Pawleys Island, SC

Brookgreen Gardens' president and CEO, Robert E. "Bob" Jewell, has accepted a three year appointment to the Board of Directors of the National Sculpture Society (NSS). Brookgreen Gardens, in Murrells Inlet, S.C., and the NSS have had a relationship for as long as both organizations have existed.

The founders of Brookgreen Gardens, Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, were active members of the NSS and shared a common vision for sculpture in America. The NSS is headquartered in New York City and is the oldest association of professional sculptors in the U.S. Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark located on U.S. Hwy 17 between Murrells Inlet, S.C. and Pawleys Island, S.C. and is open daily to the public. For more information visit their website at http://www.brookgreen.org/

The Founder's Club golf course and clubhouse is built on the site of the former Sea Gull Golf Club and boast thoroughly modern facilities and design. It was conceived in 2006 but final construction was delayed by last year's drought. Founder's Club is the first new public course to open in Pawleys Island, SC in the past 5 years. Founder's Club and TPC in Scottsdale, AZ are the only two courses in the U.S. to use Emerald Bermude grass on its greens. This new strain of grass withstands Summer heat better and requires less water than other grasses. Founder's Club is the latest addition to the Waccamaw Golf Trail that also includes Blackmoor, Caledonia, Heritage Club, Pawleys Plantation, River Club, True Blue Plantation, and accommodation providers Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort and Pawleys Plantation in Litchfield, SC and Pawleys Island, SC respectively. For more information visit www.waccamawgolftrail.com

Jimmy Widener, of Hanahan, SC, landed a 16 pound 6 ounce Sheepshead in March on the Wando River breaking the state record by 10 ounces. Douglas Hover of James Island, S.C. was the previous record holder. Widener was fishing the Wando River with Captain Steve O'Neil of Summerville when the record Sheepshead struck the weighted Blue Crab Widener was using for bait. His Penn rod and reel combo sealed the deal as they remained anchored in Berford's Creek.

For a current list of South Carolina's State Record Game Fish, visit the DNR website at www.dnr.sc.gov/fish/saltrecs/record.html

Winter fishing has its rewards in Georgetown County, South Carolina as anglers hit pay dirt. Sean Murphy, of Myrtle Beach, SC, landed a three pound White Grunt on February 2^nd, 2008. This fish species was added to the S.C. State Record Marine Game Fish list in 2002 and the record remained unclaimed until Murphy snatched it with his 3 pound White Grunt. Three pounds is the exact minimum weight that is accepted as a state record. Murphy made his catch at the Bill Perry artificial reef site about out 30 miles offshore from Murrells Inlet, SC. Murphy was using shrimp pieces on a J-hook weighted bottom rig. At first Murphy wasn't sure what he had caught as he had never seen such a big White Grunt. David Player from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) identified the catch and reported the record to the Marine Resources Division in Charleston.

For a current list of South Carolina's State Record Game Fish, visit the DNR website at www.dnr.sc.gov/fish/saltrecs/record.html

The final link in the Bike the Neck chain of South Carolina Bike trails is being forged to bridge the section in Murrells Inlet, SC. Although vehicle traffic will be re-routed and even stopped at times during the construction of the bike bridge, residents and seasonal visitors will have one sweet ride when it is finished. The bridge will connect the bike lane along U.S. Highway 17 in Murrells Inlet and the recently constructed bike trail along the edge of Huntington Beach State Park that connects to a trail leading all the way into Litchfield, SC. The Huntington Beach State Park trail is paved and meanders through gorgeous wooded and wetland sections of the park.