For the 2024 spring break, the Muhlenberg golf team spent much of their time down in the warm and sunny clutches of Myrtle Beach, S.C. This marked the second year in a row that the golf team went down to play in Myrtle Beach, though the initial plans for next year seem to indicate that the destination will be elsewhere. As for Myrtle Beach, the team enjoyed an action-packed five days full of golf, team bonding, and various activities in the warm southern climate.
The trip started off bright and early as the team packed into two vans at 6 a.m. on the Saturday of spring break, before trying to get as much sleep as possible during the 10-hour drive from Allentown to Myrtle Beach. Once there, the team moved into their temporary home, which had been recently renovated to look like it should be on the set of the next Barbie movie. Golf would not start until the next day, though the team did hit the local grocery store to load up on food for the stay.
On Sunday, the team’s first round took place at the Man O’ War Golf Course on a very windy afternoon. The course was fairly tough and had a lot of water hazards, though the wind proved to be the most difficult factor. The team, along with their coaches, engaged in plenty of spirited competitions amongst each other during the round, which helped to bring out the competitiveness of the athletes. “I’m looking forward to beating the coaches again next year,” said Alex McCauley ‘26.
The team ate dinner together every night, usually at the pink, Barbie-style house, and Sunday was no exception. The team also got to watch both the 96th Academy Awards that night, as well as an NBA game between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. Said game proved to be a competitive watch, as the Muhlenberg golf team plays host to multiple “Sixers” and Knicks fans, all of whom are passionate about their favorite sports teams.
Both Monday and Tuesday consisted of early morning tee times for rounds, allowing for more time in the afternoon to do other things. For the former, the team traveled to the Grande Dunes Resort Club to play a very beautiful, yet tough course. Like before, the team split off into groups and had matches amongst themselves. After the round, a few members stayed behind to play another 18 holes at the resort club, this time from the tees furthest back, which was played at over 7,500 yards. For reference, the tees everyone played in the earlier round were about 6,700 yards.
As for Tuesday, the team played at Arrowhead Country Club, which was familiar ground to some, as it was the first course the team had played during the previous spring break trip in 2023. The course was tough, largely due to the narrow tee shots and vast amounts of trees. This did not discourage the team, as they played hard and even found the time to make a few TikToks for the official Mules Golf TikTok page.
After their final round, the team dined out at a local seafood buffet restaurant called Benjamins. Then, they traveled to Pop Stroke, a mini golf experience designed by the legendary golfer, Tiger Woods. While mini-golf might not be accurate to what one might see on the regular golf course, it still provided the team with a good amount of putting practice on difficult terrain and some more friendly competition.
Overall, the trip proved to be a lot of fun for the golfers involved and a good way to get them prepared for the upcoming spring season. “It was a good team bonding experience,” said Aron Gianchandani ‘24. “I feel like we’ve grown a lot as a team.” Team growth is certainly a key for the Muhlenberg golf team, as they transition into the grind for the conference tournament. With an influx of new talent on both the men’s and women’s side joining the team from other Muhlenberg sports following the end of spring break, the bolstered Mules golf roster looks ahead to what should be a bright future.
