By Stan Olenik, Editor-Publisher The Golf Club

Golfers of a certain age all have one very similar memory about taking a golf trip to Myrtle Beach.

Every golfer who teed it up at the Beach had their favorite course. They also had their favorite seafood buffet. Additionally, they had their favorite hotel-motel and favorite evening entertainment.

They played different courses. They ate at different restaurants and stayed in different hotels. They went their separate ways at night and sometimes all night. However, there was one place they all agreed was a must stop on every Beach trip.

Martin’s Golf and Tennis Super Store.

Starting in the 60s Martin’s became one of the first, if not the first, off course golf retailer in the country and might also have been the first store to call itself Super.

On Saturday morning around 8:30 the “descendant” of Martin’s Super-Store, the PGA TOUR Super-Store will open in Greenville in the Shops at Plaza Green.

PGA TOUR Super Store general manager Tyler Emory will preside over a one stop golf shop. The store has equipment, instruction, and practice facilities. It offers club fitting and everything you could expect in a Super-Store today. These features weren’t part of the first Super-Store back then.

“The store is a golfers’ paradise,” said the General Manager. “We have a big selection of equipment and with Trackman, instruction, club fitting and practice bays we have a lot to offer golfers,” he said.

How did Martin’s Super-Store become the PGA TOUR Super-Store?

Up until Martin’s came along most club manufacturers would only deal with “green grass” accounts, better known as country clubs.

It often meant golfers, who were not club members, had difficulty getting the professional level equipment the Arnold Palmers , Sam Sneads and Ben Hogans used in their hey-days.

Martin’s was a golf shop jammed with just about every brand and model of equipment that was available.

Golfers came back from the Beach with a new bag, a pair of shoes, a driver or putter and were convinced they got a better deal than they could from any local golf club.

In the Upstate Martin’s impact was moderated when a few other shops found a loop hole to get professional level equipment into a retail location.

Sam Keese operated Sam’s Pro Shop in Greenville. He stocked his store with hard to get professional level clubs and balls. This was possible because he also operated the Donaldson Center Golf Course. This made his shop acceptable.

Joe Fry in Spartanburg had a golf range and By Pass Golf, which is still a must stop for Upstate golfers almost 50 years after it first opened. His range made his shop acceptable to the manufacturers.

The Broken Club and other smaller shops opened as more and more semi-private golf clubs opened in the Upstate.

Local shops were able to compete with Martin’s on price, but it was still difficult to convince golfers they were not getting a better deal at the Beach.

As big-box stores took over the retail business in many specialties, it was only a matter of time before golf joined the club,

Some investors who knew a thing or two about Super-Stores bought the Myrtle Beach stores.

A few years later, around 2010, Arthur Blank, best known these days as the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and one of the founders of Home Depot, bought the business with the intention of making it into a national brand.

An important step in the development of the brand was securing the name, PGA TOUR, from the PGA TOUR.

The company is the exclusive partner of the PGA TOUR for off course retail locations and shops in airports around the country.

While each store has its own configuration, if you have been to one of the two stores in Myrtle Beach or near Hilton Head Island or Charlotte you will see the similarities.

Emory notes the Greenville store has “left handed clubs, shoes up to size 14 and ladies will find a large selection of equipment and apparel.”

While golf is the main focus, tennis has been part of the country club business and Emory is quick to point out the inclusion of a special racket sport that is sweeping the country,

“We have a pickle ball section to get pickle ball equipment and everything you need to play the sport. Pickle ball is big and getting bigger,” he said.

The grand opening will start with a Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting at 8:30. Customers will find several grand opening specials and give-a-ways to mark the occasion.

For anyone who has fond memories of Martin’s, the best feature of the PGATOUR Super-Store will be its like Martin’s was back in the day, but four hours closer.

The physical address for your GPS device is 1117 Woodruff Road.