and my referrals now go to trusted former cohorts still in that business. But the institutional knowledge remains.
Let me tell you a little something about four venues where golf and wedding mesh better than anywhere else I worked.
LITCHFIELD COUNTRY CLUB
My first foray into Litchfield came well before I’d ever played the course. In 2012, I DJed a friends wedding there and immediately found that the eldest member of what is now called the Hammock Coast Golf Trail brings as much beauty to wedding day as you’d expect. The flow of the indoor space is solid, and it’s just segmented enough for a small-to-medium size reception to not feel like everyone is on top of each other. From introductions to first dance to dinner to opening the dance floor, Litchfield is a nice mesh of southern quaintness and day-of-detail.
Why the golf works: Litchfield isn’t going to beat up the members of your party who don’t play as much as you do. Most of your group can scale back off the tee and be just fine to keep up, even if he or she is a 30+ handicap just there for the occasional beer.
PAWLEYS PLANTATION GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Until 2018, when the Founders Golf International crew and I spent time with Jack Nicklaus during his visit to his 1988 design, most of my fondest memories of this venue were weddings I DJed and helped coordinate here. I’d done my share of them, to the point where I could often predict where videographers and photo booth vendors would choose to set up. It’s a true open concept with an entry way on either side that allows couples to join the fray in grand style. (Pawleys top photo)
Why the golf works: Nicklaus’ design is tough. Go ahead and assume that everyone in the carts you reserved is going to shoot above the norm. But damn is this track won’t deliver with the views of the marsh along the back nine right on up to the final yards brining you back to the spot where, oh yeah, YOU’RE GOING TO GET MARRIED!
PINE LAKES COUNTRY CLUB
Prior to the clubhouse renovations, Pine Lakes wedding clients often preferred the outdoor views. Now, they have a serious choice to make most months of the year. The primary indoor space has been spruced up considerably, and larger ceremony and reception combinations who can do so choose both. Saying “I do” mere yards from a tee box also leads to plenty of great photos of brides, grooms and their immediate wedding parties that are nearly impossible to replicate elsewhere.
Why the golf works: You’re already getting married at an iconic venue. How jacked are the regular golfers among you going to be when they find out they’re also playing Myrtle Beach’s first golf course? If they forget, remind them the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame is right over there.
WILD WING GOLF COURSE
Much like Pine Lakes, Wild Wing touched up the bones of a wedding venue that were already pretty good not all that long ago. It provided a contemporary indoor touch to a venue that already included floor-to-ceiling window views of from both the small-party spot in the back of the clubhouse and the larger one up front. Often, both of them are used in conjunction with the other while the party goes back and forth.
Why the golf works: The straight-line 18 is favorable to those who just want to get out and swing the clubs. Don’t worry; especially if you’re part of a wedding party, the drink cart’s gonna be even more prevalent than it already is.
