Episode 26: Masters Preview and Kings North in Myrtle Beach!

Today on the Tee’d Off Podcast, Ben Clyburn and Aaron Thomas are joined once again by Justin Binke, Director of Marketing & Revenue for Founders Group, to break down the latest from across the golf world. The episode kicks off with a recap of the Players Championship, including Åberg’s dramatic Sunday collapse, before diving into the evolving pro golf landscape—highlighted by debate around Brooks Koepka’s PGA Tour return and the uncertain future of LIV Golf. The trio also shares 2026 Masters predictions, with names like Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose in the spotlight. Shifting to the Myrtle Beach Golf Package scene, Justin offers an inside look at the two-year renovation of Kings North, including updates to the iconic “Gambler” hole and upcoming improvements to the Myrtle Beach National clubhouse. The episode wraps with insights on the busy spring booking season, luxury North Myrtle Beach condos at Crescent Shores, and a classic “Tee’d Off” segment covering everything from lost-ball tech and flimsy tees to questionable rain forecasts!

The Myrtle Beach Golf Package of the episode was the Founders Inclusive Package, which offers food and drink deals at some of Myrtle Beach’s finest courses with no minimum tee times! 

The Accommodation of the episode was the fabulous Crescent Shores in North Myrtle Beach. With two-, three-, and four-bedroom options, the Crescent Shores offers unmatched luxury with finely appointed interiors, spacious floor plans, full kitchens, private balconies, and on-site laundry. The Crescent Shores is a golfer’s dream place to stay during their Myrtle Beach golf trip!

Transcript

EPISODE 26

[INTRODUCTION]

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

[EPISODE]

[0:00:18] BC: Okay, it is episode 26 of the Tee’d Off Podcast. I'm your host, Ben Clyburn, and I'm here with Aaron Thomas. Aaron, how's it going, man?

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

[0:00:26] BC: Beautiful spring day.

[0:00:28] AT: Great day for golf.

[0:00:29] BC: I am bit by the golf bug, just totally.

[0:00:33] AT: I don't know if I've been bitten yet, but it is a nice, nice day.

[0:00:38] BC: Weather like this in Myrtle Beach, how can you not?

[0:00:40] AT: Yeah. It sounds like we've got a pretty good stretch of it coming up, too –

[0:00:43] BC: That’s right.

[0:00:44] AT: So, spring golf is here.

[0:00:45] BC: Hey, we're joined in the studio today by an old friend, Justin Binke of the Founders Group. Justin, welcome back, my friend.

[0:00:51] JB: Ben, good to see you. Aaron, good to see you as well.

[0:00:52] AT: Thank you.

[0:00:53] JB: Thanks for having me back on the podcast. This is awesome.

[0:00:55] BC: No problem. It is our pleasure. And let's go over the agenda of the show today. For the Front Nine, the World of Golf, Players Championship recap. I mean, it should have been, but the best tournament so far this year. Can't wait to talk about that. I want to touch on Brooks Koepka rejoining the PGA Tour. I mean, I think that was some of the biggest news to start the calendar year and talk a little bit about live PGA. Is it dead? Well, this will be the last time that the Tee’d Off Podcast talks about LIV and PGA. We'll see.

Then, Master's Preview, let's pick some favorites, let's pick some sleepers, and then we will see how wrong we are in April. Then we'll make the turn. We're going to talk Founders Group with Justin. More importantly, we're going to talk a certain course that arguably, one of the most anticipated renovations in Myrtle Beach Golf in recent years, Kings North, has finished an amazing renovation. A great golf course before. I think now is even better. We'll talk about that. We'll talk about the package of the episode, and then we'll hit the back nine, the Myrtle Beach Golf Report. We'll talk about spring rounds, the accommodations of the episode, and then last, but certainly not least, what tee’s us off. You guys ready to jump in?

[0:02:09] AT: Let's do it.

[0:02:09] JB: Let's do it.

[0:02:14] ANNOUNCER: The Front Nine.

[0:02:17] BC: Okay, the Front Nine. the players has wrapped up. What an amazing tournament. I just want to get you guys' initial reactions on that round, because so much happened throughout the round. I know everybody's going to focus on the end, but what were your impressions? I mean, from Cameron Young to Åberg to Fitzpatrick. Aaron, I'm sure you were glued to it on Sunday.

[0:02:40] AT: I was actually not. I got to see a portion of it, but I didn't get to watch the whole thing. I had some family obligations on that Sunday. I got back in time to catch a good portion of it. But I had failed to see the fall apart that Åberg had, because when I turned the TV on, I was like, what just happened? Then I was getting caught up as I was watching the remaining part of the tournament, but –

[0:03:09] BC: It was really strange. I mean, it was almost like somebody called him and put him in some mood, because he was just in total control. Now, he looks like a default video game person. You don't know if he's happy or sad, but holy moly, I mean, he just fell off quickly.

[0:03:28] JB: He fell off quickly and fast. I mean, he was playing so good on Saturday. He had a three-shot lead coming into Sunday and just fell apart. It was hard to watch, but at the same time, that course was playing really tough on Sunday, with the win.

[0:03:44] BC: But he was so steady-eddy.

[0:03:46] JB: He was steady-eddy. He had one bad hole. He tripled the hole. I think it was three or four, and he just never recovered.

[0:03:53] BC: Multiple water balls there on the end of that front nine. Then they just stopped showing it.

[0:03:59] JB: They stopped showing it. Yeah.

[0:04:01] BC: It's just like, wow. Which is his playing partner, Thorbjornsen, had a million starting out. They stopped showing him. I mean, the final group didn't get any love, and then they gravitated toward the young Fitzpatrick group, which was just absolute cinema at the end there. I mean, 17 was theater. But that tee shot on 18, 375.

[0:04:24] AT: Piped.

[0:04:25] BC: Yeah.

[0:04:26] JB: Wasn't that something?

[0:04:27] BC: Yeah. I see you wearing a Ryder Cup hoodie today. I mean, how did you feel about the vibes going from 17 to 18?

[0:04:35] AT: Anybody that listens to the podcast knows where I stand on the Ryder Cup front. I was happy to hear the USA chants. I thought it was great. I mean, Fitzpatrick getting booed, and I loved it.

[0:04:50] BC: Fitzpatrick gave it a thumbs up, too. He said, “It's not something that surprised me,” he said. And, “If you want to compare it to the Ryder Cup, you didn't watch the Ryder Cup.” You attended at Bethpage, so it was probably not quite as rowdy, or a raucous as it was at Bethpage.

[0:05:10] AT: No. The boos on Sunday at TPC were a far cry from what they had at Bethpage.

[0:05:17] JB: We were talking a little bit before, and I was asking you, how was it like at Bethpage? What was the atmosphere like? You're like, “Wow, it is something I did not think was going to be like.” But, I mean, it was all good stuff.

[0:05:30] AT: Oh, yeah. It was a lifetime experience. I mean, I'm glad I was at the one where they actually had to have some – they said, we got to dial this back a little bit. Things are getting out of control. It was pretty neat to see. It was just a lively crowd. I mean, it was a perfect storm. It was in New York. Of course, U.S. was, they’re getting their butts kicked anyway, whenever everything went south. It was a perfect storm for that kind of behavior.

[0:05:59] BC: It started off south.

[0:06:01] AT: It was fun to be a part of and to watch. I enjoyed it. Of course, Sunday, I mean, when we started mounting a comeback, it was a way different vibe on Sunday than you had Friday and Saturday.

[0:06:12] BC: Yeah. Just too little, too late.

[0:06:14] AT: Yeah.

[0:06:15] BC: Well, I really enjoyed the tournament. I didn't have any obligations Sunday, thankfully, so I was glued to it. I was listening to it on my phone, doing something around my house. When I heard Åberg had hit it in the water and they hit it in the water again, a couple of holes later, I was like, “What is going on?” He's a strange one to me, because he burst onto the scene. I feel like, he is either just complete – There's no middle for him. To be as stark as he is, and so just gray, as far as mood goes, he's either just all over it, or just missing cuts. I don't know. I haven't done research if he's doing any changes with the swing, or stuff like that. He's so young. He's got time to get a little more consistent. But I just thought it was his tournament to lose and he certainly lost it.

Big ups to Cameron Young, because he has faltered when the ball’s in his court to win a tournament. There's no bigger or better field than the players. For him to know that it was his moment, have to do it on 17 and 18 at TPC, that's quite a venue to do that and quite a couple of holes. I see, you're wearing a Sawgrass shirt.

[0:07:38] JB: I do. I've actually played the course.

[0:07:40] BC: Okay.

[0:07:41] JB: Played it a couple of years ago. It is everything hard as a course you could imagine. Played so hard. I don't even know if I’d go back and play it again.

[0:07:50] BC: Really?

[0:07:50] JB: Yeah. Cause I love the golf course, don’t’ get me wrong. It was great. But wow, it is a difficult test.

[0:07:55] BC: Well, early on, a lot of the players wanted – I mean, Jack, they wanted to revolt against the course. He did just built too much of a monster there. How'd you do on 17?

[0:08:07] JB: I actually did par. I think that was the only hole I parred all day.

[0:08:09] BC: Where's the pen?

[0:08:11] JB: It was in the middle back.

[0:08:13] BC: Okay.

[0:08:13] JB: I hit a good shot. But the wind there, it's windy all the time on 17T. That's where Cameron Young shot. When he hit that to that back right pin to what, 10 feet?

[0:08:23] AT: Mm-hmm.

[0:08:24] JB: What an amazing – That was an aggressive line. People don't understand how aggressive that line was. I don't know. Maybe he intended to hit it almost to the pen, but –

[0:08:32] BC: I'm not sure.

[0:08:34] AT: You didn't have thousands of people around when he had brought it in, right?

[0:08:37] JB: No, no, no. I got lucky and I hit the front and I had a nice little kick up. That green is – there's a lot more undulation on that green that you can imagine. I was able to lucky enough to two putt it, but we were putting around that green on 17 and we were putting tour where the hole was on 18 on Sunday, and that thing turned so much.

[0:08:59] BC: Yeah.

[0:08:59] JB: It is really incredible to watch these players come through on that tournament and when that pin is in 18 on Sunday in 18, that location, and to see them, see how they do, it's really cool to watch.

[0:09:12] BC: I think I would, because I'm so afraid of that water on the left the whole way up the hole, I would end up right of the green somewhere, and then I would chip it into the water trying to chip it across. If it was closer to the left. A couple of people did that. That 18 to me is the hardest hole.

[0:09:32] JB: Yeah, it’s so long.

[0:09:33] BC: Yeah. It's just too long.

[0:09:34] JB: It’s such a long hole. It's too long. It took me three shots to get to the green. These people, they bomb in that, off the tee, they hit it right into the tree line.

[0:09:44] BC: Yeah.

[0:09:46] JB: You see a lot of people pitching out, because it's just the safest line to take over that water.

[0:09:51] BC: Yeah, which I was thinking, when Cameron Young was going to the tee, I was like, man, he's aiming for the trees, because he at least wants to have a chance at a playoff. Fitzpatrick hit it exactly where I would have wanted to hit it. That would have been my worst-case scenario, but I'm alive. I'm in this thing.

[0:10:11] AT: He had a great chip out of there.

[0:10:12] BC: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[0:10:12] AT: I mean, I saw that. Yeah.

[0:10:14] BC: I mean, but having to follow Cameron Young, who had just –

[0:10:17] JB: Already bombs at 375. How do you even follow that?

[0:10:20] JB: I don’t know.

[0:10:21] BC: His best shot of the tournament. He said, best shot of his life. I mean, moments like that are just amazing. Someone else that played pretty well and is not showing too much rust, Brooks Koepka, who has returned to the tour. His short game looks to be struggling a little bit. He's changed his putter. But there's no music playing. He's got to play in pants now. He's 5 million dollars lighter. Maybe that has something to do with him trying to brush his skills back up on the best tour in professional golf. One, what do you guys think about? Let's just start there. What do you think about Brooks rejoining the tour?

[0:11:07] AT: I'm not surprised. I think there was buyer's remorse after he jumped to LIV anyway. You could tell by some of the interviews he did after the fact that he didn't really seem to like what he'd gotten into. I wasn't surprised that he came back. It cost him. If you think about the money he got from LIV, I mean, he probably, I'm sure he came out ahead okay.

[0:11:32] BC: Yeah. I wonder how much he didn't get from LIV for leaving. Now, was he in his second contract?

[0:11:38] JB: Second contract.

[0:11:39] BC: He got a bunch of guaranteed money in that first one.

[0:11:41] JB: In that first one. I told you about that.

[0:11:43] AT: Was he in his second contract?

[0:11:44] JB: Was it? He didn't sign his second contract.

[0:11:47] AT: I think he was finishing up his first, wasn't he?

[0:11:49] BC: Okay.

[0:11:50] JB: Okay.

[0:11:50] AT: How many years was the first contract for?

[0:11:52] BC: I don't know.

[0:11:54] JB: Yeah. I might have to – Yeah.

[0:11:55] BC: I mean, I'm pretty sure it was a breakdown in contract renegotiations.

[0:11:59] AT: We're going to need a fact checker for the show, because there's a lot of times we get into something I'm not 100% sure.

[0:12:06] BC: You should check the DMs.

[0:12:07] JB: Wait. Is LIV still a thing? Is there still people playing? I'm just glad to see. I guess, my take of it is really, just glad to see Brooks Koepka back on the PGA Tour. I think you're going to see more people fall in line.

[0:12:19] BC: Well, who's left though? I mean, Jon Rahm? That's it.

[0:12:23] JB: Jon Rahm. Dustin Johnson re-signed with the LIV.

[0:12:28] BC: But as far as relevant players, because I think DJ being, and love him, a local guy, but I think he genuinely went for the money. He is enjoying the money. He is not playing as much golf. He's not training as much. He's just not an all power to you. Phil is way past the sell by date. Phil as people – Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia. Rahm to me, is the big stud that still –

[0:12:57] AT: Well, what about Cam Smith?

[0:12:59] JB: Cam Smith. I was thinking of him, too. He won the Open Championship one year.

[0:13:03] AT: He won the Open and then bolted to LIV.

[0:13:05] JB: Bolted to LIV, and then DeChambeau. Is he coming back? What's up with DeChambeau?

[0:13:09] BC: DeChambeau, Bryson. The other guy. Bryson and Rahm are the two big –

[0:13:13] JB: Bryson.

[0:13:14] BC: Cam Smith's 10 steps below them, in my opinion. I mean, he made some great scares at Augusta. Rory couldn't have played better at St. Andrews that one year Cam Smith played even better. That was amazing. He never got the moment to be the star because he ran to LIV. Whereas Bryson and Rahm were faces of the PGA Tour. Bryson being the only one to me that has improved his stature since going to LIV, because he plays so well in the majors.

[0:13:46] AT: He's the only one that looks like he is happy with his decision, too, because Rahm looks miserable everywhere you see him.

[0:13:52] JB: He does look miserable.

[0:13:53] AT: He does. Cam Smith, I don't know if I don't get a whole lot from him, but I mean, DeChambeau seems like he's genuinely happy when he talks and when he's at majors and everything. I don't think he regrets his decision one bit.

[0:14:08] BC: Well, I think, that the comeback that didn't happen at the Ryder Cup, you see Scottie Scheffler getting emotional about Bryson's leadership. That was pretty telling. The bridges were just all built back there to me. I mean, there's just the bad blood that probably was there, I think is just completely gone. Bryson's position at LIV improved when Brooks left.

[0:14:39] AT: Yeah.

[0:14:40] BC: I don't know what they’re – Now, is he in his last year of his contract?

[0:14:45] JB: I think he is. Somebody was talking about.

[0:14:46] BC: Yeah. Because I mean, I remember the story saying, he should ask for half a billion.

[0:14:50] JB: Half a billion, to yeah, to stay.

[0:14:52] BC: To stay. Because who's left? But Rahm is still there.

[0:14:57] AT: I mean, when are they just going to quit throwing money, like they can't be making any.

[0:15:01] JB: That means anybody watching this stuff? I have never seen –

[0:15:02] BC: No. Nobody’s watching. seen. Do we still talk about it? Because it's just not a thing.

[0:15:08] AT: Yeah. No deal has been made. That was the only thing that I was correct about last year, I think.

[0:15:13] JB: No deal?

[0:15:14] AT: Yeah.

[0:15:14] BC: I don't even think – It was such a big news that they work at a merge and have some kind of joined entity. I don't think it's even worth talking about.

[0:15:24] AT: I think there was a worry about the money that was behind them, but now that they see the product and what's come out of it, like hey, just let it fold on its own.

[0:15:32] BC: We'll just let our ratings grow. I like some of the changes that the PGA is trying to make in future years on scheduling and tournaments, moving around and stuff like that. I think they just trudged forward with that.

[0:15:46] JB: I agree. I think it's fun watching the young talent on the PGA Tour and more competitive, younger guys being able to play, and new names.

[0:15:54] BC: We've had great leaderboards so far, this calendar year on the PGA Tour. I mean, young guys, but stars too. Jordan Spieth is playing better this year. It’s just really –

[0:16:06] JB: JT was in the mix.

[0:16:08] BC: Right. A big complaint –

[0:16:09] AT: He'd been out with injury, though, I think, for a while. Yeah.

[0:16:13] BC: Big complaint when the stars weren't playing well for the PGA tour, and they were still trying to define, is Scottie Scheffler going to be the next one? Then a lot of the stars had gone to LIV, you were seeing these leaderboards on the PGA tour, and I'm like, “Who are these guys?” It's good for us who probably know them, or want to see the young people, but it's not good for the average golf fan that's like, “I don't know who this person is. I'm not going to watch.” But that's gone now, too.

The only thing I'll say, in the LIV conversation is I think we can all be happy that Anthony Kim won that tournament. I mean, I thought that was pretty cool.

[0:16:55] JB: Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s –

[0:16:57] AT: And Patrick Reed's come back in the tour, right?

[0:16:59] BC: Well, he'll be back in the fall.

[0:17:03] AT: I'll see how welcome he is.

[0:17:05] JB: It's an interesting topic.

[0:17:07] AT: But I welcome him for Ryder Cup purposes.

[0:17:10] BC: I welcome him if he likes to play the villain, man. I mean, but he's got to play well. I think toward the end of his PGA stint, he was whiny. Then was a little loose with the rules there. That's all cool when you're playing the bad guy and winning tournaments, but it's not cool when you're missing cuts and just whining.

[0:17:31] JB: Yup.

[0:17:33] BC: Anyway, I think the conversation is soon to come to a close. You can have all the money in the world, so I say, every episode when we talk about LIV, when it doesn't make money, why continue? I just don't see a future. Some LIV people will be invited to Augusta, which is coming up. We'll go over our picks. I'm not sure.

[0:17:54] AT: Some are permanent invites.

[0:17:55] JB: Some are permanent.

[0:17:56] BC: Some are permanent invites.

[0:17:58] JB: I can't wait for them.

[0:17:59] BC: I wonder if they'll get any – was it Niemann that got invited last year?

[0:18:03] JB: Joaquin? 

[0:18:04] BC: Yeah. Yeah. I'm not sure he'll get an invite this year or not, but we will see. Yeah, I can't wait for the Masters either.

[0:18:12] AT: Venue is out.

[0:18:13] JB: Venue is out. Venue looks good.

[0:18:15] BC: Looks really good.

[0:18:16] AT: Let’s see. The only nice thing I'll ever say about Rory, he picked a good menu.

[0:18:21] BC: I'm guessing, he's not your favorite going into the – looking at the odds here. He is, based on the current odds, the second favorite, which is not a surprise. Second-best player in the world and defending champion. Let's just jump right into it. Aaron, who is your favorite for the Masters 2026?

[0:18:44] AT: I mean, how do you not go with Scottie?

[0:18:48] BC: Here we go.

[0:18:48] JB: Scottie. Here we go.

[0:18:51] BC: Is the record broken? I think so.

[0:18:53] AT: You know, I think he's got to be the favorite and why wouldn't he be? He's the number one golfer in the world. He plays great there. I mean, he probably hasn't shown as much this year, but he hits a stride when the majors come around. Maybe he'll win all four majors this year, since he didn't have so many wins leading up to the start of major season.

[0:19:14] BC: That's right. Well, I certainly am sitting on my hands to say anything about him winning a tournament this year. It's hard to go against him, but he has not started as good. A lot of average players would love to start. He's had the year. I mean, he's been on leaderboards. He's made cuts. It's not a bad pick, but we'll see. I mean, to put it all together at Augusta would be amazing.

[0:19:44] AT: Yeah. I mean, he's the guy to do it. I mean, it's just, if it's a major, it's his deluge, that’s how I look at it.

[0:19:52] BC: Yeah. Well, Augusta, you can play if you drive it a little squirrelly, when you have a short game like him. His driving is, I think, been the thing holding him back this year. Certainly, did it to players. He didn't hit a lot of fairways. Pete Dye will just burn you alive. At Augusta, I think it's actually a little easier to play. You can't do it all the time, but a little easier than TPC if you missed some fairways. There are some wide fairways at Augusta. Justin, who's your favorite?

[0:20:23] JB: I think Justin Rose might be a first name thing, but I think he's going to win it this year. He played great at the Players and he had a great tournament at the Masters, and he lost to McIlroy. He was right there. He had the fans behind him. I think he's got a lot of support here. I think he's got the game to do it.

[0:20:39] BC: He's had the chance to win it multiple times in recent years, right?

[0:20:42] AT: He's always in the mix. He's always in the mix. Yeah.

[0:20:45] BC: The word resurgence isn't right, because he's always been solid. But the last four or five years, and he's in his mid-40s now.

[0:20:55] AT: Mid-40s.

[0:20:57] BC: Always in the mix.

[0:20:58] JB: I know. Look at how he played at the Players. He played really good.

[0:21:02] AT: Easy on the mid-40s thing.

[0:21:03] JB: I know. I got to riff the old guy like me.

[0:21:07] BC: Well, when you see, when he came onto the scene in the 90s at whatever he was, 16 or 17-years-old as an amateur, depends on the top 10, you're on the stage. Then he went pro and missed 30 cuts in a row.

[0:21:20] JB: Yeah.

[0:21:22] BC: Then, ended up being a star player. Finally got his first major at Marion in 2013.

[0:21:27] JB: Wait, yeah.

[0:21:29] AT: How do you remember that?

[0:21:30] JB: I know. That's pretty good.

[0:21:30] BC: Because I loved it. I loved Marion.

[0:21:32] AT: I can tell you Marion, but I couldn't tell you what year. Wow. I couldn’t remember.

[0:21:37] BC: I remember Phil was chasing, and he had the chance, he had to chip it in and he almost made it, but it was, yeah. But yeah, he's almost won at Augusta multiple times.

[0:21:46] JB: Multiple times. He's always right there. He loves the tournament. He loves the atmosphere. He's got the fans supporting him. I think he's going to make it happen. This year, he's going to be the winner.

[0:21:56] BC: I think that's a good pick. What are his odds?

[0:21:58] JB: 27-100. Hmm.

[0:22:00] BC: Okay. That's good. That's a good favorite. I missed my finger on it.

[0:22:03] AT: Yeah, that’s pretty good.

[0:22:04] BC: Yeah, that’s good. That’s good. I like that. You've got better odds than mine. My favorite, and it's a repeat for me too, like Aaron's is with Scottie, Hideki Matsuyama.

[0:22:16] AT: Okay.

[0:22:16] JB: Okay.

[0:22:17] BC: I think he's playing well. He won in December, the Hero World Challenge, which is technically last season. But he's driving it fair. Not great, but he's 15th in strokes gain total. He's fifth in strokes gained around the greens. Top 50 in putting. You need all that. I just think he's a touch of class at Augusta.

[0:22:42] JB: He is. He's a momentum player, too. He played good to players, too. He was in the mix. He's one of those, that if he keeps playing good, he'll get momentum into Masters.

[0:22:51] BC: Yeah. I just think that, and he respects that play so much. I just think he's somebody that can win. I mean, I'm looking at the other favorites in here, and I just don't – Like Åberg, he's way up there, but –

[0:23:07] AT: He plays well there, too.

[0:23:08] JB: He does.

[0:23:09] BC: He does. But man, how mercurial is he?

[0:23:13] AT: He had a bad final round last year, if I remember correctly.

[0:23:15] JB: Did he?

[0:23:16] BC: Yeah. Yeah, he hit it in the water on the 11th.

[0:23:19] AT: Yeah. Yeah, he had a bad final round there last year.

[0:23:23] JB: You know who I always root for? Tommy Fleetwood. How can you not root for? He's got good odds.

[0:23:28] BC: He's super likable.

[0:23:29] AT: He's European.

[0:23:30] JB: He’s super likable. European.

[0:23:34] BC: He just hasn't improved to do it, though. It's kind of in his head, like the grand slam of Rory. I think it got between his ears, and it kept him from winning in Augusta for many years. And he was the favorite years.

[0:23:52] JB: He was the favorite many years.

[0:23:57] BC: How about a sleeper pick, Aaron?

[0:24:00] AT: Well, I see a name on here that I'm actually surprised it is this far down the list. Tony Finau. Hasn't he generally played pretty well at the Masters? I mean, you can like the same person.

[0:24:13] JB: I do.

[0:24:13] AT: It’s okay. Yeah.

[0:24:13] BC: You guys are both picking Finau?

[0:24:15] AT: I saw that. I mean, that name's pretty far down there for a guy that generally plays pretty well at Augusta.

[0:24:22] BC: Yeah. I still have the visions of him snapping his ankle during the par 3.

[0:24:26] JB: I remember that story. I remember that.

[0:24:26] BC: Then finished second that year.

[0:24:29] AT: Yeah. Unless, there's something I’m missing. I mean, has he got an injury, or is there something I don't know about?

[0:24:34] JB: He just hasn’t been playing well.

[0:24:37] AT: I don't pretend to act like I know everything going on in the golf world, but I think that was – I mean, that's fairly low for him, down the list.

[0:24:44] BC: Well, he was in that LIV rumor mill in the fall. Then something come out about fraud, or something in his family, or something?

[0:24:54] AT: Not that I know of. Unless, I –

[0:24:55] JB: I don't know.

[0:24:56] BC: I don't want to put that out.

[0:24:57] AT: Are you reading out on X?

[0:24:58] BC: Yeah. I don't want to put that out there. I don't know. I didn't know if he maybe had some personal stuff.

[0:25:03] AT: Everything I read on X, I actually have to go research it, because I don't believe anything anymore.

[0:25:07] JB: Yeah. It's hard to believe anything anymore.

[0:25:10] BC: Has Finau been relevant and recently though?

[0:25:15] AT: I mean –

[0:25:16] JB: I don't think he's been in the mix in any tournament.

[0:25:20] AT: I haven't seen his name on the leaderboard. But just from a –

[0:25:24] BC: He’s a Jordan guy now.

[0:25:24] AT: Yeah, from an instinct standpoint, I feel like he's always played very well at the Masters. I think from where he's projected, I think that would be considered a sleeper.

[0:25:35] JB: I think so, too.

[0:25:35] BC: I mean, it's good value. Yeah. I mean, because the people that he's amongst. Sergio is a past champion. And Phil is a past champion. But everyone else.

[0:25:46] AT: I mean, just above them. Sam Burns, Adam Scott. Adam Scott's good for, you know.

[0:25:51] JB: He's good value.

[0:25:52] AT: Yeah.

[0:25:52] BC: Yeah. Mine's on that page. Mine's plus 7,000. I'm going to take Max Homa.

[0:25:59] AT: Okay.

[0:25:59] BC: He is above average in about every recordable stat right now. He's got one missed cut. But he's played well. He's trending pretty well. He's a guy that had no game a couple of years ago. I mean, he tweets about it all the time. He was like, “Man, should I quit?” Then finished second that year. He's a guy that cannot know what's going on, driving up down Magnolia Lane and hitting the range and put it together. To me, he's my sleeper pick, and if the fans will get behind him.

[0:26:34] JB: Yeah, they will.

[0:26:37] BC: I watched TGL last week, he's having fun.

[0:26:43] AT: Yeah. That's a key par.

[0:26:46] JB: That’s a key par.

[0:26:46] BC: Yeah. He's loose.

[0:26:47] JB: He’s loose.

[0:26:48] BC: I don't think. Even when he's not loose, he's got his heart on his sleeve on X and stuff like that. Anyway, he's my sleeper pick. There's a lot in here. I mean, Will Zalatoris has got the same odds he does. You can't bet on somebody like that with the injuries he's had.

[0:27:04] JB: With the injury.

[0:27:05] AT: I haven’t seen him. Yeah. I haven't really seen him do much.

[0:27:08] BC: The backstop.

[0:27:09] JB: Backstop, that's what it was.

[0:27:10] BC: Which is a shame, because I think –

[0:27:12] AT: He was young when all that started.

[0:27:14] BC: Yeah. I think he was built for Augusta, really. I mean, as far as ball striking and just how pure he was, and I just don't see it.

[0:27:23] AT: I mean, he can find it again.

[0:27:24] JB: He can find it again.

[0:27:24] AT: I’m sure. He had it once. I'm sure he can find it again.

[0:27:27] BC: We'll see. Not to belabor the social media stuff. Y'all think Tiger’s going to play? You see the recent stuff on the Master's app, it says that he's making his so-and-so appearance this year at the, what was it? 26th appearance?

[0:27:45] JB: 26th. His plane was spotted at the Augusta airport.

[0:27:50] BC: Yeah. But see, he's open in the patch.

[0:27:53] JB: Oh, that's right. Yeah.

[0:27:55] BC: That's the reason he's there.

[0:27:56] JB: That's right.

[0:27:58] BC: Then, which, is the Augusta Muni area. Then the app says, invitees. I don't think it says players. But yeah, he's an invitee. But isn't there a deadline?

[0:28:11] JB: There is a deadline to accept.

[0:28:12] BC: To register?

[0:28:13] JB: Yeah. Invitation.

[0:28:14] AT: Which I would think you're probably about at that by now.

[0:28:18] BC: Yeah. Well, cause you got to give the alternates a chance.

[0:28:20] AT: Maybe he's going to substitute for somebody on the ceremonial tee off this year.

[0:28:26] BC: Him?

[0:28:27] AT: It's not his time yet.

[0:28:28] JB: It's not his time yet.

[0:28:28] BC: No way. I don't think he'll ever do it.

[0:28:31] AT: Oh, I think he will. Yeah. I think he will.

[0:28:34] BC: I don't think he's about the pomp and circumstance.

[0:28:36] AT: Jack is the greatest golfer of all time. Jack's there every year. I think, Tiger feels the same way about the game of golf as Jack does. I think Tiger will be there every year, and is over the years.

[0:28:48] BC: Well, I like that point. Not to throw some morbidity into it, but it will be to replace him.

[0:28:56] AT: If you're going to accept one, let's talk about a passing the torch.

[0:28:59] JB: That’s exactly that.

[0:29:00] BC: He'll either do it at his death, or when Arnie sat in a chair one year, where he passed away and didn't head. He was just there. If Jack asks him, he'll do it. But, yeah. Maybe. It's hard for me to put –

[0:29:14] AT: I’m not ready to have that conversation.

[0:29:15] BC: He’s 50.

[0:29:17] AT: Yeah. I'm not ready to have that conversation.

[0:29:18] BC: Let’s talk about Justin Rose being ancient at 45, or something, you know what I’m saying? Tiger's only 50. You can tell, I'm a Tiger Woods fan, but I don't think he's going to play.

[0:29:26] AT: Oh, I was just kind of –

[0:29:28] JB: I don't know. I think he will.

[0:29:30] BC: You think he's going to play? He's not even going to be playing in the TGL final next week.

[0:29:34] AT: Yeah. But if there's a course that he knows his way around, he doesn't need – I mean, he doesn't need practice rounds in Augusta.

[0:29:40] BC: But I think it's – can he walk 18 holes?

[0:29:42] JB: That's the thing. If he could just –

[0:29:44] BC: Four days in a row.

[0:29:45] JB: - make that walk.

[0:29:46] AT: I don't know. I don't think he's going to play.

[0:29:49] BC: I don't think so either.

[0:29:50] AT: But I think he likes to have that suspense of whether he's going to play or not, if I were him.

[0:29:53] BC: Oh, yeah. Well, it keeps him relevant.

[0:29:55] AT: I’ll find the flattest course on tour for my return. That's what I would do. Not Augusta. I would find someplace nice and flat to walk, and dry.

[0:30:06] BC: That's his problem, because he's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't, because he needs more rounds to be competitive. But he's not healthy enough to play the round, so then he has to tuck in and play only in the big tournaments, which is virtually impossible to be competitive. Even though he can play Augusta, probably left-handed. I don't think he's going to play. I'd love for him to play.

[0:30:28] JB: I would too. He hasn't said no yet, so –

[0:30:32] BC: No.

[0:30:33] JB: Hold on to hope.

[0:30:34] BC: I bet he's still working, trying.

[0:30:35] JB: Yeah. I bet. I bet.

[0:30:37] BC: We'll see. Well, those are good picks, guys. Let's go a little bit north of Augusta and land in Myrtle Beach and talk some Myrtle Beach golf.

[0:30:46] AT: All right.

[0:30:47] BC: You all ready?

[0:30:47] AT: Yeah.

[0:30:48] JB: Cool.

[BREAK]

[0:30:51] ANNOUNCER: From tee to green, sun to sand, and the laughs in between, Myrtle Beach is the ultimate golf destination, with tee times deals for nearly 80 premium courses, and exclusive access to the best accommodations. Plan your next golf trip at mbgolf.com. Love when you play.

[EPISODE CONTINUED]

[0:31:22] ANNOUNCER: Making the turn.

[0:31:24] BC: All right, making the turn. We are joined in the studio by Justin Binke, Director of Marketing and Revenue of the Founders Group of Courses. Justin, thanks so much for coming back on the show. For viewers who didn't see you on the last episode, give us a rundown of very special collection of courses, that is the Founders Group in Myrtle Beach.

[0:31:45] JB: Absolutely, Ben. It's a pleasure to be back again. Thank you again for the invite. Founders Group Golf Courses, we're a collection of 21 golf courses, ranging from up and down the whole entire grand strand. We got courses in Long's, North Myrtle Beach, like Long Bay, Aberdeen, River Hills, and we have a collection of seven courses on the south end, all the way down to Pawley's, of course, Georgetown. We have Pawley’s Plantation, Willbrook River Club, Tradition Club. In the middle, we have a bunch as well. It's a great collection of golf courses here in Myrtle Beach, and we really look forward to the spring season, and it's going to be a great year for Myrtle Beach golf for sure.

[0:32:25] BC: Well, you've definitely got some highlight courses that, and Aaron can attest to that when golfers call, or email mbgolf.com, and they want to plan their golf trip to Myrtle Beach, a lot of those courses check the boxes. There's one in particular that – one of many, but there's one in particular I want to talk about today. Multiple months have gone by, and the meat, y'all have done a great job in the media, because I think the renovation at Kings North, Arnold Palmer course, has been one of the most anticipated renovations, maybe in Myrtle Beach golf history, at least in recent history. What has been completed at Kings North in the last year?

[0:33:14] JB: Yeah. We've been really excited. It's actually been two years. We've now –

[0:33:19] BC: Has it been two years?

[0:33:21] JB: Two years, if you can imagine.

[0:33:21] BC: Wow. Time has flown by.

[0:33:24] JB: It feels like yesterday. In 2024, summer 24, we did the front nine, and we did – we changed some holes a little bit, got some native grasses and got some more trees and opened up some areas, brand new greens, reshaped greens back to the original sizes, and we did all the bunkers, shaped, and actually, we did the car pass, too, on the front nine. That was just the summer. We just focused the whole summer, we closed down, and just did nine holes.

Now last year, the summer 2025, we did the back nine. It was a two-part series. Front nine, then the back nine. We finished the back nine last summer, and we reopened on, I think it was October 10th, with the whole course this past fall fully renovated.

[0:34:11] BC: Wow. Now so Arnold Palmer Group, how were they involved with the renovation?

[0:34:20] JB: Yeah. No, that's a great question, too. We contracted Brandon Johnston, and he is the architect that actually works with Arnold Palmer Group. He actually worked on Arnold Palmer's team way back in the day on some remodels at certain courses that Palmer has done. We had a strong connection with Brandon Johnston to come back and redo and reimagine, if you will, King's North with the current layout. Arnold Palmer had it laid out. He took, Brandon Johnston, took his way and shape and feel, and redid a lot of the greens and bunkers, but kept it really true to the original design as well.

[0:35:02] BC: Yeah, so a little bit of modernization, but keeping it true to the touches that Palmer.

[0:35:08] JB: Absolutely.

[0:35:07] BC: You don't want to mess that up. Always one of the favorite holes in Myrtle Beach is The Gambler.

[0:35:16] AT: Oh, yeah.

[0:35:17] BC: Were there any major changes to The Gambler?

[0:35:19] JB: Actually, yeah. The Gambler, so we actually, on the right-hand side, so you can go if you're bold enough, you can go for the island green, which we just made the past to the island a little bit better. Redid the bridge work there. As the island green still exists, that's the same. If you want to go around the island to the par five, those bunkers we changed up a little bit and made them separate bunkers, when they're all just one bunker on the right-hand side. Now they're separate. There's three separate bunkers on the right. Then as you go to the green, we opened up the green and made it a little bit more flatter. If you're on the island and you try to hit towards the green, it would actually hold them. Before, it was sloped back to front. We make it a little more easier.

The behind the green, we actually put a little bit more dirt, so make it like a backdrop. If you overshoot the green, then you have a really good potential of hitting past the green and have it bounce, stop right there, versus roll off, or go into the water in the left. We made a little bit more friendlier to hit into, but believe me, the challenge is still there.

[0:36:29] AT: Well, you still got to get over the water. That's the catch, which I didn't when I played out there recently.

[0:36:34] BC: Yes. Aaron, our resident player, give me your impressions of the new King's North.

[0:36:41] AT: I loved it, from beginning to end. I mean, I was a huge fan of the original, what the course was before they had redone it. To be able to go back out and see the changes, it just made me a bigger fan of the course. I really enjoyed it. Like I said, the gambler, I always hit for the fairway. 

[0:37:03] JB: Got to go for it.

[0:37:04] AT: Yeah, I never layup. And I did. I hit The Gambler that day, but shot number two was not that good. I didn't get to experience the thrill of landing it on the green. I was a little short. But yeah, everything, I mean, the greens, they rolled true. Just everything I remember about the course is still there. It's just updated. It was a great day, I mean, to be out there and enjoy it. I mean, like I said, it's topnotch what they did.

[0:37:35] BC: Yes. Remind me what greens are out there at King's North.

[0:37:39] JB: It's tefigo.

[0:37:40] BC: Okay. Awesome. Well, how are bookings looking?

[0:37:44] JB: Bookings are looking good. Obviously, King's North now fully renovated is been a popular, popular golf course for a popular request. We have a busy spring there. The other two courses at Myrtle Beach National as well, the South, Greek and West course, they've been busy, too. The whole facility has been really rocking. And just spring off in general, Ben, it's been looking really good.

[0:38:08] BC: Well, the weather has turned now to be great. The winter, we had some snow. I don't want to go backwards, but how did y'all manage the little bit colder winter than we're used to?

[0:38:24] JB: It was a cold winter. Hopefully, we don't have a cold winter again. But actually, it wasn't that bad for the grass and growing. We did have snow. We had one good snow.

[0:38:36] BC: You tell me. Second most since the eighties.

[0:38:39] JB: Yeah. Actually, the snow, we had to cover, I think twice we had to cover the greens. With that big storm with the snow, actually we were really hoping it would snow, because that snow actually helps the greens when we have the covers on them, because they'll actually inflate the greens themselves. It's like a cushion above. It'll keep them warmer with the snow on top.

[0:39:02] BC: Okay. Some insulation there.

[0:39:03] JB: Insulation. Yes, correct.

[0:39:05] AT: I remember seeing that when, because you would let us know about the status of the courses with the snow and everything. I remember seeing that info, which I thought was really interesting that the the cover with the snow on it was actually really good for the greens. I love that.

[0:39:19] JB: Yeah. Insulate. It really does. When they take off the covers, it actually is in better shape when we put the covers first on. It's just bright green. It looks really nice, because then cover stays warm, and you take them off, it’s like, ooh, that looks actually pretty good.

[0:39:39] BC: You cover them when there's going to be a certain amount of hours under 30 degrees, or something like that?

[0:39:46] JB: Yeah. If it goes below freezing for a duration of time, then that's when we got to bring the covers up.

[0:39:52] BC: I don't want to go backwards again, but I remember several years ago, pre-pandemic. I think we've made strides. One, I think the investment in the courses has been amazing in recent years. I think that the care has improved because of that, and probably because of technology and things like that. Several years ago, we had a tough winter, and ended up affecting the spring, because I don't know if it was root rot or something, but a lot of the courses were impacted. I don't know if it's because we were caught on our heels, or if maintenance has improved. Every time I hear about a bad winter, I think about that. Every person we have on the show is like, “No, that's not like that anymore. We've maintained it like this, and it comes out better than it was before.”

[0:40:42] AT: Well, I think too, a lot of, which the Myrtle Beach golf area learned from that winter was a lot of people have replaced greens, and the grass is more tolerable and things like that. I mean, I'm no agronomy expert by any means, but at least from what I've gathered talking to people, like the people that have updated their courses, or redone their greens, they put in grass that it's just more tolerable to the temperature. I don't think it's much of a concern anymore for most of the courses.

[0:41:13] JB: No, it hasn't. We didn't have the covers like we had before. That was a huge investment on our part. I'm glad you brought up, Ben, just the reinvesting in the golf courses, because a lot of courses have been doing that. Whether it's clubhouses or golf courses itself, especially it's been great. That helps. It was after that bad year where we got the – it is root rot, and it just kills the greens. Because the greens, the grass is exposed for X amount of time in 20-degree weather. It just stays at a 20-degree weather, then that grass doesn't grow. The root actually dies. We got all covers for every golf course, and it's not cheap. It was investment on our part, but I'm glad we did it, because that's why we've been able to continue the conditions we have today and get through these winters with covers like that.

[0:42:01] BC: Yeah. You're not alone, and Founders is not alone. I mean, all over the beach. I think during that last period, I mean, this is probably coming, coming on 10 years ago, almost now. There was a pretty defined cream of the crop courses, bottom level courses. Then in the middle, whereas the lower level has con, all these courses are great now. We're talking about great renovations and new club houses and stuff that, which is fantastic, but the investment in the covers, which is, probably a six-figure investment and in equipment and stuff like that, the stuff that the golfers don't see and they don't think about when they book is a huge reason why the course is green and rolling true in the peak season.

[0:42:47] AT: Yeah.

[0:42:49] BC: I always like to talk a little bit of shop about that, because it's –

[0:42:51] JB: Yeah. That’s the point.

[0:42:53] BC: - it's fascinating. I'm not a weather bug, but when I saw seven inches of snow, I was like, “Oh, my God. What does this mean?” But no fear. I mean, Justin, you're like everyone else that comes in here, when I talk about a bad winter. They're like, “No, man. We got this.”

[0:43:10] JB: It was cold and I'm glad it's warmer now.

[0:43:14] BC: Yeah. For sure.

[0:43:15] AT: That was the only negative to the snow, which was the cold temperatures hung around longer than usual. Usually, we have snow and it's gone within a day. We had a little cold snap that it hung around for a few days.

[0:43:27] BC: Well, if I wanted to play King’s North when I'm on mbgolf.com planning my next Myrtle Beach golf trip, what package should I choose, Aaron?

[0:43:35] AT: Founders inclusive.

[0:43:36] BC: Okay.

[0:43:37] AT: Gives you the most value. It includes your lunch, two drinks, or beers.

[0:43:45] JB: That’s it.

[0:43:45] AT: Whatever you fancy. And range balls. It gets to the most value. You can play that with any of the other Founders courses. The beauty of that package too, is it doesn't have to be multi play. You can play just one round of Kings North and get that deal. Yeah. It's the way to go. Get your meal and your drinks, and buy a few more drinks.

[0:44:10] BC: If you want to play King’s North, consider the Founders Inclusive package when you're on mbgolf.com. I'm sure that's a popular package, Justin.

[0:44:17] JB: It is. A little inside information here, too. We're actually in talks in development work right now to redo – Aaron, you maybe heard me talk about a little bit about it, but actually we're moving the ball forward even more now about the clubhouse at Myrtle Beach National that hosts the King’s North and South Creek and West courses. We're going to be upgrading and redoing that clubhouse, so that the experience for the golf, or whether you're making the turn, or coming after your round for beers, or having lunch, whatever it may be, is a lot better. We just open it up more, have a nice bar outside, overlooking 18 King’s North. Our goal is this fall is to look that maybe closing down that clubhouse and really, the winter of 27’, it would be the time we were actually redo it.

[0:45:10] BC: Wow. Well, you stole my thunder there, because I was going to ask you about the investments across the Founders portfolio. One, I love the clubhouse. Very 70s style.

[0:45:19] JB: It is.

[0:45:20] BC: Hopefully, there's going to be some of that character stays, like what you did to King’s North, but just modernizing it. Because you guys have invested – I mean, you're not far removed from an Arnold Palmer course to a Jack Nicklaus course, Pawley's Plantation renovation, Grand Dunes, including the clubhouse. A lot of things.

[0:45:41] JB: Yeah. You’re right, Ben. We were very fortunate enough and very thankful that we were investing in our owners and our management team are investing back in the project itself. That's something you're going to continue to see what Founders Group International Course is something really proud of as well. With the King’s North just done, that was a two-year project. We got Wild Wing this summer. We're going to redo the greens and bunkers this summer at Wild Wing. We have a Long Bay project going on with some bulkheads and rearranging some holes there. We just did the food and beverage area at the clubhouse in Willbrook this past winter. We did a River Club this past fall. We upgraded the F&B area and new kitchen there. We're always doing is something. There's not a time where there's not a project going on at one of our golf course.

[0:46:27] AT: Did I see recently a world tour is going to be with their range, they're adding the track man. Is that what it is?

[0:46:38] JB: Yeah. That's going on right now.

[0:46:40] AT: Okay.

[0:46:41] JB: We broke ground a month ago and we're installing 16 Bays at World Tour golf links for the top tracer.

[0:46:48] AT: Top tracer. That's it. Not track man. Top tracer.

[0:46:51] BC: Wow. Well, on the range?

[0:46:52] JB: Yup. 16 Bays and they have the top tracer screens. We can track the ball and play games on it.

[0:46:58] BC: Still hitting out into the range.

[0:46:59] JB: Still hitting out in the range.

[0:47:01] AT: Just balls who have the chips in them. Like top golf. Top golf got the top tracer.

[0:47:07] BC: Man.

[0:47:07] AT: That’s pretty neat. I like that for a range.

[0:47:08] BC: You guys are doing it all.

[0:47:10] JB: We're doing it up. We're not stopping. That's –

[0:47:12] BC: How many rounds are we putting out on Founders courses?

[0:47:17] AT: Justin will tell us, not enough.

[0:47:18] JB: Yeah. I can tell it there.

[0:47:20] BC: We might be meeting after this and say, listen guys, we're going to really need you guys to push the bookies. No problem. Founders inclusive package. King’s North amongst a whole bunch of others, Justin Binke, Director of Marketing and Revenue, thanks so much for joining us. You mind sticking around and we're going to talk a little more Myrtle Beach golf on the back nine?

[0:47:39] JB: Absolutely.

[0:47:42] AT: The Back Nine.

[0:47:46] BC: Okay, the Back Nine. We've talked a bunch about Founders and all of those courses are popular. Aaron, how's the spring looking overall for Myrtle Beach golf?

[0:47:55] AT: Spring golf looks good, along with the weather. I mean, it's just been a busy booking season. I think we've seen with, I mean, quite a few weekends here coming up that tee times are short supply. It's going to be a good spring. I mean, there is some stuff out there where you can still get tee times, but we're pretty much in the thick of it now, where we are in the thick of spring golf and it's going to be a good season.

[0:48:22] BC: Well, that's terrific. Have you seen bigger groups coming in, or are the groups getting a little smaller? Because I'm looking at the booking sheet and we've got a lot of new big groups coming in.

[0:48:33] AT: Yeah. Sizable groups are traveling. But I mean, as you know, we book groups all size. If you're a group of two, we're going to book you. Don't care what the size. But yeah, we've got some bigger groups that are coming in this year.

[0:48:47] BC: Some new business, too. I saw a group check in this week that we plucked from Pinehurst. They had a good idea and I'm going to pitch this to people who play in Pinehurst, because Pinehurst is a great destination, too. Play a Pinehurst course on your way into Myrtle Beach.

[0:49:02] AT: Yeah. We have actually a few groups that do that. It was the week before, I had a group that was playing Tobacco Road on their way in.

[0:49:11] BC: Yeah. We've got a couple of Strands courses here as well with Caledonian True Blue.

[0:49:17] AT: Depending on which direction you're coming from, I mean, pretty much pass it by it anyway.

[0:49:22] BC: Yeah. I mean, I would say that most of our guests are driving south to here. Yeah. Play a Pinehurst area course and then come down and see the ocean. I mean, that's something that Pinehurst doesn't have, that we do, and we've also got about 80 premium golf courses. They don't quite have that many. Just a pro tip there, something to think about if you're planning your golf trip into the southeast, you can hit Pinehurst and Myrtle Beach.

As far as a place to stay, we've talked about playing all episode, accommodations of the episode are Crescent Shores. We've got plenty of luxury condos in there. We've got two-bedroom, three-bedroom, four-bedroom, three-bath and four-bedroom, four-bath. We can sleep up to 14 people. I think some even sleep up to 16 people. Golfers just love the Crescent Shores.

[0:50:17] AT: Yeah. The bedding, most all the bedding is King and Queen. Golfers love that. Anymore, it's as we've seen trends over the years, golfers that are coming down, it used to be double up. Now, everybody wants their own bedroom, are the King or the Queen beds. I can answer that question with one answer. When somebody asked me, “Well, all King and Queen's?” Well, you want to stay here. That's where we put them.

[0:50:47] BC: I know a lot of golfers, like beach homes and they like to be together. We've got so many great condos in Crescent Shores, we can put you next door, or right off floor away from each other. The whole gang can be together.

[0:51:02] AT: In some churches, we can keep you on the same floor, depending on how big the group is. Some groups, they can all be on the same floor.

[0:51:10] BC: Sometimes when you're in one home altogether, you might want to be a little more spread out. Everybody's got their own groups and stuff like that. Really consider the Crescent Shores is on the ocean front. Huge private balconies. Whole kitchens. We've got in-condo laundry. I mean, really within 10 or 15 minutes from about 80% of the courses.

[0:51:38] AT: Yeah. Pawleys Island is your only drive. But with 31, it's a piece of cake.

[0:51:43] JB: Yeah. You just hop right on.

[0:51:45] AT: I really don't get to any groups that, I mean, when they stay at Crescent Shores, they play everywhere. It's a pretty convenient location.

[0:51:55] BC: Consider the Crescent Shores when you are planning your Myrtle Beach golf trip on mbgolf.com. Okay, guys, last, but certainly not least, tee’d off. I want to start. I usually don't start, but I'm going to start, because you mentioned the multi-bay interactive range coming to world tour, and it's going to have top tracer. It’s going to show you where the ball went and all the stats. Why in the world can we not transition that to the golf course to help find your damn ball? Because everybody's got their cellphone. They've got it magnetized to the cart. They're playing music, so you know, they're texting and stuff like that. Have an app to help find your ball, or have it connect to the cart to find your ball. It's got GPSs on the carts to tell you where you are.

[0:52:50] AT: Sometimes I know where it is, and I don't want to get it.

[0:52:54] JB: Yeah, that's actually – I never even thought about something like that. Technology exists.

[0:52:59] BC: Yeah. Maybe the ball is going to be just too uber expensive, because it's going to have something in the ball to find the ball. Maybe that affects aero too much. I don't know. It's not going to affect me.

[0:53:15] AT: Well, you think about it that, well, if they actually, if they put the chip to – if they sold a three-pack of golf balls with that chip technology and you were able, you had an app on your phone that would track those three golf balls at all times, I don't know if the Titleists of the worlds, or the TaylorMade that are making all these other golf balls would really appreciate the fact that you could probably play three golf balls for a long amount of time. There might be some pushback on that from some of the big companies.

[0:53:46] JB: They want you to lose them.

[0:53:47] AT: Yeah, they do.

[0:53:47] BC: Well, I'm going to lose them anyway, though. See, I think, you're exactly right that I'll find more, which means I'll buy less balls. However, I think it's also an investment from TaylorMade where they're going to say, well, I'm going to spend all this money on this chip. Are they really going to spend that much money on a ball that's going to end up in the water that they can't retrieve? Maybe that's it. But somewhere, find the tech.

[0:54:12] AT: In the deep rough. That one irritates me.

[0:54:14] JB: Yeah.

[0:54:14] AT: When you know you're in there and you can't find it.

[0:54:18] BC: Well, summer's not far away and we're going to have that problem. I don't know. It’s just, there's got to be some way to figure it out. I mean, because the technology has just surrounded us, but we haven't quite put it together to help find our golf ball. Maybe it is a thing, like a top tracer that's like, this is where it probably is. And gets you in some kind of radius that's better than your line of sight from the tee. Maybe you start there, because you got a top tracer on the cart that says, “Hey, listen. You're over in this guy's yard. Not this guy's yard.” It tee’s me off that we haven't quite figured that out.

[0:54:56] JB: That's a good one.

[0:54:57] BC: I experience it multiple times around. Then it's a pace of play thing. In my head, I start getting cognizant of, dude, not only are my buddies waiting on me. I can see the people clearing the green on the past hole. They're coming to the tee. Now, I'm going to have to hurry up on my next shot, which is going to be my third shot, because I can't find my first one.

[0:55:18] AT: I tell you what's going to happen. We're going to get this technology one day and then we're going to have a tee’d off about what we don't like about it.

[0:55:28] BC: Yeah. That's fine. That’s a good thought. It is a good thought.

[0:55:31] AT: Oh, I love it. I love it. But I'm the same way. It's like, yeah, that would be great. Then we get it and I'm like, well, they could do this better. It's always something.

[0:55:40] BC: Decades ago, it never took off, and you'll wonder why it didn't take off. A scientist put a little bit of radioactive material on the ball and had one of those things that go, “Errrrr,” when you get near it. So, when you would drive near it, “Errrr.” Oh, there it is. Radioactive material didn't quite catch on, but it's a good try. Anyway, that's my tee’d off. We're just missing that piece. We want to make the experience better, right?

[0:56:09] AT: Yeah. Yeah. Well, anything that speeds up pace play is a plus in my book, too.

[0:56:13] JB: I’m just thinking the data that it can have on your game, give you all the stats of you hitting the rough, how many greens. All that can track.

[0:56:19] BC: Yeah. That's pretty cool.

[0:56:20] AT: If you look at top golf, with the top tracer, it tells you, like ball speed, everything, spin rate. Keep that information on your phone.

[0:56:27] BC: It can determine your distance. That's one measurable right there to find it. It's got your angle, so it should be able to – see how accurate, try it out. Put a top tracer on the cart and see where the hell it went. I don't know. Anyway, that's mine. Aaron, what tee’s you off?

[0:56:42] AT: Well, mine is going to be a little less techie than yours. I was thinking about this earlier, because there hasn't been a lot that's tee’d me off lately on the golf course. But the tees that they make now that – I'm not going to say, they don't advertise them as unbreakable, but they're – they're better than a wooden tee, and they cost a lot more than a wooden tee. They don't last as many times as they say they should last.

[0:57:11] BC: As far as breaking?

[0:57:12] AT: Yeah. I played the same tournament, the charity tournament that you and I played in a couple of weeks ago.

[0:57:18] JB: Oh, Willbrooks. Yeah.

[0:57:19] AT: Yeah. Somebody even made the comment to me, because I was reaching in my pocket for a tee and I'm like, I could get a tee. We were on a par three or something. They're like, “How many times have you gone to get tees today?” I was like, “I don't know.” I was like, “These things are supposed to last longer than that.” Maybe it's me. I'm sure the tee company will tell me my swing is horrific and that's what's causing it. I mean, come on. They got to last. For that price, they got to last longer than that.

[0:57:45] BC: I've had good experience with plastic tees. Maybe I just don't hit it hard enough.

[0:57:50] AT: I mean, I liked the way they feel when I hit them. They just don't last.

[0:57:55] BC: They are a lot more expensive than wooden tees.

[0:57:58] AT: I mean, I guess it's cheaper to obviously, chop down a tree and make a bunch of tees. I haven't used a wooden tee in a long time. I just wish they'd last a little longer. I haven't found one yet that I've gotten through a whole round with. When that happens, I'm going to keep.

[0:58:13] JB: Keep it.

[0:58:13] AT: Yeah.

[0:58:14] BC: Next time we play, I'll show you the plastic tee I use. I want to see if you can break it.

[0:58:19] AT: Okay. Because I wonder if it's the same. I mean, it's a pretty standard brand. I can't think of the name of it off top of my head. They're like yellow and blue. They're different colors.

[0:58:27] BC: Mine’s all white, and it's like the house brand at PGA Superstore.

[0:58:31] AT: I see the ones at Superstore, have the American flag on them.

[0:58:34] JB: Yeah. Yeah.

[0:58:35] BC: Mine’s just white.

[0:58:38] JB: The evolve ones?

[0:58:39] AT: No.

[0:58:39] BC: Everyone’s sticking around here.

[0:58:40] AT: They're white and yellow, or white and blue. I can't think of the name of them right now. I don't want to. I mean, not trashing the company, because it's not just those. It's other ones that I’ve used that break, too.

[0:58:55] JB: I know. Can I just have one tee for the entire round?

[0:59:00] BC: That's a pretty good one. I like that. I hate going back to the cart when I'm supposed to be teeing it up.

[0:59:06] AT: Unless, my drink's in there. I see it all the time.

[0:59:11] BC: Refuel.

[0:59:12] AT: Refuel.

[0:59:13] BC: Reequip and refuel. Justin, what tee’s you off?

[0:59:18] JB: I'm going to go back to the theme we talked about today. Ben, you were sharing about it the last round of golf you had, but the weather, right? The weather. What tee’s me off is when the weather says it's going to rain 40%, do not take that to heart. This is great for golf package groups. People come down here, right? They think it's going to be pouring all day. It is not. It's going to come in here for 30 minutes, it's gone. We'll be right back out play in no time. I think people take the weather here in the south, like it is up the north, where it says it's going to snow, it’s going to snow. Down here, when it says it's going to rain, depends. Scattered at best. For golfers. Even people on the beach. Don’t overthink it. If it says 40% chance –

[1:00:11] BC: Bet you got a lot of calls earlier in the week.

[1:00:15] JB: Especially last week.

[1:00:15] BC: Yeah, was that last week?

[1:00:17] JB: Does this tee’d off have anything to do with our Saturday emails this weekend?

[1:00:19] BC: Last week.

[1:00:19] AT: This past weekend? Yeah.

[1:00:20] JB: This past weekend. This is exactly –

[1:00:22] AT: We're emailing each other on Saturday, moving group tee times, just all like that.

[1:00:26] BC: Because they all looked at the forecast for Tuesday.

[1:00:28] JB: Look at forecast for three days, four days out, and it says it's going to rain. I'm like, okay. Yes, it says it's going to rain. But is it going to? Mm. I mean –

[1:00:38] AT: Most of those times we moved, could have played Monday morning.

[1:00:41] JB: Could have played. This is what happens every almost every time I feel like. Everybody moves off. That day is open. Then we get crushed on the phones when people start calling, because now it's sunny out. People want to come back out and play.

[1:00:54] BC: Or the forecast has moved at the time that they've moved to.

[1:00:57] JB: That's right. It's a moving, moving target.

[1:00:59] AT: Yeah.

[1:00:59] BC: I think the Southeast forecast meteorology is got a huge margin of error. Now, I have never lived anywhere else. But from living here my whole life, it's rarely spot on.

[1:01:15] JB: Rarely. I mean, I would even go as far as say, never.

[1:01:21] BC: Yeah.

[1:01:22] AT: There's our future guest, Ed Piotrowski.

[1:01:24] BC: Ed Piotrowski.

[1:01:24] JB: Ed Piotrowski.

[1:01:25] AT: We need to have him on.

[1:01:26] JB: You need to have him on.

[1:01:27] AT: Actually, a lot of those guys are golfers. Yeah. I mean, there's a number of them we could have on. Actually, might be a good –

[1:01:33] JB: We had Scottie Powell out in our turn. I get it. It's a moving target. It's so hard to predict.

[1:01:41] BC: Got the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where it says, it's going to rain.

[1:01:45] JB: It's going to rain and it doesn't rain.

[1:01:46] BC: Ed Piotrowski is the only one out there playing.

[1:01:49] JB: I feel so bad for the weather they're trying to forecast, because it's impossible.

[1:01:52] BC: Yeah.

[1:01:53] JB: But from a four days out and people are canceling, you don't have to cancel.

[1:01:58] AT: Well, and I try to tell groups, too, that – I mean, because I don't know what it is, just us being here along the coast. When certain fronts come in from a certain direction, a lot of it breaks up, because it gets towards the coast. We don't see much of that. Yeah. It's like, just wait.

[1:02:18] JB: Yeah, just wait.

[1:02:19] AT: You don't have to change your whole trip, just because you see something from –

[1:02:21] JB: Nor is your trip ruined.

[1:02:23] AT: Yeah.

[1:02:25] BC: Yeah. Even if you get caught in it, more than likely, we're talking about a little delay. Very rarely do we get wash outs.

[1:02:36] AT: I was Justin's teed off on Saturday.

[1:02:39] JB: I was. I remember trading emails in Saturday morning. But yes, yes, Aaron. I got you.

[1:02:43] BC: Yeah. He probably had 30 of those in his inbox.

[1:02:46] AT: There were a few. There were a few. It took me a good portion of my Saturday to get everybody moved. You have to admit, I'm pretty good. I already have a new time booked. All he's got to do is cancel it. He doesn't have to move anything.

[1:02:58] BC: That big storm was a joke, which is proof.

[1:03:01] JB: Right. it was another example.

[1:03:02] BC: Do we even get much rain?

[1:03:04] AT: I don't think we did.

[1:03:05] BC: We didn't get the winds. I mean, it was breezy, but sunny most of the day, like pick up.

[1:03:12] JB: We were actually busy. Our tee sheets were open, and everybody just called in and wanted to play again. You make it really easy for me. I appreciate it.

[1:03:18] AT: You're welcome.

[1:03:19] BC: Well, guys. It's been a great episode. Justin Binke, Director of Marketing and Revenue for the Founders Group, thanks for coming back, talking King’s North, everything going on at Founders and talking the world of golf and Myrtle Beach golf as well. Aaron, always great having you in the studio and talking mbgolf and everything in between. Thank you all so much for listening, and we'll see you next time.

[1:03:43] AT: All right.

[1:03:43] JB: Thank you, Ben.

[END OF EPISODE]

[1:03:48] 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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