Okay, so I decided I needed a proper map of the golf courses down in Myrtle Beach. You hear about it all the time, right? The “Golf Capital,” but try actually figuring out where everything is relative to each other. It’s a mess.
Starting the Hunt
First thing I did was just hit the web. Typed in the obvious stuff, “Myrtle Beach golf courses,” “golf map Grand Strand,” you know the drill. Got back a ton of lists, official sites, booking sites… loads of information, almost too much. It felt scattered.
I realized pretty quick that just having a list of names wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to see them laid out visually. Where are they clustered? Which ones are near where I might stay?
Getting Organized
So, I started pulling names. Opened up a simple spreadsheet, nothing fancy. Column for the course name, column for the address. Went through a bunch of those websites, cross-referencing a bit to make sure the addresses looked right. Some places list courses that are actually way out of town, so I tried to keep it focused on the main Myrtle Beach area and the immediate surroundings.
This took a bit longer than I expected. Copying, pasting, checking. Found duplicates, found places listed under slightly different names. Just had to muscle through it and clean the list up.
Making the Actual Map
Once I had a decent list, maybe 70 or 80 courses, I looked for a way to plot them. I figured one of those online custom map tools would be the easiest. You know, the kind where you can drop your own pins.
This was the tedious part. Seriously. One by one, I searched for each course address on the map tool and dropped a pin. Name the pin, maybe add the address in the description. Click, type, search, pin. Repeat. It took a couple of evenings, just chipping away at it.
Adding Some Smarts
After getting all the pins down, I looked at the map. Okay, cool, lots of dots. But still kind of overwhelming. I decided it needed some organization.
- I started color-coding the pins. Maybe based on area? Like, North Myrtle Beach pins are blue, Central Myrtle Beach green, South Strand red, something like that.
- Then I thought about adding some personal notes. If I’d heard a course was super tough, or really scenic, or maybe known for being in great shape, I’d add a quick note to the pin’s description. Just stuff I’d picked up from friends or online chatter.
- I grouped them roughly into those North/Central/South areas using the tool’s layering feature. Made it easier to zoom in on one section.
The Final Product
So now, I’ve got this personalized digital map. It’s not professional or anything, but it’s super useful. If someone asks about courses in a certain area, or near a particular hotel, I can just pull it up and see what’s nearby. Way better than just looking at a list of names.
It really puts into perspective how many darn courses are crammed into that stretch of coast. Seeing them all plotted out like that… yeah, they weren’t kidding about it being a golf destination.
