When his car crossed the bridge, though, his fears became reality. I saw about 15 trees down across the cart path on No. 1, and the first and 10th fairways were under water. When the damage had finally been assessed, the TPC of Myrtle Beach had 300 downed trees, water damage and erosion of bunkers. An 80-foot section of cart path, superintendent Dennis Ingram's primary means of getting turf equipment to the south end of the golf course, had been washed away. We were really excited about showing off the facility and having a full weekend of exposure on national television.
Corn admits that the decision was the right one.
Any interruption in our recovery effort would have been a disaster. The interruption came when Hurricane Irene dumped 11 inches of rain on Myrtle Beach in October. This was the first year that the tournament would be played here, and the event had a new sponsor. We didn't lose any trees that were in strategic locations or that defined the golf course. The customers and players at the TPC of Myrtle Beach agree.