NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC- A forty year-old golf course will officially close at the end of this month.
The Waterway Hills Golf Course will officially close June 30, according to LStar Communities Division Vice President George Johnson. The last chance for golfers to tee up is Wednesday.
LStar Communities purchased the property in March with the intention of keeping it open at least another year. However, when Myrtle Beach National announced it would no longer be able to manage the operations at Waterway Hill, owners decided to shut it down. Johnson said they could not find any viable management companies to take over. He also apologized to golfers for any inconvenience.
Waterway Hills will be the fourth area golf course to close in the last two years.
“I’m a big golfer that’s why I moved down here and to see the number of courses being diminished it’s a bit sad,” said golfer Joe Sheehy.
Sheehy told News 13 he plays at Waterway Hills regularly and the greens are well kept. He blames the closure on golf’s decreasing popularity, especially among young people.
“When I was a young fellow you could play all day at a course for $10,” he stated. ” Now, if you’re a 13 year-old kid and you want to go play golf it’s $35-40. I don’t know many young people that can afford that.”
Johnson said the future of Waterway Hills is unknown, but some golfers speculate that land could be used for residential development. LStar also owns the nearby Grand Dunes Neighborhood.
“I would hope that they would develop it, but not over develop it,” said Sheehy.
