Cap N Cain – Myrtle Beach, SC

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Documented October 11, 2019 by Mr. Tee with Rudy & Aaron of O-Street Mini Golf plus Highlighter

Words by Mr. Tee

Classic pre-1980s mini golf courses are becoming hard to find everywhere but especially in the competitive putting market of Myrtle Beach. The bevy of miniature golf options within the extended city limits makes running a course a cutthroat business. Many operators attempt to keep up with the Joneses by applying a Vegas-style teardown and rebuild approach when new mini golf build styles come to market and/or if a course has become too costly to refurbish.

Our small crew of mini golf fanatics that traveled to this town for the 2019 USPMGA Masters ventured out to play as much as possible and bumped into an endless number of courses with nearly identical greens, cups, and layout so that when we encountered a distinct course, we opted for a closer look. When we arrived at Cap N Cain, the oversized roadside sea captain statue and massive board drew us in. Upon closer inspection, the business appeared to be closed for the day and maybe permanently? This didn’t deter our motley crew including our O-Street pals from taking a closer look. Knowing that this place may not be long for this world, I made sure to document while wishing it was open to playing.

In pulling together this overview, I was pleased to find out that this course is still operational and currently open to the public. This is on the shortlist of courses I’ll be certain to visit and play on our next stop through town.

John Margolies on the left & Mr. Tee in the photo from 2019 on the right
John Margolies on the left & Mr. Tee’s photo from 2019 on the right
My team of fellow explorers
This massive shift also serves as the clubhouse
Love good classic painted signs
Clearly been repainted in the last few years
The crew on the backside of the course
Palm trees and putting
Uneven surfaces aren’t accessible but make for interesting play design
Needed a bit of repair work during our visit
The last holes circle right back to where you started at the ship

Cap N Cain Website

702 S Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

Nerdy Notes

  • As of Summer 2020, this course is still open and operational with an $8 charge for all-day play
  • Featured in the seminal 1987 Mini Golf Book by Reidelbach & Garfinkel with photos by John Margolies
  • According to the Roadside Architecture website, “Cap’n Cain Golf is one of the oldest courses left in town. It was built in 1975 or possibly earlier. It closed in 2004 soon after these photos were taken. Cap’n Cain obviously tried to keep up with its neighbors by adding streams, boulders, landscaping and new greens…In 2007, it was announced that the Captain and the ship would be demolished. However, the course was fixed up in 2013 and reopened. The ship and the Captain were repainted. The whale wound up at Clear Water Mini Golf in White Lake, NC. “
  • This course is not ADA accessible

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