In a brand merger that’s sure to enhance the economic driver of tourism in Georgetown County, the Waccamaw Golf Trail is officially taking advantage of the surging popularity of South Carolina’s Hammock Coast® – the county’s official tourism moniker – by renaming itself the Hammock Coast Golf Trail.
Between the two entities, the Hammock Coast and the Waccamaw Golf Trail were instrumental in generating more than $7.57 million in Accommodations and Admission tax revenues in Georgetown County for the fiscal year 2022-23. Tourist spending in Georgetown County annually exceeds more than $380 million and accounts for an overall $39 million in combined state and local taxes. Tourism also produces more than $66 million per year in worker income and paychecks – and accounts for more than 3,300 local jobs, according to state statistics.
Since 2010, the Hammock Coast has seen a number of record-breaking years in local and state Accommodations Taxes. State A-Tax collections on the Hammock Coast for the 2022-2023 fiscal year came in at more than $3.16 million. Likewise, the Waccamaw Golf Trail, a collection of 12 award-winning golf courses in Georgetown County, has generated record-setting years of state Admission Taxes. In 2022-23 Admission Taxes added up to $1.06 million, up 10.3 percent from the previous year and a staggering 115 percent from just four years ago.
A merger of the marketing efforts of the Hammock Coast and Waccamaw Golf Trail is a match made in tourism heaven.
"Rebranding to be the Hammock Coast Golf Trail is a natural one, linking the area’s golf courses to the larger tourism community in a manner that will benefit everyone,” said Jeff Monday, director of client services/new business development for Golf Tourism Solutions, which has overseen the promotion of the Waccamaw Golf Trail and the various golf packages offered on its 12 member courses.
Bob Seganti is in a unique position to see both the benefits for golf and tourism marketing. In addition to his job as general manager for Caledonia Golf and Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club in Pawleys Island, he is also the chairman of the Tourism Management Commission, which oversees the marketing efforts for South Carolina’s Hammock Coast.
"Golf is an integral part of what makes this area so popular, attracting visitors 12 months a year, and we are proud to help expand the reach of the Hammock Coast brand with this change,” Seganti said. “This is going to be a win-win for everyone.”
The Waccamaw Golf Trail was formed in 2007 as a cooperative marketing non-profit organization to promote golf in northern Georgetown County. Throughout the existence of Waccamaw Golf Trail, the marketing cooperative expanded to all areas of the county and the current 12 member courses. All marketing is done outside of the region to drive out-of-market golf trips by promoting award-winning golf courses and the beauty and experience of the beaches and South Carolina Lowcountry.
The newly named Hammock Coast Golf Trail features award-winning courses playing through moss-draped oaks and gently flowing tidal rivers and includes: Caledonia Golf and Fish Club, Founders Club, Litchfield Country Club, Pawleys Plantation, River Club, Tradition Club, True Blue Golf Club, and Willbrook Plantation Golf Club in Pawleys Island; Wedgefield Country Club in Georgetown; and Blackmoor Golf Club, TPC, and Wachesaw Plantation East in Murrells Inlet. The Hammock Coast Golf Trail will allow golfers to package the area’s best courses, restaurants and accommodations in one unforgettable trip.
Comprised of six communities in Georgetown County – Murrells Inlet, southern Garden City, Litchfield Beach, Pawleys Island, Georgetown and Andrews – South Carolina’s Hammock Coast is one of the Palmetto State’s top tourist destinations. Buoyed by its large selection of vacation rental condos and homes and wide-open, pristine beaches, the Hammock Coast attracts visitors from across the nation, and many of them come to play golf.
"We’ve worked tirelessly to brand the area, and the decision of the 12 member courses of the Waccamaw Golf Trail to promote their properties under the Hammock Coast umbrella is a testament to the success of those efforts,” said Beth Stedman, president and CEO of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce. "We are home to some of the nation’s most acclaimed beaches and golf courses, and it only makes sense to have them work together to spread the word about everything the area has to offer under the Hammock Coast brand.”
Mark A. Stevens, the Chamber’s director of tourism development, said the golf trail’s desire to change its name to more closely align with the Hammock Coast shows just how far the brand has come since its inception in early 2010.
“Brand awareness doesn’t happen overnight,” Stevens said. “It takes time, effort and support from everyone involved. We were absolutely thrilled when Jeff came to us with the idea to rebrand under the Hammock Coast name. Without a doubt, this will only enhance what we are doing with our tourism brand here in Georgetown County.”
Headlining the area’s offerings are Caledonia and True Blue, both Mike Strantz designs that are ranked among America’s top 100 resort courses, and Pawleys Plantation, a Jack Nicklaus layout that just underwent a transformative greens, bunkers and clubhouse restoration project. Courses TPC and Blackmoor straddle the lines between Horry and Georgetown counties and will be the Hammock Coast Golf Trail’s most northern courses. Blackmoor is golf legend Gary Player’s only area design, while Litchfield Country Club, which opened in 1966, is Pawleys Island’s first golf course and continues to delight with its playability and conditions. Founders Club treats players to generous fairways framed by waste bunkers, creating memorable visuals, while River Club, Tradition and Willbrook, a trio of layouts that deliver the quality and value that help make the area so popular, will form the backbone of countless Hammock Coast Golf Trail trips. Wachesaw Plantation East hosted four LPGA Tour events, a testament to the quality of the Clyde Johnston design, while Wedgefield Country Club, the trail’s most southern course located just outside the city limits of historic Georgetown, plays along the Black River, providing views that golfers talk about long after returning home.
A Hammock Coast Golf Trail package can be booked as a stay-and-play trip or a golf-only offer at www.hammockcoastgolftrail.com. For more information on a Georgetown County vacation or to request a free Visitors Guide, visit www.HammockCoastSC.com.