Myrtle Beach-area course begins two-phase renovation

King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, a popular Arnold Palmer design along the Grand Strand, closed on June 3, 2024, to begin a comprehensive, two-part, two-year renovation project. 

Founders Group International, Myrtle Beach National’s parent company, selected Brandon Johnson Golf Course Design to oversee a project that will transform the venerable course. Brandon Johnson worked for Arnold Palmer Golf Design for more than 17 years. Johnson will ensure Palmer’s vision for the King’s North is maintained while modernizing a design that last enjoyed an overhaul in 1996. 

The first phase will focus on the front nine, with the course opening Oct. 1. Highlights include: 

• Greens will be renovated and restored to their original size, reclaiming 30,000 square feet of putting surface, an expansion that will make them 36 percent larger, while adding pin positions that were eliminated by encroachment over the years. The new greens will feature TifEagle Bermudagrass. 
• Every bunker on the course will be renovated and have Capillary Concrete bunker liners installed, eliminating washout and drastically improving drainage, both factors that will significantly enhance playability. Premium bunker sand will also be installed.
• There will be significant changes to the layout, with an emphasis on reimagining the green surrounds. Many of King’s North’s current greens are framed by mounding that limits creativity on approach and recovery shots. When the course reopens, players will be greeted by a layout that can be attacked through the air and along the ground.
• King’s North has always enjoyed a rugged look, showcasing waste bunkers and the area’s naturally sandy soil, and Johnson will lean into that aesthetic as he remakes the course. Among the holes that will be getting significant makeovers will be No. 6, the iconic par-5 otherwise known as “The Gambler.” In addition to some technical work along the edges of the lake, one of “The Gambler’s” three fairway bunkers will be eliminated and replaced by a large waste area that will improve the look of the hole and the challenge. 

“We are looking to honor some of the things Mr. Palmer was trying to achieve here,” Johnson said. “He always wanted his courses to be fun to play and pleasing to the eye and that’s what this course is, but there are some strategic and playability elements we can add to enhance the experience. We are looking to build upon what’s here by using the existing contours and landforms more effectively and incorporate them into everyday play.”

“King’s North has long been one of Myrtle Beach’s most popular and recognizable courses, and we are look forward to working with Brandon Johnson to ensure that continues to be the case,” said Steve Mays, president of Founders Group International. “Brandon understands Arnold Palmer’s architectural vision as well as anyone, so he is the ideal person to ensure King’s North maintains the architectural integrity of Arnie’s original design while delivering an even better experience going forward.”

The second stage of the project will begin in the summer of 2025 and include an overhaul of the back nine. Additionally, the Myrtle Beach National clubhouse will undergo a renovation. 

The renovation of King’s North is the latest in a string of investments by Founders Group International. In the summer of 2023, Founders Group International commissioned a comprehensive greens, bunkers and clubhouse restoration project at Pawleys Plantation.  The company owns 21 Myrtle Beach-area courses and has undertaken significant capital improvement projects on 12 of them in recent years, including Grande Dunes, Pine Lakes and TPC Myrtle Beach.