MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – I’ve played in many kinds of tournaments. State Amateurs, USGA qualifiers, skins games, pro-ams, member-guests, scrambles, shambles, hit-’n-giggles – you name it, and I have a long track record of amateur mediocrity. But I’ve never teed it up in anything like the Play Golf Myrtle Beach World Amateur Championship.

Think big. Really big. Thousands of competitors, dozens of courses, 60-plus flights catering to the full spectrum of handicaps. The World Am is equal parts serious golf tournament and community party, with some players focused on one half of that mixture and different players focused on the other half.

I had heard of the World Am for decades, so this August I trekked up to South Carolina to see what all the fuss is about. I played the senior gross division in the 42^nd rendition of the World Am, so my scores would be added up each day for what felt like the world to see. I looked forward to seeing what shape my game was in when a real scorecard was involved, but it turns out my lifetime of mediocrity continues after a seventh-place finish among my over-50 division.

I did, however, manage to remind myself that to focus only on the golf was to miss too much. The World Am is about all the various aspects of a massive golf destination coming together to put on a show, only part of which happens on a golf course. When thousands of players turned out for each night’s party at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, there was less talk of score than about the fun of just competing on new courses with like-minded golf sickos of all stripes.

With all this in mind, following are five topics to know if you might consider a run at the title next year in Myrtle Beach.

What is the Play Golf Myrtle Beach World Amateur Championship?

Simply put, this tournament is huge, with somewhere near 3,000 players each year. Everywhere you go in Myrtle Beach during tournament week, expect to run into competing golfers. Go ahead, strike up a golf conversation with anyone in a polo shirt while in the elevator or in line while waiting for a table at a local restaurant – these are your people. Every new discussion seems to start with, “Where are you playing tomorrow?”

There were 63 divisions in the 2025 World Am, featuring flights for everything from men’s gross (no handicaps in play) all the way up to 36-handicappers. There were dozens of senior gross and handicap flights based on age groups of 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80-plus. The tournament included seven flights for women ranging from gross to maximum handicaps, and some 300 women played this year. There were even three “just for fun” divisions for players who didn’t really want to keep score but who still wanted to experience everything the tournament offers. Casa de Campo, one of the best golf resorts in the Caribbean, sponsored a separate pairs division with a vacation in the Dominican Republic on the line.

For players in a handicap division, as most players are, know that your handicap and daily scores might be scrutinized. The tournament employs a team that tries to prevent sandbagging and other forms of cheating – I heard several players mention the phrase “getting called into the principal’s office” in regard to competitors being called into a secure area to discuss rounds that might have been a little too good based on their handicaps. It happens, but it wasn’t a defining feature of the tournament – I say that having entered a gross division that was played without handicapping, so multi-time senior gross winner Michael Batten was free to beat up on the rest of us without giving any strokes.

Nightly party at the World Amateur

Golfers are scattered all over the greater Myrtle Beach area for their daily rounds, but at night, the “World’s Largest 19^th Hole” brings the vast majority back to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. With food and drinks included in the registration fee, the nightly scene is really the heart of the tournament.

Food was provided by a rota of a dozen or more restaurants each night. Players wandered the convention center’s main hall, picking up small plates that included everything from local seafood to steak, pasta, sandwiches, tacos – just about anything. Restaurant chain Friendly’s had two ice cream stands to serve desert, and there were a handful of open bars serving beer and mixed drinks.

The first night of the tournament this year saw lines form as entrants and their guests made their way into the convention center, so don’t plan on hopping right in. After the first night, the entrance ran quicker. Tournament competitors this year were allowed to buy up to two guest passes for $160 each that were good for the week.

The nightly party really was a golf geek’s kind of place. There was an indoor putting green with nightly competitions, an indoor par-3 hole, golf simulators and vendors selling everything from clubs to shirts to vacations. Local bands played nightly in a nearby hall with its own bar.

Social media influencers (this year saw St. André Golf toting mics around the floor for impromptu player interviews) as well as former PGA Tour competitors (mainly the Bryan Brothers, Wesley and George, as well as the always engaging Charlie Rymer) working their way around the crowd. Brian Katrek and John Maginnes of SiriusXM Radio broadcast a nightly show from the convention center, as well. Mike Whan, CEO of the U.S. Golf Association, even made an appearance, telling this reporter, “I had to see this place.”

All this followed an initial welcome party at the Hangout in Broadway at the Beach, which gave a taste of the upcoming week with food, bars, music and prize drawings in a boardwalk setting. Basically, the 19^th-hole vibe was a bigger part of the tournament than the golf itself for many competitors.

The World Amateur’s golf courses

More than 50 courses were used in the 2025 World Am, and they varied greatly in architectural interest. Each handicap flight played at least one round on one of the more highly rated courses, but with that many courses in play, not all of them can be from various best-of lists.

At the top of the list of participating courses were such stalwarts as the four courses at Barefoot Resort, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, True Blue, TPC Myrtle Beach, Tidewater, Prestwick, Legends and several others. Each of those clubs appear on Golfweek’s Best ranking of the top public-access courses in South Carolina.

The most highly rated course in my division was Prestwick Country Club, designed by Pete Dye and his son P.B. Dye. Prestwick ranks No. 11 on Golfweek’s Best list of the state’s public-access courses. The well-conditioned residential layout features a solid mix of holes, several clearly designed with inspiration from Pete Dye’s Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

It’s worth noting, there can be a fairly lengthy drive to reach the various courses used in the World Amateur. My opening round was at Lockwood Folly across the state line in North Carolina, which was about a 75-minute drive in early morning traffic from the Sheraton adjacent to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center where the tournament was based. For any player or group flying in to Myrtle Beach for the tournament, a rental car is a must.

What does it cost to play the World Amateur?

The general entry fee was $749 in 2025, with various discounts of up to $100 available for early registration. That fee included four rounds of golf with cart, range balls, a welcome swag bag that included a golf shirt and a hoodie, entrance into prize drawings worth more than $25,000 total, and a whole lot more. Each tournament fee also granted entry – food and drink included – to the nightly 19^th-hole party at the convention center for the player and one guest, with additional guest badges available for purchase.

For the winners of the various flights, there was a fifth and final day of golf included as a playoff to name the overall champion. The top five players in each flight received a trophy and a gift card. There also were on-course competitions such as long drive or closest to the hole in each division.

Entrance into the World Amateur does not include a stay in a hotel – several Myrtle Beach-area hotels do offer discounts. Entrance to the tournament also does not include car rental charges or transportation to the various daily courses.

When is the 2026 Play Golf Myrtle Beach World Amateur Championship?

The 2026 version of the World Amateur is slated for August 31-Sept. 4. That will be the 43^rd year of the tournament.

Is it all worth it? For the sheer spectacle of the nightly parties, this is a vote for yes. This is a huge undertaking with a staff working on the tournament details and partnerships all year. With so many flights accommodating all levels of players and so much happening off the course, it’s certainly an event that plenty of golfers will get a kick out of. For many, it’s become an annual tradition.