Episode 23: Masters Preview and Barefoot Resort & Golf in Myrtle Beach!

 The Masters is just a heartbeat away, marking the start of the new season and paving the way for the illustrious Monday After the Masters on Dye at Barefoot Resort and Golf in Myrtle Beach. Joining the Tee'd Off hosts Ben and Aaron is Barefoot Resort and Golf's general manager, Dave Genevro, who begins The Front Nine by sharing his thoughts on the recent rise in PGA ratings and the current state of finances and contract negotiations between the PGA Tour and PIF. Then, the crew discusses favorite and sleeper picks for the upcoming Masters! During Making the Turn, the crew deeply dives into the Barefoot Resort and Golf in Myrtle Beach. They uncover Dave’s path to professional golf, how he became general manager at Barefoot Resort and Golf, the ins and outs of Barefoot’s four premium courses and its golf packages, and some of its other premium facilities that are worth visiting. To end, The Back Nine provides an update on MBgolf bookings for spring and why playing in summer is a good idea if you can handle the heat. Last but not least, the crew discuss what rubs them the wrong way on the course and in the pro shop with Tee'd Off!

The Myrtle Beach golf package of the episode is the always popular Barefoot Package, offering huge discounts when playing all 4 rounds! The accommodations of the episode are the spacious and luxurious Barefoot Golf Villas and the waterway view condos in the Barefoot North Tower and Yacht Club Villas! MBgolf.com is the number one source for your next Myrtle Beach Golf Package! 

Transcript

EPISODE 23

[INTRODUCTION]

[0:00:07] ANNOUNCER: It’s time for the Tee’d Off Podcast.

[EPISODE]

[0:00:18] BC: Okay, it is episode 23 of the Tee’d Off Podcast. I'm Ben Clyburn, and I'm here with my co-host, Aaron Thomas. Aaron, how's it going today, man?

[0:00:25] AT: Good, Ben. How you doing today?

[0:00:26] BC: Spring is sprung.

[0:00:27] AT: About time. It's taken too long.

[0:00:30] BC: It has. It is a beautiful March Day in Myrtle Beach, a perfect day for golf, and we're joined in the studio today by Dave Genevro, General Manager of Barefoot Resort and Golf Day. Thank you so much for sitting in with us today.

[0:00:42] DG: I appreciate the welcome and the chance to be here and talk, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with you.

[0:00:49] BC: It's going to be fun. We got a lot to talk about. I'll go over the agenda of the show today. The Front Nine, the world of golf. Let's talk PGA-LIV. I know several episodes ago, I was done with it. It's not going anywhere, so let's talk about it, because some things seem to be bubbling to the top. Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see if there are rumors. Is the deal going to be done? Are some players not happy with LIV, or PGA and LIV players' buddies like we thought all along? We'll talk about that. The Masters is a month away, guys, if you can believe it.

[0:01:21] AT: Can’t believe it.

[0:01:21] BC: We're going to talk about our favorites and sleeper picks. Always one of my favorite parts of any episode are previewing majors. Then we'll make the turn and all be about our special guest, Dave Genevro, and we're going to talk the amazing golf courses at Barefoot Resort. We're talking about Dave's history in the game of golf and talk about the package of the episode. Then we'll hit the Back Nine, spring rounds update, talk about the accommodation of the episode, and then last but certainly not least, what tee’s us off. You guys ready to jump in?

[0:01:53] AT: Let's do it.

[0:01:54] BC: All right, let’s do it.

[0:01:59] ANNOUNCER: The Front Nine.

[0:02:02] BC: Okay, the Front Nine, the world of golf. The PGA tour and LIV are just getting going here, but early ratings for the PGA, I don't know if you guys have seen this, are up. I mean, way up. Three-something million for the AT&T and for Torrey Pines, the Genesis. That is huge.

[0:02:24] AT: Which is surprising, because, I mean, I'd say the average golf fan while they tune in, but we're getting ready to hit the meat of the schedule coming up with the Arnold Palmer or—

[0:02:34] BC: Right. Or the Sawgrass.

[0:02:36] AT: Yeah. I'd be curious to see how much that increases if it's already been up.

[0:02:40] BC: That's what they're so excited about. I think the AT&T was the highest rating since the players from two or three years ago. I mean, so there's your Florida. If they're projecting up this early, I'm really excited about that. Somebody who's not up are the LIV ratings, which they never were up to start with. I think they scored a deal with Fox, right?

[0:03:05] AT: They did, but I can't tell you which channel they're actually on right now.

[0:03:09] BC: Yeah. It might still be a CW scenario. But one of their recent tournaments, to put in perspective, they're not going to get PGA tour millions ratings. They're just not. The TGL started, I think, had about a million the first week. Then in subsequent weeks is cut to about in half. Every time Tiger plays, it boosts back up. When you're getting into the 400,000-500,000 viewership range, that's pretty good for a new concept with TGL. LIV over a weekend of one of their recent tournaments did 19,000. I mean, that's like local news.

[0:03:44] AT: Yeah. Well, like I said, the biggest thing with LIV is it's – you don't know if it's live, because of the time it's being broadcasted and where it's being held. I'm not going to watch something that I can very simply pull my phone up and say, “Oh, so and so won their LIV tournament today,” and then go CW, Fox Sports, whatever it's on and watch it. That's just how I feel about it. If it were a live event, if I know it's live when I turn it on, then maybe a little different.

[0:04:15] BC: They had the new CEO at one of their last tournaments, which I didn't watch, but I saw it on the Internet, the interview, and he was bold, which was good as a new CEO and was talking about, well, if you want to see the best collection of talent other than the majors, is only with LIV. Well, how happy is that talent? Because there's recent news that Bryson DeChambeau has yet to sign an extension, which runs out at the end of this year with LIV.

[0:04:42] AT: Several contracts coming up.

[0:04:43] BC: Yup. Brooks Koepka was seen at TGL a couple of nights ago, which I know they’re buddies, but that's on television. He gave Hideki Matsuyama a birthday cake surprise and I know they’re buddies and everybody lives in Florida. But it's getting broadcasted. To me, where there's smoke, there's fire. Dave, what do you think, I mean, about that? Do you think there could be some LIV defections back to the tour? If so, say they don't have a deal done and Bryson DeChambeau doesn't renew his contract in a Brooks, or somebody else, with the PGA tour would and should they accept them back on the tour with?

[0:05:26] AT: They have to lift the suspensions, yeah, before anything can happen.

[0:05:30] DG: Yeah, they would have to. I think these, what you just mentioned, the visit at the TGL, the birthday cake, those are all signs of things happening behind the scenes. It seems this is always brought up even more and more in the spotlight when we get close to the Masters, because they're all playing together and they all have fun together, and it gets everybody thinking again, when is this going to end? When is it going to end if it does? Then what you brought up as far as the contractual agreements, it’s the first contract, the end of the first contract. If they're not happy, it's a time to change back and go back to the PGA tour and see what they would do.

I think it's worth at least exploring if they miss the camaraderie of the PGA tour. I do think that the LIV tour being so laid back with the shorts and the music and things is a different aspect. But I think they look forward to playing in the masters, because it's the exact opposite of doing that and it's what they grew up doing. It's hard to change. Change is good. Change is good if financially, it's really good for you, but it takes you away from what you did for so many years of your life that you enjoy doing. I can't believe that they don't miss it.

[0:06:53] BC: Yeah. I think they do miss it. I think what has disgusted me so much when it gets to where they're going to have a deal and then it breaks apart, it's always over money. There is a good question out there. Bryson left for 200-plus million dollars. I don't know how much he's gotten of that. Probably plenty. But when he comes back, they've lifted the suspension –

[0:07:16] AT: If. If.

[0:07:17] BC: He’s made 200 million dollars.

[0:07:18] AT: If he comes back.

[0:07:19] BC: That’s right. If he comes back. Is he going to be accepted with open arms on? I mean, where does it break down during these deals, which there's a lot going on politically. The White House has managed to make time to have Yasir and Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods at the White House trying to get this thing done.

[0:07:37] AT: President Trump doesn't sleep.

[0:07:40] BC: And some things seem to be really close in principle. I'd like to see it in writing. From a revenue share standpoint, maybe if the PGA tour players are going to get more revenue share, maybe the LIV returners are left out of that to some degree proportionately for a while.

[0:08:04] AT: They've already gotten it. The pay days anyway.

[0:08:05] BC: They've already gotten paid. If I'm a middle-tier guy, or a higher-tier guy. Hideki Matsuyama's, I've stayed. I've stuck with the tour. Roy McElroy and Bryson's coming back and he's going to be a big name and he's going to have the chance to win big purses for his play. If we do a revenue share deal, he's going to get a huge piece of that pie that he left and got a huge piece. He's the winner. I'm the loser. I had to be the sacrificial lamb and I'm not going to make as much. That's, I think, where they're getting – they're going back and forth on that.

[0:08:43] AT: Yeah. I don't think LIV wants to see their guys not get anything, because they get a deal done, because with LIV not making any new deals, or any new contracts, or anybody extending contracts, we don't know where it sits. Maybe LIV is sitting tight waiting to say, “All right, we've got X amount of time to get this deal done. If we don't, we're going to open our wallets and we're going to keep these guys.” Who's to say the contracts aren't going to get bigger for some of these guys? Would you go back if you got more money than you got the first time?

[0:09:16] BC: Well, when this whole thing started, they have endless amounts of money. But it's still a business. It has to make money, and it doesn't. It doesn't make money. It doesn't make sense if it doesn't make money, to me. I know it's oversimplifying things, but it doesn't make sense if it doesn't make money. The PGA tour is on an upswing right now without all their stars, which I think has been a chink in the LIV armor, or the PIF is really what we're talking about. I don't know where LIV lives with this if a deal gets done. But the PIF could go on theoretically forever and LIV could go on forever. But if the players don't like it, like we're starting to see maybe and nobody's watching it, why? What's the point? The loser is the viewer. We've been losing.

[0:10:12] AT: Has been since day one.

[0:10:13] DG: Yeah. We might have.

[0:10:14] BC: We see them four times a year.

[0:10:16] AT: I've watched less golf now than I've probably ever watched in my life. But it is, we're coming up on major season, so I know I'll start watching more.

[0:10:24] DG: I agree with what you say, Ben. There's certain businesses that start knowing that for a period of time, they're not going to make money, but they can't just continue to go on down that road. Now all of a sudden, the talk of working out a deal may be, because they realize that as you alluded to, the ratings are down, less and less people, and it seems that the pros that are under the bigger name, pros are coming back towards the players on a PGA tour and seeing the ratings going up. They realize what they thought they could overcome. It's not working and they're losing the battle, I guess.

[0:11:05] BC: Yeah. They're losing it. I've heard that the amenities that the players have gotten has dropped, too. I think in the beginning, they had awesome charter private planes, great food and stuff like that. I've heard that's dropped off some, I've seen online. I haven't done a deep dive. There are some cutbacks, but it's just, I just don't think it's feasible. Let's get a deal done. Your bold prediction of the year was that they wouldn't get a deal done.

[0:11:36] AT: I said, it won't get done. It's just me. I think there's too many egos, too much money.

[0:11:41] BC: If we don't get a deal done and Bryson and Brooks come back, or Rom, it's good for the game.

[0:11:48] AT: Well, Rom can't yet. He was the last big one to sign, I think. He's still under contract, isn't he? I think for a little ease.

[0:11:54] BC: Yeah. I don't understand professional sports. What's the value of a contract?

[0:11:59] AT: That's true.

[0:12:00] BC: I mean, it's just a piece – it's worth the paper it's written on, you know? I don't know. Good point, is Rom has not probably made as much money as a Brooks, or a Bryson have yet, because he's just getting on there. He might hold off. But we'll see. It's stayed in the news, not back in the news. Now, it's been to Washington. We'll see what happens.

[0:12:25] AT: President Trump involved. We'll get it done.

[0:12:28] BC: Yeah. Get it done. It's certainly interesting.

[0:12:31] DG: Good conversation.

[0:12:32] BC: Yes. Definitely a conversation piece. If you're talking golf, that's a darn good thing. Something that's slightly more traditional coming up is the Masters. My favorite time of year. It just kicks off everything. If you haven't gotten the golf bug yet, by the time April rolls around, you've just – it's full-blown. It's a good time on the podcast, because we're going to pick our favorites and our sleepers. Aaron, I always throw it to you. I'm trying to read you on who your favorite is. I know you've narrowed it to two guys.

[0:13:07] AT: Oh, yeah. Two.

[0:13:09] BC: Why is it Scottie, or Ludwig?

[0:13:11] AT: I love Scottie. I love everything about him. I do think he's where your bold prediction I still disagree with, of him not getting any wins this year is not going to happen. He's going to get wins. A previous podcast, Ben said that his bold prediction for this year was Scottie Sheffler would get no wins. I told him that was no way that was going to happen.

[0:13:36] BC: So far so good.

[0:13:37] AT: Yeah.

[0:13:38] BC: We’re pretty early though.

[0:13:39] AT: It's not going to hold up. But I feel like, we are going to see a two-man shoot-out at the Masters, because Scottie owns that course and Ludwig showed last year that he could play it. He could very well own it, and he's off to a good start this season already. I do think this is going to be his year. As much as I love Scottie, I'd like to see it split between the two of them, because we know as far as Ryder Cup goes, I'm always pulling for the Americans. I mean, the kid’s got talent. That's undeniable.

[0:14:12] BC: Aberg is about the most as advertised talent that we've seen in the last five years.

[0:14:18] AT: Yeah. He's fun to watch. He’s got great talent, and he looks like he's genuinely enjoying the game while he's out there. Let's be honest, I'd love to see a good rivalry on the PGA tour. You want to create more viewership. Remember the day when, I'm going to go way back here, but remember Tiger Woods and David Duval?

[0:14:40] BC: Yeah.

[0:14:41] AT: That was a fun rivalry to watch. I would like to see something like that on tour.

[0:14:45] BC: How good was David Duval to have to compete with late 90s Tiger?

[0:14:50] AT: He beat Tiger. But he beat Tiger consistently was the most impressive thing. Yeah.

[0:14:56] BC: Great ball striker.

[0:14:57] AT: Yeah. Yeah. I would like to see that develop between Scottie and Ludwig, just have that rivalry on tour.

[0:15:05] BC: Who? You're picking Ludwig?

[0:15:07] AT: I am. Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

[0:15:09] BC: Okay. In a shootout, which would be great. You want to talk about ratings. Those Sunday ratings would be amazing.

[0:15:15] AT: He looks like he's got it, and he's playing well. I know Scottie’s still coming off of his holiday injury, knife mishap, whatever it was. He does look like he – it didn't take him long to get back into form. He's there.

[0:15:28] BC: No. He was about as demonstrative about as I've seen him. Earlier in California, when he swung his club against his bag, y'all see that?

[0:15:37] AT: Some backstory to Dave. I picked Scottie for all four majors last year. I wouldn't go against him. This year, I'm going against him in the first one. Rooting for him though. I want a shoot-out.

[0:15:50] BC: That's a good favorite. Dave, who's your favorite?

[0:15:52] DG: It's hard to go against Scottie, or Rory, and Ludwig is a great pick. I see it coming to Scottie and Rory, the way they're both playing. I think Rory's going to –

[0:16:06] BC: The grand slam.

[0:16:07] DG: The grand slam. I don't know about the grand slam, but I think –

[0:16:10] BC: Well, wouldn't that give him his career green slam?

[0:16:12] DG: Yeah. It would the career grand slam. Yeah, you're right. That's right. That's what he's missing. He is playing well and he does play well there also. I'm thinking, this might be his year. But if Scottie gets hot, there's nobody out there is going to be able to beat him. He's gotten hot on a round, but he hasn't had that two or three rounds in a row yet this year. I like your suggestion, or your pick that he wasn't going to win this year. I think that's bold. If you're right, we're all going to be bowing our heads to you at the end of the year.

[0:16:44] BC: It's definitely bold. People online have said it's crazy, but it's – I didn't say, he’ll going to play well. Unfortunately, when he plays well, he usually laps the field. But it's hard to follow up on and sustain such success. We've only seen it a couple of times at the level Scottie's done. Scottie is approaching a period where he's going to get into a status that only one or two guys have ever done. That's a tough hill to climb. That's why I said that. I didn't say he was going to have a slump. People would consider that a slump, but I mean, he's going to have a bunch of top fives and a bunch of top tens. I just don't think he'll get a trophy. I think there's going to be other people that take the trophy, but we'll see.

[0:17:28] AT: He's coming up on a bunch of tournaments that he has repeated.

[0:17:31] BC: That he knows.

[0:17:32] AT: Yeah.

[0:17:32] BC: You’re right.

[0:17:32] AT: Several times.

[0:17:33] BC: You're right.

[0:17:34] AT: One of those, he's sneaking it.

[0:17:37] BC: Listen, I won't be surprised, and I'm not rooting against him. I'm not.

[0:17:40] AT: No, no, no. Nobody. You can't.

[0:17:42] BC: I tell you, everybody's probably rooting for is for Rory to get a green jacket, eventually. My concern is his, when it comes down to pressure.

[0:17:52] AT: I'm the only one that's not rooting for Rory with that green jacket.

[0:17:54] BC: You're not rooting for Rory.

[0:17:55] AT: No, I never have been. I've been pretty honest about that on here. Yeah. I'm not a big fan of Rory.

[0:17:59] BC: But would you root against him? I mean, are you hoping he's missing those putts? Or are you hoping someone takes it?

[0:18:07] AT: Probably both. I never was a big Rory fan and have anything against him. But after watching The Full Swing, especially when the first year with the LIV and everything going on, I just did not like Rory's attitude. I felt like he took on being the face of the PGA tour and didn't do a very good job of it. That was just my opinion.

[0:18:33] BC: A lot of people have that opinion. Listen, that's what this show is for. I mean, that's a hot take.

[0:18:37] AT: Let's be honest, I'm all Ryder Cup. I dislike Rory just because of the Ryder Cup, too. It's not a personal thing.

[0:18:44] BC: I get it. No, I get it. I get it. He's definitely a Mount Rushmore guy, the last decade. We've had that discussion on the podcast before. I think he needs to get that career grand slam.

[0:19:02] AT: I think the Master, the original Master's meltdown is still in his head.

[0:19:05] S 1I think he's got a lot of things in his head. I mean, the, the US Open was pretty wild. It's the putter. Yeah. No, that Master's meltdown was everything, but he was a young guy, in recent memory, it's the putter.

[0:19:17] AT: You got to admit, too, as a golfer, certain things sticking in your head. Every time you get up on a tee box where the drive went way off. It's got to be in your head, especially if you're somewhere in the leaderboard.

[0:19:28] BC: Especially, those sacred grounds in Augusta. We'll see. My favorite is Hideki Matsuyama. He's done it before. He's in form this year. Just a pure stat thing. He's sixth in strokes gained. Putting, he's 34th strokes gained overall. Drivers a little shaky. We'll see if he can figure that out. But people that scramble can win.

[0:19:47] AT: Flat out dominated in his win this year.

[0:19:49] BC: He did. He did. I think, the setup of that course is real easy, but he played better than everybody else. That's the goal, right. If he's in form, he is. Good. He's proven he can do it. Sleeper picks. I'll pick mine first. Akshay Bhatia.

[0:20:08] AT: You can't say that twice.

[0:20:13] BC: Yeah. He is plus 8,500 right now. He's performed well this – No miss cuts. 14th strokes gained putting, 26 strokes gained overall, which is better than Hideki. That's a guy that I think could sneak up and win the tournament. He's likable. He reminds me of the Sahith Theegala, really likable guy. New and humble. I just think sometimes a smiley Kaufman, or Will Zalatoris, something magic happens at Augusta, where they can be within your shadow in in this thing. That's going to be my sleeper pick.

[0:20:48] AT: Okay.

[0:20:48] BC: What about you?

[0:20:49] AT: I don't know if it's – it's not as far down the list as yours, but, and I believe I had him on a, maybe a major or two last year. Tom Kim.

[0:20:57] BC: Yeah.

[0:20:58] AT: I still love Tom Kim.

[0:20:59] BC: He and Ludwig are battling for MVP, probably, at the TGL.

[0:21:04] AT: Yeah. Rory turned me off on Full Swing. Tom Kim won me over. That's just how I felt about it. I've been a big fan of his since that.

[0:21:15] BC: He's playing well, too.

[0:21:16] AT: He is. Yeah.

[0:21:17] BC: What are his odds?

[0:21:18] AT: I think he was 75.

[0:21:20] BC: Okay.

[0:21:20] AT: Yeah. Current.

[0:21:21] BC: That’s good value.

[0:21:22] AT: Yeah.

[0:21:22] BC: Has he performed well in previous Masters?

[0:21:25] AT: Yeah, I think he's been fairly consistent there. I mean, I'd have to go back and look. But I feel like I've seen him play fairly consistent.

[0:21:32] BC: You've picked him before in some sleeper picks. I don't know if you did it at Augusta.

[0:21:36] AT: Yeah. I'd have to go back and check some of our stats.

[0:21:39] BC: I wouldn't be surprised if he was on the leaderboard one of the days.

[0:21:42] AT: Yeah. Well, I think I've been picking him since the PGA incident.

[0:21:48] BC: You're willing him to do it.

[0:21:50] AT: I am. Yes. I still think Todd should be a sponsor, or something for him.

[0:21:58] DG: I like that.

[0:21:59] BC: Who do you got, Dave?

[0:22:01] DG: I have Jason Day.

[0:22:02] BC: Good pick.

[0:22:03] DG: I'm not exactly sure what the odds were there for him, but he comes to play when it comes to the big tournaments, and he's due to have a good round of golf, four rounds together. He usually plays good at Augusta. I'm thinking that he may be a dark one.

[0:22:20] AT: Will they be calling ahead for his outfit selection for the weekend?

[0:22:25] BC: I bet they will.

[0:22:25] AT: Will be the question.

[0:22:26] DG: You just stole the last part. I was going to –

[0:22:28] AT: Oh, I'm sorry, Dave. I'm sorry.

[0:22:29] DG: Hopefully, they were going to control his dress, because that was hard to look at last year.

[0:22:35] AT: Yeah. Did he have sweatpants, or something on the other week? I didn't see it, but somebody told me.

[0:22:39] BC: He won't.

[0:22:40] AT: That won't happen. No. Not at the Masters. But I mean, I get it.

[0:22:42] BC: Yeah. They’ll send a memo though to make sure it –

[0:22:45] DG: Does and make sure. He can't wear pants that look like MC Hammer.

[0:22:49] AT: You know what? I love the MC Hammer pants. It took me back. It was nice.

[0:22:53] BC: That's a great pick. Statistically, he's not off to an awesome start, but he puts it together at Augusta. I mean, he almost quit golf completely in 2009, finished second. I mean, two weeks before he was thinking about hanging it up. Something magic is there with him and when it counts, he shows up. He's due and he still pounds it.

[0:23:15] DG: He's a likable guy.

[0:23:17] BC: Super likable. Yeah.

[0:23:20] AT: Just questionable attire.

[0:23:22] DG: Yeah. We all have one back.

[0:23:26] AT: I mean, I'm sure there are days people look at me on the golf course, be like, “Who dressed that guy?” I don't have a sponsor.

[0:23:32] BC: I don't know about sweatpants. I love sweatpants, but I don't know about playing golf in sweatpants.

[0:23:36] AT: Yeah. I mean, people wore rain pants when it's raining.

[0:23:40] BC: The hoodies have really taken on.

[0:23:42] AT: We know all the hoodie fanatic.

[0:23:44] BC: Yeah. I mean, three or four years ago, that wasn't a thing. That's been accepted.

[0:23:50] DG: With open arms. It's just everywhere.

[0:23:53] AT: I remember the first time I saw it, and a couple of them were wearing hoodies that weekend. I was like, man, I really hope this catches on. Because I was like, it looks good.

[0:24:00] BC: Yeah. It has. All right, well, that wraps up the Front Nine and the world of golf is a great discussion. We'll just have to see how the pro landscape shakes out with our opposing factions. Then, I can't wait for the Masters. We'll see what our picks are like and see if our bold predictions are challenged with both of those, Aaron. They might be taken care of before we're on air next time.

[0:24:25] AT: I'm sure one of them will be.

[0:24:26] BC: Okay. He says, darkly. All right. Let's make the turn and talk with Dave Genevro and talk some Barefoot Resort and Golf. You guys ready to jump in on that?

[0:24:37] AT: Yeah. Let's make the turn.

[0:24:38] BC: Let’s do it.

[BREAK]

[0:24:42] ANNOUNCER: Planning an unforgettable Myrtle Beach golf getaway has never been easier with mbgolf.com. At mbgolf.com, we give you the power of choice in pairing world-class golf with premium options from golf course villas to oceanfront condominiums, brought to you by Condo-World, the leaders at Myrtle Beach luxury travel. Make your next day and play journey to the golf capital of the world, the experience of a lifetime. It's all just a call, or a click away.

[EPISODE CONTINUED]

[0:25:22] ANNOUNCER: Making the turn.

[0:25:24] BC: All right. Let's make the turn and our special guest today is Dave Genevro sitting in with us. He is the General Manager of Barefoot Resort and Golf. Dave, we ask everybody that comes on the show, before we get into Barefoot, how did you get into the game of golf, and then how did it become a profession in Myrtle Beach for you?

[0:25:43] DG: Wow. Okay. I started playing golf when I was about 12, 13-years-old and fell in love with it. Gentlemen, there was a nine-hole golf course about a 2-mile bike ride from my house, and they had a practice screen and went up and started by just chipping and putting for probably at least a month before I played around the golf. Then started playing, fell in love with it. I would ride my bike back and forth every day in the summertime in Pennsylvania. It's a short season in Pennsylvania, but from May 1st until the middle of October, I lived on the golf course.

As I went through high school playing in high school golf and then started playing competitively in Pennsylvania, playing amateur tournaments and a lot of tournaments with the goal of being a professional, which a lot of us have had that goal, not as many. Not a very high percentage have succeeded. Rather than just playing golf and I got into the golf profession. Started managing a golf course in Pennsylvania. Then in 1999, I heard of Barefoot was being built. A gentleman from our hometown in Pennsylvania was hired as a director of golf, and I reached out to him and I wanted to be in the golf profession full-time, not a four, or five-month job that was in Pennsylvania because of the weather.

Was fortunate enough to be hired as one of the first assistants back in 2000. Started in March of 2000, which is 25 years ago now, and moved up through the ranks through the years and have been fortunate enough to be the general manager overseeing the operations of the four courses there at Barefoot since 2008. It's a busy job. It keeps you busy. On a daily basis, there's a lot of hours, but there's something to be said of having your second cup of coffee, watching the sun come up over a golf course every day that you go to work. That's what, I think, people like myself keeps us going when we're tired, or when we sometimes feel that there's more going on that we can handle. Just the thought of what we do every day and how our day starts means a lot.

[0:27:49] BC: You were there since day one.

[0:27:51] DG: Correct.

[0:27:52] BC: And in eight years’ time, became the general manager.

[0:27:55] DG: Yes, sir.

[0:27:56] BC: That's amazing.

[0:27:57] DG: I was very fortunate. Coming from a big Italian family, we – And where I came from in Pennsylvania, it was a hard-working area. It was blue-collar, and there was a lot to do here. Even eight years in, you're still learning when you have a four-course facility. It's the first time anybody in the United States have ever built and opened four courses at the same time. To be part of that was just more or less fascinating to see all the moving parts. It didn't settle in. In all honesty, it didn't really settle in until about 2007-2008, before I went in as general manager, because there were a lot of changes made.

We started out a specific way, but something might have changed six months later and something else a year later, because the direction we had chosen wasn't quite right. By six, eight years in, things started settling in and we've been doing real well since.

[0:28:55] BC: Before you came to Myrtle Beach to work at Barefoot, did you visit, or play any golf growing up in Myrtle Beach?

[0:29:01] DG: Yes, I had. I visited numerous times. Probably three times. Again, there was a person from back home that was a head professional down here and we came down at Oyster Bay and played some courses, mostly on a north end. But it was a great place. When I first started coming down here, there weren't as many courses. By the time I got down here, I think it was at the point where we had the most golf courses, because business was really good and the destination was a lot of fun on a daily basis. When people came down here on vacation, they knew how to have fun, and it was golf and after-party. It was a lot of fun.

[0:29:39] AT: A lot of those fun places aren't open anymore, but –

[0:29:42] BC: Well, I tell you what has been great successes and opened in 25 years of Barefoot Resort and Golf. There are four premium, only begins to describe it, courses at Barefoot. You've got the Love, Fazio, Norman, and the Dye. They're not just named because you guys like those golf legends. They designed those courses. What I'd love to do for the viewers and probably a lot of people listening, one or some of those courses are some of their favorites that they play every year. I'd like to jump into each course and just a brief overview of each one, what makes them special, what characteristics are attributed from the designer and what you think the signature hole is on each course. Let's start with one of the fan favorites, the Love.

[0:30:37] DG: Davis Love. Davis Love III. The course he designed at Barefoot was his first high budget design. He was the actual fourth architect picked to build the courses. Our owner from what he said, he had talked to Greg Norman and he had talked to Tom Fazio about finding the fourth architect. Greg Norman called Davis Love personally and asked him to give our owner a call. This was a great opportunity for him. He did call and our owner met with him and they hit it off from day one, and he was hired to build and design the fourth course at that time. The other three were spoken for. He was asked to build a course in between Greg Norman, who had built hundreds of courses and next to Tom Fazio's course.

He had a big job to do. I always like to say that after year one, he came out with the rankings and his course that he designed here at Barefoot was ranked number six in the country as best new upscale golf course. He actually, year one, outdid them all as far as the rankings. It's been my favorite since day one. When I came down to interview for a job, I played a few holes on each of them. After playing just a few holes, I love the Love. But after moving down here and starting and working here and playing all the courses numerous times, it's my favorite. It's a golf course that on a regular day where it's a nice sunny day, the ball is rolling, and you play the golf course, you use every club in your bag, and I like that. Very generous off the tee, puts more emphasis on your second shot. Crown greens with collection areas. A lot of times middle of the green, versus going for a tucked left or a tucked right pin is better because if you miss a left tucked pin, getting up and down is really difficult. But it's a lot of fun to play. 

[0:32:38] BC: I love the Love, and that's a great story that Davis early in his golf design career just hit it out of the park with one of his first ones. What is the signature hole on the Love to you?

[0:32:52] DG: Signature hole for me is pretty much the same as every everybody else. The fourth hole is a short, drivable par four. It reaches depending on the tees from 250 to 297. Obviously, there's a lot of people that can drive a hole. But there's a recreation of a 17th century plantation house on the backside of the green, where the big hitters might hit a big drive and land in the middle of the green. Their ball hits the wall and bounces back off the front of the green, or comes to rest against the wall, which is in play, where they're bumping a chip into the wall and bouncing and trying to ricochet it towards the pin. If I had a dollar for every picture that was taken on this golf hole, I wouldn't be sitting here with you guys today. I would be somewhere in a secluded island, probably, that I own by myself.

[0:33:38] BC: With Davis.

[0:33:39] DG: Yes, with Davis. But it's a fun course to play, and that hole is – it's the one that people talk about when they finish the golf course.

[0:33:50] BC: The ruins that you have three or four holes that touch those ruins. It's most in play on four. People love them. It's such a great aesthetic on that course.

[0:34:02] DG: Absolutely. There's been parties, there's been weddings. It's a great backdrop. I know in the beginning when we opened all the pictures that I see from the open and ceremonies of the Love course, of course, they were at the ruins.

[0:34:16] AT: You've had weddings out there?

[0:34:18] DG: Yes, we've had.

[0:34:18] BC: It’d be a cool place for a wedding. What great pictures.

[0:34:21] AT: It’s to shuttle everybody out. 

[0:34:24] DG: Yeah, on golf carts.

[0:34:24] AT: Of course, I guess there is with the road there, also is pretty accessible.

[0:34:28] DG: Yeah, it's not real far, but we've – and they're small weddings. There's not hundreds of people, but it's just a quick ceremony. In the pictures that I've seen from these ceremonies are beautiful.

[0:34:38] AT: I've used the wall before, not with a drive, but it's – I've hit that wall several times.

[0:34:44] BC: I think it's the most player-friendly course to move to, probably, a course that brings me to my knees, the Dye course. It's a beautiful course. It's very challenging. Fair, but challenging. Let's talk about the Dye course at Barefoot.

[0:35:01] DG: Sure. Pete Dye, everybody knows who Pete Dye is. It's a great golf course. It is. It's the most difficult. Most people that come down and a lot of our players that visit Barefoot are playing all four courses, and they purposely wait till the end of their rounds, their four rounds and play that last, because it's the most difficult. Then sometimes when a golfer will walk in and say, “We're playing all four.” “Well, where are you playing first?” Norman is the easiest of the four. A lot of times you say, we're going to start with Norman and play Dye last. Every once in a while, somebody will say, “We're going to Dye. I'm going big or going home.” They want to go the toughest golf course first.

It is. It's a difficult golf course, but it's a golf course that if you play it and what I always say, you learn where not to miss, because when you go out there the first time, you're not sure, and the intimidation off the tee, where you think, “Well, I don't have any room down the right side,” so you aim left and you miss left and you're in trouble. When you get out there and you get out in the middle of the fairway and you can see that you had so much more room on the right side that you didn't realize. Playing the golf course is a big deal. You get to learn a lot. It's a golf course that some people, if they play it the first time and they normally shoot 85 and they shoot 95 or 100, some people won't go back. They think it's too hard. But if they give it a chance and played a couple more times, it's difficult, but you learn how to play and it's not as difficult as it was the first time you played.

[0:36:39] BC: It's a typical Dye course. I mean, they're challenging. I like the way you put it. You learn where not to miss, not necessarily where to play it. That's where Pete always challenges people with his courses is it punishes you for poor shots. An average golfer is going to hit plenty of poor shots. I enjoy a challenge. So many golfers enjoy a challenge. It's definitely more backloaded for the packages we book on mbgolf.com for that very reason.

[0:37:10] AT: Of anybody that comes to us that's never played Barefoot before, if I send them an itinerary, Dye is last.

[0:37:21] DG: It's consistent, isn't it?

[0:37:22] AT: Yeah, I can't do that to somebody. I mean, I know the course can be difficult, but you're right. I mean, even on – I've played out there. If you get a nice calm day, it's a play. I mean, Pete Dye is Pete Dye, but I've had some very enjoyable rounds out there, especially if you get a nice, calm summer day and go out and hit the ball around. Also, to mention too, the Dye hosts the Monday after the Masters every year, and has been doing that for how long, Dave?

[0:37:49] DG: Since 2002, minus two years, because of COVID. Yeah, since 2002. We're looking forward to it. That's just like the Masters, that's only two months. It's only a month away right now, too.

[0:38:02] BC: That's right.

[0:38:02] AT: Yeah. That's a big, big local favorite tournament down here.

[0:38:05] BC: Darius loves the Dye, and his friends. That's a testament there. What's the signature hole on the Dye club?

[0:38:14] DG: To me, 18. It's a great finishing hole. Water the entire left side down. When you're hitting your approach shot in 18 stretches, it's a par four, 360 to 470, depending on what set of tees you want to play. If you go back to 470, you're pretty crazy to go back that far on that golf hole. It's long and your second shot is normally dependent. A long hitter is going to be in that 150 to 170 range. Shorter hitters are going to be hitting in from 180 to 200. Maybe even further than that. If you are on the left fringe of the green, you have one step where you’re stepping off the ball kit into the water. You can't miss left. There's water there. It's a fun course. It's a fun hole. Then when you're standing and walking up the fairway, looking and seeing a beautiful clubhouse at the Dye course. It's just a great way to end the day.

[0:39:06] BC: One of the most picturesque clubhouses on the beach. Pete really likes his sand and his water. But that's a great and challenging course and one that is on a lot of people's annual list to play. My personal favorite, let's talk about the Fazio course.

[0:39:24] DG: Fazio course, if you like appealing to the eye, Fazio course is the course. If you're only playing one Barefoot course, appealing to the eye, the Fazio is the one you want to play. A lot of bunkers. Tom left a lot of the natural sand areas, especially on the backside. Backside has a lot of shorter little dog leg part fours that are scoreable if you're hitting the ball straight. The greens are medium-sized greens. They roll good. It puts more emphasis. I think that course has more emphasis on your tee shot, because a lot of the fairway bunkering is very severe sloped in the forward. If you're 150 out and you're forward in a bunker, sometimes you got to hit a wedge and advance it and try to get up and down for par. It's not an option to advance it to the green, because of the lip on a bunker.

It's a very playable course, fun course, and beautiful to the eye. There are certainty boxes you stand on in a summer, or even in a fall when the Love grass is blooming and it's just so picturesque. It's fun to play.

[0:40:25] BC: I agree. Tom Fazio courses in his relationship with nature and keeping the natural areas where he builds is just amazing, and it's always a highly requested course. What is the signature hole on the Fazio course?

[0:40:40] DG: I'm going with 18 again. This is my opinion, but again, it's a great finishing hole. It stretches out from 300 to 450 dependent on a set of tee. Not quite as long as what the Dye club is, but it's again, a mid-iron to long iron in. Water to the left and again, the clubhouse a great finishing hole. When you're standing on the 18th green of the Fazio course, you look to your left and you see the clubhouse, you look to your right, you see the finishing hole on Love course number 18 with water in front of it, and it's just – your stand, it's a very tranquil place at the end of your round, or at the end of your trip.

[0:41:24] BC: Is that the postcard I see? Is that the 18 on Fazio, or is that the Love with the clubhouse to the right green?

[0:41:34] AT: The aerial of the clubhouse? That should be Fazio.

[0:41:36] DG: That’s Fazio 18. Yes. Fazio 18.

[0:41:39] BC: Literally picturesque. That is a great shot. That clubhouse for the Norman, Love and Fazio is a great clubhouse, too. The Dye’s got its own and they're all within two or three minutes of each other, the two clubhouses. But the one that holds those three courses is a great clubhouse as well. I love the Fazio. I love playing it. I play it as much as I can, which isn't often enough.

[0:42:03] DG: That's your favorite then?

[0:42:04] BC: Yup.

[0:42:04] DG: It is? Okay.

[0:42:05] BC: I love Fazio. I really, really do.

[0:42:06] DG: Good. Is that because you score better there?

[0:42:07] BC: Score better. I do. I score better there. The Love would be a close second for me. The Dye is very challenging. I know Aaron's favorite –

[0:42:17] AT: Is coming up.

[0:42:18] BC: Yup. Is the Norman course.

[0:42:19] AT: I’m a Norman fan.

[0:42:22] BC: Let's discuss Greg's masterpiece in Myrtle Beach.

[0:42:25] DG: Well, the Norman course is definitely a great golf course, too. The design is unique. That's the one thing about Barefoot, each design is unique within itself. When you're playing the fourth hole on the Norman course, you're not going to say it reminds me of the seventh hole on a Love or Fazio course. Completely different design.

[0:42:41] BC: You're so right about that.

[0:42:43] DG: The Norman course is known for being the easiest. It's flat. The greens are very gentle. Most of the time, people over-read the break and they'll do that for four or five holes in a row. Then they'll get to the sixth hole and play less break, and that's the one that'll break more for them. They'll just shake their head. It's a fun golf course to play. A lot of natural sand areas. Greens that are probably the biggest of the four courses overall. They're flat, and it gives you an opportunity if you miss a green choice of shots.

On Fazio, a lot of times you flop shot up over bunkers. But on Norman, there aren't as many green side deep bunkers where you can play bump and run shots, or you could hit a flop shot if you choose. But you have options. Sometimes people like to have options in certain holes on certain courses at Barefoot. There's not many options you have one play. It's fun to play. A lot of fun to play. It has seven holes that border the intercoastal waterway. The views on some of the holes as you're putting out, or you're playing and you see boats going by in the middle of the summer. There's boats going by with people waving and yelling at you. There's a lot of people yelling fore in the middle of your swinging from the intercoastal waterway.

[0:43:53] BC: Anticipatory.

[0:43:54] DG: Yeah. Yeah. But that's okay. That's not a problem.

[0:43:57] BC: It's special for any course to border the waterway, because that is a great sight. Aaron, why do you like the Norman so much?

[0:44:05] AT: I love views. Just what was just said. It's just an enjoyable round for me. I love the hole layouts, the views, all of it. I don't know if I would agree it's the easiest course. I don't think any of them are easy. Because I've had some – I've put up some numbers on the Norman course for sure.

[0:44:23] BC: I have too. I would say, the Love is the easiest. Or the most playable. I mean, I don't think any of them are easy either.

[0:44:29] AT: No.

[0:44:30] BC: The Norman and I have get along about as well is the Dye and I do, as far as the score, I have just as much fun on all four of them. I love the views, too. I don't know what the signature hole is, but that par three is pretty magic. I don't know if that's what you're thinking.

[0:44:47] DG: You read my mind.

[0:44:49] BC: Let's go over the signature hole. Because that might be my favorite hole out of all four courses.

[0:44:57] DG: It's a lot of people. A lot of our members, if you ask them the signature hole on the four courses, a lot of them will pick that. Especially the ones that live somewhere close there.

Because they go out there every morning and have their coffee, or watch it from their balcony. It's a par three right on intercoastal waterway. With tee shot from the short is 100 yards to 203 from all the way back. It's a hole, again, that the right fringe two steps away and you're in an intercoastal waterway. A lot of times, more often than not, if there's a wind blowing, that wind is blown left to right towards the intercoastal waterway.

[0:45:34] BC: That's challenging.

[0:45:36] DG: Back right pin from either tee is then going to play 120 to 230. With the wind, a left to right wind, there again, you learn where not to miss. You don't miss right to the green, because that's not good. It's a lot of fun to play. It's frustrating for some people if they don't know the course, because it's downhill. When you're playing downhill, it's usually shorter. Because of the way the wind blows there, I'm not saying that downhill doesn't play into the fact of your club selection, but not as much as what people think. A lot of times, you'll come up short if you don't know how to play that golf ball.

[0:46:14] AT: Short left. Mm-hmm.

[0:46:17] BC: Yeah. It's, ah, from the tee is so pretty.

[0:46:19] AT: It is. Yeah. Like I said, I just enjoy the course. I mean, I love all of them, but if Dave knows every year, I'd do a birthday round and I've been doing it for, I don't know, consecutive years.

[0:46:29] BC: Inside the Norman?

[0:46:31] AT: It depends, because during my – because I have my birthdays in June, so we'll start – usually, aerification gets started. Some years I might have to move around, depending on what course maintenance is being done. I'm generally the norm of them whenever I reach out to go play, so.

[0:46:48] BC: Well, you can't go wrong with all four courses. Something I want to touch on that you mentioned with every signature hole, the tees. You mentioned 100, 150 yards worth of tees. There's playable tees for any level of player at Barefoot. How many teas do you have?

[0:47:07] DG: There's five sets of tees. Then on six to eight holes on each course, we have family tees set up, actually into the fairway of the hole to make it even shorter for – And it doesn't have to be beginners. They're all skill levels. Men, women, seniors, whoever wants to go out and play the game, if it's new to them, to make it enjoyable. We're always trying to grow the game. Sometimes golf can be frustrating. For us that have played all our life, it's frustrating. Can you imagine somebody that's out there for the first or second time, their grandma, grandpa owns property in Barefoot and they want to take them out there and play golf and they go out there and you want them to have a good time. We do whatever we can to make it easy for them.

Now, it's frustrating that there's some people. There's a lot of people that play from tees that they shouldn't be playing from. It's for us to try to mandate and tell you where you need to play from. It's not that way. Most of the time, that happens day one. After day two, after they – when they go day two, they move up a set of tees, or go to the teas they should have played the day before, and they enjoy the day more. I've had more people tell me that that we should've listened to you. We're moving up the next three days when they're checking in in day two.

[0:48:23] BC: Yeah. Well, I mean, Barefoot, we want to grow the game and you guys are welcoming all levels of play, because the game is frustrating at any level, but we don't want it to be intimidating and frustrating. I don't find that at Barefoot at all. You can play from any sets of tees and have all the challenge you need and all the fun you need. One more thing I want you to touch on is the practice facility. You have one of the best driving ranges on the beach and one of the best experiences, where you can be shuttled to your course. Can you discuss that a little bit?

[0:49:00] DG: Sure. Sure. We have a 30-acre driving range. It's a short shuttle ride from the backdrop at the resort. Jump in. If you come in, you can have breakfast, you grab a few clubs, grab your set of clubs, jump on our shuttle, which is less than half a mile drive. Over to warm up, 13 target greens. We have a putting green, small putting green. Then we have a chipping and bunker area for practice. Your complimentary basket of range balls are included prior to your around. Then, we get a lot of people that'll go over.

Especially this time of year, coming down in March and April to play golf. If they're coming from the Northeast, they haven't played, sometimes haven't seen the green grass in a while, and they need to warm up a little bit. They get there early and practice before their first round, or even practice after the round.

The other nice thing with one side, we have a building there. One side of the building is for our members. We have a nice fitness room. But the other side of the building is Putters Pub. It's a great little sports bar. Brick oven pizza, which is unbelievable. The owner is a great person, takes good care of his customers. He hires a staff that always takes great care of our golfers that are coming. The golfers that are staying on site, I'm going to say, average one night a week that they probably end up having dinner there. It's a nice place that they go when they go off-site somewhere and have dinner. It's a good place to go for to have a night cap or two or three before they go home.

[0:50:27] BC: It's a great place to watch a game. If you're staying in Barefoot Resort, it's right in the neighborhood. I haven't had a bad meal at either clubhouse or at Putters.

[0:50:37] AT: I was just going to say that the clubhouses have excellent food and beverage. I know, I have friends that live for the cabana out at the – where all the carts everybody takes off from. You could sit out there as one of my buddies say, we've put a shift in there, just people watching, having drinks. The cabana, you get done with your round, pop into the cabana, especially if you got a little sunset going on, it's fantastic.

[0:51:06] BC: It's such a great experience at Barefoot Resort. I mean, it just really is. Aaron, when people are on mbgolf.com and they're looking at the packages, let's talk about the package of the episode, the Barefoot Package.

[0:51:19] AT: Yeah, and I think probably what would be considered the most famous package for Barefoot is their four-round special. You play all four courses at Barefoot. Do 1 p.m. round and you get a 25% discount off of all four rounds. It certainly is our most requested, especially if you're doing the four-night four-round stay and play. Of course, with this year celebrating the 25th anniversary, and Dave, I think you guys do this every year anyway, they do an anniversary special, which is essentially that same package, but it's a book early. If you book early enough in the year, you actually get an additional discount off on that 25% for a certain – for the anniversary period, which is I believe, mid to late March, yeah, every year. It's worth checking to book that early and get that savings, because it does book up.

[0:52:12] BC: Yeah, we always preach booking early. If you further incentivize customers to book early with additional savings, then you can't go wrong there.

[0:52:20] AT: Yeah, the anniversary special, which we'll always have it on our website, mbgolf.com, which you'll be able to see when it's valid until when it goes up, and it'll be up until the book by date, essentially.

[0:52:33] BC: Well, go to mbgolf.com and ask Aaron. We are available online chat, via phone, and ask our team about Barefoot, and we can put a great Barefoot package together for you. You guys have been around for 25 years for a reason. It is because of a great product on the course and great people like you, Dave, that manage it and keep it together. We thank you for joining us today. Dave Genevro, General Manager at Barefoot Resort and Golf. Congratulations on 25 years. It's a great accomplishment and achievement.

[0:53:11] DG: Thank you very much. I appreciate the invite for today and also appreciate the partnership and the business you send us and knowing that we're always going to do our best to take good care of your customers.

[0:53:22] BC: We've got so many people that we serve that love playing Barefoot year after year after year, so we appreciate the partnership, too. We're going to talk a little bit more about Myrtle Beach golf on the Back Nine. You want to stick around and talk some more golf?

[0:53:35] DG: Sure.

[0:53:36] BC: Let's do it.

[0:53:38] ANNOUNCER: The Back Nine.

[0:53:42] BC: Okay, the Back Nine. Some more Myrtle Beach golf talk. Aaron, the weather's great. We've got a lot on the books for people playing in spring, Dave. I hope that is the same for all the courses at Barefoot. Give us an update on spring rounds.

[0:53:57] AT: Spring rounds are up. We're still taking bookings for some select dates. We've got a few dates, which I've mentioned in previous episodes that we've – it's pretty tight as far as late April, early May goes. We still got some room for some bookings on some of those, outside of those dates that have been pretty good. If you haven't booked anything yet, it would certainly be the time to do it, because as we continue to see these bookings, the golf course price is just going to continue to go up, because they're going to continue to get busier the further we get into spring. The rounds do look good for the spring. We're hoping, fingers crossed for good weather, like we're seeing right now, to see it flow right through the spring for us.

[0:54:42] BC: The weather just brings it all into perspective.

[0:54:44] DG: It does.

[0:54:45] BC: I mean, the traffic's heavier. There's more people out and about and more people on the golf course. That's only going to grow. If you're thinking about a trip to the spring, there's still time, but you need to pull that trigger now, not just with tee times, but with accommodations as well. Our accommodation of the episode is we have Barefoot tower units and Barefoot golf villa units that overlook so many holes of the courses we were talking about earlier and the waterway. We have from two-bedrooms to four-bedroom condos that can sleep six to 12 people. We've got everything you need from an accommodation standpoint on mbgolf.com.

All of our properties have fully equipped kitchens, multiple bedrooms and baths, great bedding options and private balconies. It's just a lot of fun and people love staying at Barefoot, because it is near the famous Barefoot landing that has so many shopping and dining options. In addition to what we were talking about with the dining options in the Barefoot Resort neighborhood. Definitely think about the Barefoot accommodations when you're talking to one of our team members on mbgolf.com.

Something else I wanted to mention, Aaron, I have seen early June and late August golf bookings, which is starting to become a trend. Summer bookings, the prices are good and the weather's good. I just think that is something that we need to point out when people are thinking about golf. If you don't find a time in the spring or the fall, can't make that happen. The summer is a good time to play some golf in Myrtle Beach.

[0:56:25] AT: It is. Dave, I'm sure you've seen it in recent years of the trend has where we used to our season ended the Memorial Day, first part of June. It has really extended to what I can tell for about another two weeks into June is still maintained, or expanded into being what we call a still heavy golf season for us.

[0:56:48] DG: Yes, I agree. That's been numerous years now. Really, after COVID since about 2021 and even stronger in 2022. Then, also, what Ben said, I totally agree with that late August, what it is, the biggest growing demographic of golfers is that 18 to 35-year-old. I believe, because some of those, when you're in that 30, 35-years-old, they have young families. Obviously, the spring and the fall season is the higher price season to come on a vacation. You come, if you're 28 – remember when we were 30-years-old, we didn't care how hot it was. We’re out there playing golf. They're coming down and taking vacations in August, where the price to play is considerably lower. The accommodations at the end of August, because most of the summer vacations have ended, because people were back in school. They get a good deal. The golf courses aren't as crowded and they enjoy. That second two weeks in August has made a big difference, just like the first two weeks in June.

[0:57:54] AT: Yeah. Even, I mean, I can remember there was a time where our fall golf season started mid-September. Now we see it's mid-August and it just continues to go, because we have groups that are coming in earlier in September, too, taking advantage of the post-Labor Day accommodation rates and things like that also.

[0:58:15] BC: It's something I wanted to mention, because people don't think about it a lot. Summer golf, you can get some great deals. If you can take the heat, it's hot, but we've got a great ocean breeze here, so nobody's going to melt. Just consider a summer trip if you are trying to schedule something.

[0:58:35] AT: It's all four seasons in Myrtle anymore. It really is. Where golf used to just be spring and fall. It's all four seasons anymore.

[0:58:42] BC: It's funny, because you could be up here Christmas break and sneak out a 75-degree day. You can play golf all year round in Myrtle Beach, which is great. Okay guys, last but certainly not least, Tee’d Off. We each tell a funny story, or something in general about the game of golf, or the golf profession that grinds our gears a little bit. Aaron, I always kick it off with you. You have recently returned to the course for 2025. I think you've got a fresh Tee’d Off.

[0:59:12] AT: Yeah. Well, I finally got my first round of the year in. It feels like it's been a long time coming, because I don't think I played since about mid-December. It was good to get out. The game was not necessarily in good shape. My Tee’d Off thought, it's not necessarily directed at the golf course. It might be more directed at local laws, is I'm going to have to determine whenever I play golf with friends, and I want one of those early morning Bloody Mary's, or Irish coffee, whatever, kickstart your round. Got to check and see what time the course starts serving liquor. They don't all start the same time, because there are, I guess, there are certain local liquor laws in some courses. You probably know more about this, Dave, than anybody. I think there are certain licenses you can pay more for. I don't know. I'm just going to have to call ahead and check from now on, because I was fully planning on having pre-round mixer in my system before teeing off, and it didn't happen.

[1:00:16] BC: Dave, what is the rule?

[1:00:17] DG: 10 a.m. for liquor.

[1:00:19] BC: Okay.

[1:00:19] DG: You can buy beer and wine before that, but 10 a.m. for –

[1:00:22] BC: Do you tee off before 10?

[1:00:23] AT: I was at 10.

[1:00:24] BC: Okay. At 10. There was on the fifth –

[1:00:28] AT: Of all days, I didn't get the cart girl on the first hole. We had to wait a few holes.

[1:00:36] BC: Other than that, though, was it a good return, or good first round for the year?

[1:00:40] AT: Shaking. It's probably shaking the cobwebs out a little bit. I did enjoy it, because I got to play with my dad. I don't get to play golf with him very often. He happened to be in town. That was worth it alone. I didn't pay attention to the bad shots of the day. Just enjoyed the day.

[1:00:55] BC: Good.

[1:00:56] DG: Great.

[1:00:56] BC: Dave, what tees you off, my friend?

[1:01:00] DG: Well, this year, this has happened more than in years past, because I think in the 25 years I've been here, this is the coldest January and February, I think, we've had. Actually, closed for a week to cover, because we had snow on the ground. We've had a lot of frost. People in the golf business, we're in early. Usually, open a pro shop up at 6.00. I'm an early riser, so I'm in there most of the time. First thing in the morning, you start getting phone calls. Most days, you're getting phone calls for members booking tee times, because they can book seven days out, and they're booking for the following week.

This time of year, a lot of times you're getting the call from either a member, or a customer that's there on a golf package at 6.30 in the morning that has a 9.30 tee time. It's still dark, until 7, 6.45 or 7, “How long is the frost delay?” “Well, sir, we don't know. It's not daylight yet. But once daylight comes and we see the sunrise, we'll have a better idea.” “Well, what do you think it's going to be?” They're looking for an answer. “Well, I have a 9.00 tee time.” “Well, sir, there's about an hour worth of tee times before you, so whatever time we get started, you'll be approximately an hour behind.” “Well, what do you mean by that?” “Well, if we start at 9, that means your tea time from nine will move to 10. If we start at 9.30, your tea time at nine one hour later will go to 10.30.”

[1:02:26] BC: But we don't know that yet, because the sun is not up.

[1:02:30] DG: But we can answer that right now. If you wanted to call in about an hour, an hour and a half, we have a better idea, but it will still be an estimate. “Well, what if I just show up at 10?” “Well, sir, if we start at 8.30, then you will be late for your tee time. But if we start at 9.30, then you'll be early for your tea time. If you just give us a chance, or go to our website, we'll have something posted on the front page, our homepage of the website with what time we anticipate you'll be able to start.” Now, you know that you'll be an hour after the time that we will start. That's not one call. That's not two calls.

[1:03:08] BC: Yeah, there's been a lot of golf professionals, a lot of golf professionals on this show, people in the industry, always have – customers want you to, they know the answer, but they want the different answer from you, whether it's weather. Do you guys have the special radar? Because come on, it's not. You know when it’s going to stop raining. You know when the frost is going to be gone. Listen, we understand that you guys want to get out and play, and we want you to get out there and play as fast as possible, but we cannot answer what we do not know. We will know what we know. As soon as we know, you'll know.

[1:03:45] DG: Well, it's funny, because a lot of times, it's all fun and games. Sometimes they'll laugh about it. “Well, what do you think I should do?” “I think you should be here at 8.00, come in and eat breakfast, buy a few shirts, and we'll get you out as soon as the frost is gone.”

[1:03:57] BC: There you go.

[1:03:57] DG: “Oh, I bet you would like that, wouldn't you?”

[1:04:01] BC: My tee’d off is sometimes if there is a sale in a pro shop, at least at my local club, if it's a really nice sale, I get a email about it. It's a quad XL shirts are the ones that are for sale. Then I get in there and everything I bought, none of it was on sale. They got me in. It's kind of a Tee’d Off. I don't buy a lot of clothes, so maybe they're helping me out by helping refresh the wardrobe a little bit. Yeah, that's my Tee’d Off is the semi-bait and switch to get in there for a sale and the sale items are not going to attract me.

[1:04:41] AT: They're always smalls and triple X. Yeah. I know what you're saying.

[1:04:44] BC: Sale on golf balls and they're top flights.

[1:04:49] AT: See, that's where –

[1:04:49] BC: I'm beating probies.

[1:04:51] AT: I'm the exact opposite. If I see it, if I want it, I get it. It's great to get that savings. If somebody sends me an ad for a sale, it is deleted. Done. Because I don't because I don't want to fight the crowd to get in there and find a small that I certainly can't wear. I know what you're saying.

[1:05:13] BC: Yeah. Just on the retail side of things, it's just, I can't. I love all the gear. That's the problem. All the gear in the pro shop, all the branded stuff and all the stuff that doesn't have to be on sale, because I'm buying it anyway. Anyway, that's just my Tee’d Off. It's not on the course. It's just in the pro shop. It's really tee’d off at me, because it works for them.

[1:05:37] AT: Because either way, you're spending money.

[1:05:40] BC: Well, guys, it's been a good episode. Episode 23 of the Tee’d Off Podcast. Dave Genevro, General Manager of Barefoot Resort and Golf was with us today. Thank you so much for joining us. Dave, Aaron, always good to sit down and chat with you 23 times.

[1:05:55] AT: Yeah.

[1:05:56] BC: We're going to have our 25th anniversary soon enough, sometime this summer. Thank you everyone for listening, and we'll see you next time.

[END OF EPISODE]

[1:06:07] ANNOUNCER: Thanks for listening to Tee’d Off. Visit mbgolf.com and follow us on Instagram @teedoffpodcast for the latest episodes and news.

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