MYRTLE BEACH, SC (September 2002) – An 18-handicap golfer from Baltimore, Md., came to the 18th hole of the fourth and final round of the DuPont World Amateur Handicap Championship. He was playing Calabash on the north side of the Grand Strand. He needed but two putts to qualify for the championship round the next day at the TPC at Myrtle Beach. He hit his approach putt from 30 feet too hard and it slid four feet past the hole. Fighting back fear, he stood over the knee-knocker for what seemed like an eternity. He finally pulled the trigger, and missed. He walked off the green in disgust, but it was not long before he recovered from the disappointment. After all, he thought, this was one of the best weeks of golf he had ever experienced.

Take 5,000 golfers from all over the world, invite them to the Grand Strand, organize them in flights according to their handicaps, put them on 75 different golf courses, let them compete for $400,000 in prizes over four days (plus the championship round on the fifth day), throw in a gala 19th hole with great food and exhibits, and you have the largest and arguably the most enjoyable amateur golf tournament in the world. This is the DuPont Coolmax (registered trademark) World Amateur Handicap Championship.

I participated in this year’s tournament, and the week easily surpassed my expectations in every respect. Butterflies on the first tee were common, but the competition is friendly. Many participants make lasting friendships here.

The folks at Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, who run the tournament, know what they are doing. This was the 19th year of this event and every year it gets bigger and better. A marketing cooperative of 84 accommodation properties and 98 grand strand golf courses, MBGH deserves high praise for their management of the event. Other golf tournament organizers would do well to take a page out of MBGH book. For all the million and one details involved, the DuPont is one of the best organized golf tournaments in the world.

This is, indeed, a world championship. In 2002, there were 90 participants from 24 foreign countries plus the U.S. Virgin Islands. Roughly 8% of the field were women. There were some 50 flights by handicap and six divisions, including the men’s and women’s division (49 and under), senior men’s and women’s (50-59), men’s mid senior (60-69), and the men’s super seniors
(70 +). The youngest participant this year was 14, the oldest, 93. Handicaps represented in the field ranged from 0 to 43. The lowest handicap in the field was scratch, the highest 43.

The format is individual net stroke play over four days. There is no cut. All players play all four days. Winners of each flight then compete on the 5th day for the grand prize. Short of the grand prize, there are all kinds of other prizes including rain suits, equipment, golf balls, and discounts on future travel.

Tournament organizers go to great lengths to ensure a level playing field for all competitors, regardless of handicap. Past winners have had handicaps in the high teens, 20’s, or even 30’s. As part of registration, you must submit an official USGA handicap index (or foreign equivalent) together with documentation verified and signed by your club pro.

Organizers have determined statistically the percentage of times golfers play below their handicaps. If your scores at the beginning of the week are judged to be too low for your flight, your index will be adjusted for the rest of the event. Two players in my flight had their indexes adjusted and both played well below that level on the final day. Both were disqualified. Maintaining the integrity of the competition is the organizers’ top priority, for obvious reasons.

Each flight plays on four different courses. Our flight played Lion’s Paw, Parkland at The Legends, Wicked Stick, and Calabash. After a summer of drought, it rained, sometimes poured, the entire week, but the courses went out of their way to get us out, and in the case of my flight, our starting time was delayed a couple of hours, but we never lost a round.

At night golfers gather at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center for the biggest 19th hole anywhere. The registration of $465 includes drinks and food served by some of the Strand’s top restaurants. There is also music and other entertainment and a large golf expo. Some of the top names in equipment, clothing, accommodations and travel were represented.

I enjoyed talking briefly with short game guru Dave Pelz, whose staff were gathering data during our round at Parkland. The test consisted of guessing the distance to a flag set out 43 yards from a tee marker and then hitting one shot to it. Results confirmed that there is a strong correlation between your estimate of the distance and the degree of strength you hit the shot. The more accurate your gauge of the actual distance, the more likely you will hit the shot the proper distance.

I hit the ball from tee to green ok during the week but my putting was truly atrocious. Using an old Ping Pal 5 putter I picked up from a lost-and-found bin at a golf course in the DC area, I missed practically every putt from 6 feet in. Disgusted, I tried a few putters at the Otey Crissman exhibit and bought a steel shafted mallet head that I love. The length is perfect for my size and the model is the best balanced putter I have ever used. Otey, from Alabama, is the third generation in his family to make custom putters. He works out of his home and says, "I love to make things." His master craftsmanship obviously shows in the Crissman line of putters which includes hickory and steel shafted models with different style blade and mallet heads. There are no finer putters on the market than these, and I am not being paid to say this.

As for the DuPont Coolmax (registered trademark) World Amateur Handicap Championship, there is no better, more smoothly run and equitable golf tournament for amateurs anywhere in the world. This was my first year at the tournament and I am definitely planning to return next year.

For more information about the DuPont, contact Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday at 800-833-8798 or log on to www.worldamateur.com or dwa@golfholiday.com.