Press Release
April 24, 2008
Philippe Bureau has joined the staff at Coastal Tee Times. Philippe was born in Paris France and grew up in Washington D.C. He has been a competitive golfer since the age of 9. He attended Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina and than spent one year playing on the European Tour. Following the tour, Philippe entered the PGA program as an assistant golf professional in the D.C. area.

His first Head Professional position was at River Landing in Wallace North Carolina where he opened the golf club and than added an additional 9 holes three years later. Philippe moved to Myrtle Beach in 2001 and became the Director of Golf for the Shore Golf Tour, a three golf course facility. Philippe joined Sea Trail Resort and Conference Center in 2003 as their Director of Golf. Sea Trail located in Sunset Beach North Carolina houses three golf courses. In July 2005, Philippe joined Ocean Ridge home of the Big Cats as his last Director’s position before joining our staff at Coastal Tee Times.

Philippe serves as the Marketing Director for Coastal Tee Times. “With his years of experience in the golf business and his leadership position within the Myrtle Beach market, we are fortunate to add his expertise to our staff. Philippe’s complete understanding of what makes to great golf vacation will assist Coastal Tee Times in providing a great golf experience when planning your next trip to Myrtle Beach” said Jennifer Scott Golf Director at Coastal Tee Times.

Editorial
April 18, 2008
I had the privilege of playing golf with two-time US Amateur Champion Gary Cowen on Wednesday April 9, 2008 at Leopard’s Chase. Gary is the only player to win the US Amateur in both stroke play and match play. As we played, Gary and I discussed his past accomplishments as a top ranked amateur. It was perfect timing since he played the Masters 7 times and we played on the Wednesday before the start of the 2008 Masters.

I asked Gary if he had ever played a round of golf with Mr. Hogan. He had. During a practice round for the Masters he was invited to play with Mr. Hogan by Cary Middlecoff. Gary shared the advice Mr. Hogan gave him while playing their practice round at Augusta National, always tee-up your ball on the right-hand side of the tee. Mr. Hogan also told Gary where to hit practice putts on each hole. Years later Gary thanked Cary Middlecoff for setting-up the round with Mr. Hogan. It was only than that Cary explained that Mr. Hogan had asked Cary Middlecoff to set-up a round with the US Amateur from Canada.

I could have listened to Gary’s stories all day long but we were there to play golf and I did not want to burden Gary with questions. It is fascinating playing golf with such an accomplished player. Gary makes the game look easy. He had a very difficult chip shot at the 10th hole. After he chipped the ball within 2 feet, he said that playing over 50 years of playing made shots like the one he had easy. I am glad to know that in another 14 years I will be able to get the ball up and down from an impossible position.

Leopard’s Chase was in excellent shape. The greens were fast and consistent. The design is challenging and different from any other golf course in Myrtle Beach. Tim Cate, the course architect, made good use of water features, waste bunkers and native grasses. It was truly an enjoyable day of golf. With Gary’s company and the condition of the golf course is was a highlight in my career. Stay tuned for my next adventure on the links.

Philippe