By Natalie Gulbis
 
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I have been on the LPGA Tour for 13 years, and I&#8217;m excited to be back here in South Carolina.  Myrtle Beach is somewhere I used to vacation with my family when I was younger.
I like to go to the beach as often as possible.  A perfect day for me would be to get up and do something active in the morning like yoga, running or walking on the beach, or paddleboarding.  What&#8217;s cool about paddleboarding is that it&#8217;s becoming more popular, and you can paddleboard in almost as many places as you can play golf now. The Myrtle Beach area is certainly no exception – especially around Pawleys Island, with all the wildlife and the great saltwater marsh areas I got to see while paddleboarding there recently. It’s just really, really pretty.
One of the coolest places to stop is the Hammock Shops in Pawleys Island, where I got to see and make an original Pawleys Island hammock. I love the eclectic, fun feel of it with the local artists and jewelers you come across there.  I’ve been able to travel all over the world, but it&#8217;s fun for me to have some things to bring back home that have a local feel. At the Hammock Shops, I got to learn about the Pawleys shell, and I like to have little pieces of the places where I get to visit and vacation.
I have played golf all over the world, and playing golf in Myrtle Beach is really special because you can get a variety of different types of golf courses.  Going to River Club was great; it was different than the other courses I&#8217;d been to on my last visit.  I liked that it was a traditional golf course that didn&#8217;t have the different aspects of the saltwater marsh like Pawleys Plantation, and it was just a solid, tee-to-green design.  River Club was in fantastic shape, and I&#8217;m looking forward to going back to play there again!
Pawleys Plantation Golf &amp; Country Club is one of my favorite courses – especially with the par-3 holes at 13 and 17, which are spectacular.  Just to be able to experience two really tough signature holes in such a beautiful, native marsh setting was an absolute treat. Jack Nicklaus gave the Grand Strand something really special when he designed Pawleys Plantation.
Willbrook Plantation was another one of my favorite courses here in Myrtle Beach.  Its Lowcountry feel is just so beautiful. Surrounded by moss-draped oaks and all the history of the old rice plantation there, I really felt like I was in another world while I enjoyed a relaxing golf experience.
What I love about Myrtle Beach is that it has everything that you would want in a vacation.  You can play golf.  You can go to the beach.  There are great restaurants and shops, and plenty of other fun activities.  It&#8217;s a complete destination vacation place to come to, and I encourage everyone to go check it out.  I know they&#8217;ll love it as much as I do!
LPGA Tour star Natalie Gulbis is the 2014 spokesperson for Myrtle Beach Trips, and the 23 golf courses that are part of its Prime Times Signature Collection. To see more on Natalie’s involvement with the Grand Strand golf scene, visit <a href="http://www.MyrtleBeachTrips.com">MyrtleBeachTrips.com</a>.

Natalie Gulbis: Why I Love Myrtle Beach

Courses in this Article

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club

Willbrook Plantation

River Club

Additional Myrtle Beach Golf News