The World Amateur Handicap Championship, golf’s largest single-site tournament, will crown its 2024 champion Grande Dunes Resort Course.
A 72-hole, net stroke play event, the World Am is again expected to attract more than 3,000 golfers from all 50 states and more than 20 countries. After four rounds, all flight winners will advance to the World Championship Playoff, an 18-shootout to determine the 41st annual event’s champion at Grande Dunes.
Featuring five holes that play along the Intracoastal Waterway, Grande Dunes is one of South Carolina’s premier public layouts, making it an ideal host for the
tournament’s dramatic conclusion. The Roger Rulewich design features expansive, rolling fairways that provide players of all skill levels with latitude off the tees, but the challenge stiffens the closer players get to the green.
The putting surfaces at Grande Dunes, often protected by bunkers, are some of the Myrtle Beach area’s largest and most undulating, placing a premium on quality iron play. With distinct tiers on nearly every green, being in the proper spot is vital for scoring.
No matter how you play, a round at Grande Dunes is unforgettable, due in no small part to the holes that play along the Intracoastal. The handiwork of the Army Corps of Engineers first comes into view on the eighth hole, the first of three in a row that offer the picturesque views the layout is renowned for.
After a brief trip inland, the course returns to the waterway for the par 3 14th hole, an elevated one-shooter that is on every list of the Myrtle Beach area’s most dramatic challenges. While the layout’s beauty attracts much of the attention, the fact Golf Digest ranked Grande Dunes among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses is a testament to the overall quality of the design.
The World Am will be held Aug. 26 – Aug. 30. Entry into the tournament costs $729 and includes at least four rounds of golf, nightly admission to the World’s Largest 19th Hole and a gift bag.
The World Am, which will be played on more than 50 Myrtle Beach area courses, flights players based on age, gender and handicap and is open to all golfers 17 years of age and older with a verifiable USGA handicap.
The World Am flights players into 12 divisions – men 49 and under, senior men (50-59), mid-senior men (60-69), super senior men (70-79), seasoned seniors (80+), women (59 and under), senior women (60+), the gross division, senior (50+) gross division, mid-senior (60+) gross division and women’s gross division. There is also a “Just For Fun” flight, created for players who want to enjoy the World Am experience without the pressure of competition.
While the competition is initially what lures players to the tournament, it’s only part of what keeps them coming back. At the heart of the World Am’s appeal is the camaraderie among its participants and much of that kinship is fostered at the World’s Largest 19th Hole.
Each night of the event, the 19th Hole overtakes all 120,000 square feet of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, providing participants with free food and drinks, live entertainment, celebrity guest appearances, a golf expo and more. Among the big names that have appeared at the 19th Hole in recent years are David Feherty, Brandel Chamblee, Charlie Rymer and John Daly.
