By: Mike Dudurich, 970 ESPN

Pittsburgh-area golfers have shown over the years to have a great affinity for Myrtle Beach and the wonderful array of golf courses there.

Yes, there are nearly 100 courses in and around the Grand Strand and once you make a trip or two down there, you start creating a favorites list. Here’s a suggestion for you, whether you’re a veteran of Myrtle Beach or a first-timer:

Consider playing some Mystical Golf.

No, it’s not mini-golf under the lights or indoor golf. Mystical Golf is the corporate umbrella for a trio of golf courses -- Wizard, Man-O-War and the Witch – that are as challenging as any in that area. Even better, packages are available that make staying and playing easy and affordable.

Already known as one of the great venues for buddy trips, Mystical Golf’s winter package special does nothing but enhance that. That package, priced at $189 per person (quad occupancy, taxes included) features: Rounds on each of the three courses; two nights’ accommodations in a three-bedroom villa with four beds; a free steak dinner at Max & Erma’s (includes non-alcoholic beverages, taxes, tips); free lunch and range balls each day; two beers per day; a $15 gift card toward a golf shirt; replay rounds for cart fee only.

“Our economical winter stay-and-play package is ideal for golfers to escape cold weather and tee-it-up on our well-maintained courses,” says Claude Pardue, President and CEO. “Diverse layouts, comfortable condos and first-class service create an unforgettable golf experience.”

A quick synopsis of Mystical Golf:

Man-O-War and the Wizard are located on the same property, the Witch is about 10 minutes away. All three, however, offer distinctly different golf experiences.

Starting with the clubhouse built like a clubhouse, the Wizard gives golfers their links-like fix with a layout that features plenty of sand dunes, bouncy fairways and a healthy dose of wind.

Next door, the Man-O-War clubhouse is much more understated, but the golf course is not. If you were to look at the course from above, you’d be fearful about all the water. But when you stand on the tees, the water is more visual than penal. Shots have to get very far off line to get wet, the only exceptions being the island greens on the 16^th and 17^th holes.

The Witch features tree-lined fairways, elevation changes and some serious doglegs that test an entirely different set of skills on a layout that sits on 500 acres. It’s a much tighter test of golf with a few more quirky holes than you’ll see on the other two courses.

There are 4,000 feet of bridges that help golfers navigate swamps on the front nine and rolling hills on the back.

Plenty of options are available for golf in Myrtle Beach. Mystical Golf is better than most of those.

By: Mike Dudurich, 970 ESPN

The golf trip with a group of friends has, like many other things in our lives, evolved over the years. Some of that evolution has been good, some not so good.

While buddy trips have become super-organized, from pairings and games to be played to dinner and entertainment reservations, the trend in these economically difficult times is for the trips to become more streamlined and even downsized.

A recent survey in Golf Digest came up with the following interesting numbers:

a)      44 percent of the respondents said they’d still go if their household income dropped by 25 percent.

b)      One in 10 said they’d still go if their income dropped by half.

c)      Golfers are going on fewer trips, staying fewer nights, driving instead of flying and playing fewer rounds while on trips.

Some interesting numbers and revelations there.

The Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania region have become legendary for the numbers of golfers who travel every year in groups, some to new places each year, others to places and courses they’ve become very comfortable with. Much of that travel is done by car, although there are some groups that take to the skies.

When the time comes to plan your next trip, here’s an area you might want to consider. Instead of driving 8 or 9 hours (or more) in any direction, think about going less than three hours west into central Ohio.

No, there’s no beach there, although I really don’t think that’s a major consideration for golf trips, nor should it be. There is, however one of the very best public golf facilities in the country, a place that has long been identified by baskets and not golf courses!

The Longaberger Golf Club has made many lists, but definitely is one that should be on your “must-play” list. Designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 1999, Longaberger is 56^th on a list of approximately 13,500 public access courses on Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 Courses You Can Play.”

It was rated the No. 1 course in Ohio in Golfweek’s state-by-state list. It was ranked 4^th on a list of public courses by Golf World’s Readers Choice Award.

But enough about lists. This is a big-time golf course, a big-time facility and one that will make you shake your head in wonderment as you make your way around the layout that is spread over 250 acres in Nashport, Ohio.