It is always a pleasure for me to meet a young professional that is passionate about the game that we all enjoy. PGA of America professional Dustin Powers has that passion. Dustin is the Director of Operations at Thistle, which is a 27-hole layout, located just north of Calabash, N.C. on Old Georgetown Road.
Originally from Greenville, S.C., Dustin moved to Myrtle Beach to attend Coastal Carolina University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree focused in Business Management, completed the PGM (Professional Golf Management) program and an Associate’s of Arts Degree focused in Paralegal Studies. Dustin has worked at The Thistle for 5 years, where he began as an assistant golf professional. He currently lives in Little River with his wife Katie and their 6 week old son, Thomas Noah.
While growing up in Greenville, Dustin played 5 years of varsity golf and 3 years of varsity football. In his senior year Dustin won the individual AAAA regional title in golf; and was invited to represent Mauldin High School in the AAAA State Championship.
Dustin enjoys the weather that Myrtle Beach offers and of course the great golf opportunities. Running a 27-hole facility keeps him very busy, but he still tries to find time to follow his favorite sports teams, the Carolina Panthers, L.A. Dodgers and the University of North Carolina. He lists his favorite golf courses as Thornblade Country Club and Holly Tree Country Club both in Greenville and of course Thistle. Another of Dustin’s passions is cooking. He enjoys cooking all kinds of cuisines, but he and his wife enjoy dining out at Sea Blue in North Myrtle Beach.
Dustin is obviously career oriented and has a strong desire to go as far in golf as possible. He also is looking forward to growing his family.
The Thistle is owned by the Davis family and they have a strong commitment to improving the facility with a wide variety of capital improvements. The greens are being redone with ultra-dwarf Bermuda; specifically TifEagle, and they have just completed a bunker restoration on all bunkers. The course also has just added a brand new fleet of Club Car golf carts. A new menu and craft beers are some of the new things offered in the clubhouse.
There has been some concern about the future of golf the past few years, but I feel that with up and coming young professionals such as Dustin, the game is in good hands. They will need everyone’s support to insure that future generations will have the opportunity to enjoy this great game that we all love.
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