FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Entry
What is the last day to register?
Entries close on August 2, 2024 at 5:00 PM EST.
What is included in the entry fee?
Four rounds of golf (cart included) on four different golf courses. Range balls are provided complimentary at the course if a practice range is available.
Each player is granted entry for themselves and a guest access to the 19th Hole which features complimentary food, drink and entertainment.
Players receive a gift package upon arrival and each participant has the opportunity to win tons of prizes.
But there’s much more than that… see a full listing of what’s included.
Who can participate?
To participate in a handicapped division you must have a valid USGA / WHS handicap AND be 17 years of age or older. Anyone may participate in the ‘Just for Fun’ & Gross divisions.
The Golf
What golf courses will I be playing?
Each participant will be placed in a flight consisting of four different courses. The courses that are participating will be listed on the PARTICIPATING COURSES page. Once all handicaps are received and the event has been flighted participants will be notified of their flight as well as what courses they will be playing each day. This information will be released approximately 1 week prior to the start of the tournament.
Do you offer practice rounds?
All of the participating courses are listed on the PARTICIPATING COURSES page. Each course will have practice round information listed for you to view. You will be notified of the courses you will be playing approximately 1 week prior to the start of the tournament. You can book practice rounds at the courses within your rotation, or book additional rounds at any of the participating courses you wish to play.
What yardages/distances can I expect to play from?
| Myrtle Beach World Amateur Distance Guidelines | ||
| Division | Handicap Range | Yardage Range |
| Gross | 8 or less | 6400 to 6900 |
| Senior Gross (50+) | 8 or less | 6200 to 6700 |
| Mid Senior Gross (60+) | 8 or less | 6000 to 6500 |
| Women’s Gross | 8 or less | 4600 to 5200 |
| Men (49 & Under) | 0 to 5 | 6400 to 6900 |
| 5 to 10 | 6200 to 6700 | |
| 10 to 20 | 6100 to 6600 | |
| 20 & Above | 6000 to 6500 | |
| Senior Men (50-59) | 0 to 5 | 6100 to 6600 |
| 5 to 10 | 5900 to 6400 | |
| 10 to 20 | 5700 to 6200 | |
| 20 & Above | 5500 to 6000 | |
| Mid Senior Men (60-69) | 0 to 5 | 5900 to 6400 |
| 5 to 10 | 5700 to 6200 | |
| 10 to 20 | 5400 to 5900 | |
| 20 & Above | 5100 to 5600 | |
| Super Senior Men (70-79) | 0 to 10 | 5300 to 5800 |
| 10 to 20 | 5100 to 5600 | |
| 20 & Above | 4900 to 5400 | |
| Seasoned Seniors (80+) | 0 – 36 | 4600 to 5200 |
| Women’s Division’s | 0 to 10 | 4600 to 5200 |
| 10 to 20 | 4600 to 5200 | |
| 20 & Above | 4600 to 5200 | |
* Please note that yardages/distances are used for guidelines only. In some circumstances actual yardages may fall outside of these ranges.
Are there other ways to play before the World Am rounds?
Yes! Various courses host optional skins events. To see a list of these games please visit the Pre/Post Events Page.
Can I request to play in the same group as a friend?
Participants are able to play in the same foursome as a friend in the Just For Fun Flight only. This is a non-competitive flight which you can read more about here.
Within all other flights participants may not request to be in the same foursome, though they may request to be in the same flight for travel purposes. Please take a look at the next question to better understand how the flight together requests work.
Can I request to be in the same flight as a friend?
We do allow participants to request to be placed in the same flight as a friend. The flight together request is an option available to participants that may be traveling together and need to be in the same flight for transportation purposes . Please read the below carefully if you have shared transportation plans:
You may request to play in the same flight as up to 4 friends of the same gender. To do this all players making the request will have to play down to the lowest age group and lowest handicap bracket of the players involved in the request.
For example: If a 65 year old man with a 12 handicap wants to play in the same flight as his 42 year old son who has a 7.5 handicap, both men would have to play in the 49 and under age group and in the flight that a 7.5 would play. The participant playing down into a lower flight will have their handicap adjusted to the highest handicap within that flight. If the handicap range was 6.2-8.9 the father in the example would have his handicap changed from 12 to 8.9.
Keep in mind your handicap index will be your tournament index may be a players lowest index revision over the course of a year. Players also may have a World Am Index (an index based off of the prior years scores) which could lower their tournament index.
A difference of .1 in indexes could mean the difference in an entire set of courses. The flight together request is a decision made by the player, but if you MUST be flighted together you NEED to make these requests regardless of your difference in index.
All Flight Together requests must be made on the Handicap Submission Form completed in mid-August and must be completed by both players to be processed by the tournament committee. For example, If Player B is an 8 handicap that requests to be flighted with Player A who is a 5 handicap, but Player A does not indicate he would like to be flighted with Player B, no change will be made to either individual.
No Flight Together requests will be accepted after the handicap submission deadline has passed for any reason. Once the request has been made and players flights are announced no changes will be made to any player’s flight at this point in time.
The tournament committee reserves the right to deny a flight together request.
Are caddies/spectators permitted?
Caddies & spectators are NOT permitted, no exceptions.
*Spectators will be admitted for the Final Round ONLY*
How will the carts be utilized at the golf course?
Participants in the event will be assigned two to a cart for each round of the event.
Players are NOT able to walk their rounds due to the shotgun format starts.
The 19th Hole
Where is the 19th hole located?
The 19th hole is held at The Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The address is 2101 N. Oak St. Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. The 19th Hole is centrally located between the participating North courses and South courses in the event.
What safety precautions will be taken?
All local, state, and federal mandates in place at the time of the event will be instituted to comply with all necessary safety measures. These safety measures include but will not be limited to food / drink distribution and capacity limits.
Are drinks included with our entry?
Beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic are included during operating hours of the 19th Hole. Any person over the age of 21 must have a participant or guest badge to enjoy the open bar – Anyone who does not have a badge will not be permitted to enter the Convention Center grounds.
What is available at the 19th hole?
The 19th hole offers a little bit of everything; free food from local restaurants, free drinks, celebrity guest speakers, a golf expo, and live entertainment each night.
Is parking included at the Convention Center?
The City of Myrtle Beach charges a $5 nightly fee to park at the Convention Center. This can be paid in advance during check-in at the PGA TOUR Superstore to speed up entry to the Convention Center lots.
Are we allowed to bring a guest?
Each participant will receive a guest badge in addition to their participant badge. Please list your guest’s name upon registering. We do not sell nightly passes or additional guest passes to the 19th Hole.
Can I bring my kids?
The whole family is welcome at the 19th hole!! Any persons under the age of 21 can attend the 19th hole FREE – you can pick up their YOUTH badge at registration.
Handicaps & Divisions
What is the minimum or maximum handicap?
There is no minimum index however the maximum index allowed to participate is a 36.4 for men and 40.4 for women. If you maintain an index higher than those limits, it will be reduced to meet the requirements.
When are handicaps due?
Players will have two handicap forms e-mailed to them.
The purpose of the first form is to confirm your index is WHS approved and valid to be used at the event. This form will be emailed to participants in the summer. If you are unable to answer any of the questions on this form, stop and call tournament staff to ensure you have a valid index.
The second form will be for participants to submit their handicap index for the event. This handicap verification from is sent on August 12th, 2024. Failure to submit your WHS/GHIN Handicap Index by the deadline on August 15th can result in a player being made ineligible for prizes at the event.
What online golf handicaps are approved?
A handicap must be recognized by the player’s corresponding state golf association to be officially WHS approved. Remember, keeping your handicap online does not ensure you are part of a WHS approved club within the online service. A GHIN handicap is an example of an official WHS approved index.
If you have a question or concern about whether your handicap is officially WHS approved and valid for the event just give our staff a call and we can let you know.
What are the various age/gender divisions?
The tournament consists of eleven divisions. The default age group you will play in is your age at the start of the tournament. IE. If you are 59 and you will turn 60 on September 2nd (after the start of the tournament) you will be placed in the Senior Men division (ages 50-59).
Net Divisions:
Men:
- Men (49 and under)
- Senior Men (50-59)
- Mid-Senior Men (60-69)
- Super Senior Men (70-79)
- Seasoned Seniors (80+)
Women
- Women (59 and under)
- Senior Women (60+)
Gross:
- Gross (all ages)
- Senior Gross (50+)
- Mid Senior Gross (60+)
- Women’s Gross (all ages)
Just for Fun! (no scores/handicaps)
Within each handicap division, players are placed in flights of similar handicap index golfers, based upon their tournament handicap index.
How are participants flighted?
Flights are broken down first by gender, then by age and then by handicap index. Flights will vary from 30-50 players each depending on division breakdowns.
How close are handicap ranges?
Handicap ranges within flights are based on participation. Handicap ranges with flights will vary from one flight to the next. Some flights handicap ranges can be very close together for example Men, 60-69 years old, may consist of handicaps between 11.2-11.7, while the Men 49 & Under may range from 0-6 handicaps. The more popular the age group and handicap, the more closely knit the handicap range will be. Exact handicap ranges are unknown until the event has been flighted at which point all of the ranges are posted.
Travel
Is transportation provided to the local golf courses?
You are responsible for your own transportation.
Which hotels offer discounts?
For a full list of our discounted hotels, visit our Accommodation Specials page.
How far apart are the golf courses?
Courses range from Shallotte, NC down to Pawleys Island, SC. With the amount of courses participating in the event they are spread out quite a bit. The World Am uses the Sheraton Myrtle Beach as our central location. The Sheraton Myrtle Beach is located at 2101 N. Oak Street, Myrtle Beach SC 29579.
Tournament Information
When and where is check in?
Check in runs on Saturday, August 24th and Sunday, August 25th at the PGA TOUR Superstore locations (one across from Broadway at the Beach and the other in North Myrtle Beach). This is where you can pick up your tournament info as well as your gift bag.
Please note, both locations will be operational on both days again as they were in past years.
Saturday, August 26th – 9am – 7pm
Sunday, August 27th – 9am – 5pm
You may NOT have a friend or family member pick up your gift bag on your behalf. If you cannot make it to either of the check in days, you may pick up your gift bag at the 19th Hole Will Call (6-8:30PM Monday-Thursday located in the front entrance area of the Convention Center).
What are the dates?
The four-round tournament will take place Monday, August 26th through Thursday, August 29th. If you have won or tied for first in your flight you play Friday, August 30th in the championship round.
What is the Casa de Campo Pairs Competition?
Run in conjunction with the World Am, the Pairs Competition is a 72-hole, two-man team event. A golfer’s cumulative net score in relation to par of the courses they play is his or her score for the Pairs. The 5 teams with the lowest combined team scores advance to the finals, which are held in conjunction with the Flight Winners Playoffs. The winning team will be treated to a world class expenses paid vacation to the Casa de Campo Resort & Villas in the Dominican Republic. For more information, visit the Pairs Competition page.
Who all is playing?
To see a list of this year’s current participants, please visit the Current Participants page under the “Already Registered” page.
Do you have a referral program?
Word of mouth has been and will continue to be this tournament’s best avenue for reaching new participants. We want to show our appreciation for those efforts, and are happy to announce a new referral program for participants. Read more about it here.
How can I volunteer?
We rely on the assistance of over 100 volunteers to help create this wonderful event. If you’d like to help put on the Largest Amateur event in the World, please fill out this form!
Who gets to play on Friday?
The winners of each flight (including any ties), the top player from each Gross division (and ties), as well as the top five Pairs Competition teams will all play in the Championship round on Friday, September 1st. These winners will be contacted by Event Staff on Thursday following Round 4 Score confirmation with all information and schedule for Friday’s Championship Round.
Do we have to claim prizes in person to win?
Participants do not need to be in attendance to win Prizes. Any prizes that are not picked up can be mailed upon request within 30 days of the event’s completion. Please pick up any prizes won at the World Am Prize Pickup area located in the 19th Hole each evening Monday through Thursday of the event.
How do we find out if we have won prizes?
Daily Prize winners will be listed on the Event Prizes page each day. Pick up for daily prizes is at the 19th Hole Prize Pickup Area at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Random drawing prizes are announced at the end of the night on Thursday evening. Random drawing prizes will be listed online after the tournament has concluded. Any prizes not redeemed at the 19th Hole Prize Pickup Area can be mailed out after the tournament upon request.
Policies
What is the cancellation policy?
“RAINCHECK POLICY” – all registrants may withdraw without refund and be provided with a rain check for four rounds of golf (randomly selected courses), tournament gift bag, and $50 credit to a future year of World Am (2025, 2026 or 2027). This alternative policy is available to registrants until end of day August 23, 2024. All requests for “raincheck” policy cancel policy must be in written form sent to WAHC@GolfHoliday.com.
STANDARD POLICY – The World Am will refund participants based on the date of the cancel request being received by tournament staff:
- between date of entry and end of day June 20, 2024 – $35 processing fee.
- between June 21, 2024 and end of day August 2, 2024 – $70 processing fee.
- between August 3, 2024 and end of day August 11, 2024 – $140 processing fee.
- between August 12, 2024 and end of day August 23, 2024 – $280 processing fee.
- after August 23, 2024 no refunds are granted regardless of nature of request.
What are the tournament rules?
The World Am follows USGA tournament rules. For a full list please visit the USGA Website. Specific rules questions may be asked at the courses, and each evening there are Rules Officials at the Tournament Central Offices to help in assisting with any further rules questions not already answered. A brief rundown is also listed HERE.