True Blue Plantation Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Tuesday, May 6, 2008In 1998, the golf world watched as Casey Martin was permitted to use a golf cart at the U.S. Open; David Duval finished as the PGA TOUR’s leading money winner and Se Ri Pak captured the U.S. Women’s Open and the LPGA Championship, launching a wave of Korean golfers on the LPGA TOUR.
Locally in 1998, the Grand Strand golf scene gained its 101st course as True Blue Plantation opened its doors in the spring, and the course marks its 10th anniversary in 2008. Designed by the late Mike Strantz, True Blue is situated on the site of the historic True Blue Plantation, a famous 19th century indigo and rice plantation in Pawleys Island. Originally 6,842 yards in length, the complex measured 340 acres and was a flat site before Strantz reworked it into a hilly terrain with wide fairways. Strantz based much of True Blue on the characteristics of Pine Valley and Pinehurst No. 2, emphasizing a natural feel to the course, similar to the courses in the U.K., and utilizing native grasses and vegetation. During its first six months of operation, True Blue hosted more than 21,500 rounds of golf.
Immediately after opening, True Blue was recognized as the Fourth Best New Upscale Public Golf Courses of the Year by Golf Digest, and was honored as one of the Best of America New Course by The Golfer Magazine. By its second year of operation, True Blue was rated number two out of the Top 25 Golf Courses in the South by GOLFMagazine, the only Myrtle Beach area course to make the ranking.
Recently, True Blue has received numerous awards annually, including being named to America’s Greatest 100 Public Golf Courses by Golf Digest, South Carolina Golf Course Ratings Panel’s ranking of 50 Best Courses, GOLF Magazine’s Top Ten Places To Play and Top 25 Courses in the South and one of the South Carolina’s Best Public Access Golf Courses from Golfweek.
We’re excited to mark our 10th year as one of the best courses on the Grand Strand, said Bob Seganti, True Blue head golf professional. In the last 10 years, we’ve recorded more than 400,000 rounds of golf and hosted countless amateur, junior, civic and charitable tournaments. We look forward to hitting the one million rounds mark in our next 10 years of operation.